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Flu 2025 Key Messages

To check out the eligibility criteria for funded influenza vaccinations, please the button below.

Influenza (flu) is a common viral infection that affects people of all ages.

• While the flu may be a mild disease for some, it can also cause serious illness and even lead to hospitalisation in otherwise healthy people.
• Those with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease are at higher risk of complications from a flu infection, which could result in hospitalisation.
• Annual flu vaccination also reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks, particularly in those with heart disease, and helps the elderly to maintain independent living.

Vaccination reduces the spread of illness to the most vulnerable in our whanāu and communities.

• The flu vaccine is recommended each year for everyone aged 6 months and over.
• Vaccination, administered annually by a healthcare provider, is the safest way to protect you and your whānau from influenza.
• Having your immunisation on time is important, as influenza can circulate in the community all year round.

The flu vaccine has been around for many decades and has a great safety record.

• This year’s vaccine gives you the best possible protection against the flu viruses likely to be circulating this season.
• As with any vaccine, you may experience some side effects. These may include mild soreness, redness or swelling where the vaccine was given or tiredness, headache, muscle aches chills or fever. Most are mild, do not last long and happen in the first few days of having the vaccine. The vaccinator will give you advice on how to manage these side effects. Serious side effects, such as a severe allergic reaction, are rare.
• The vaccine does not contain live influenza viruses and cannot cause influenza. Some people notice side effects after their vaccine as part of their immune system working and this can sometimes be confused with a flu infection

Influenza is a serious disease for pregnant people/hapū mamā and their pēpi.

• The flu vaccine is recommended and free for every pregnancy.
• It’s safe to give at any stage during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
• Vaccination in pregnancy is beneficial to both the mother and the baby.
• Vaccination enables the transfer of protective antibodies to the baby through the placenta. This protects them in their vulnerable early months when they are too young to be vaccinated themselves.
• Babies and children younger than 5 years old have a higher risk of complications from influenza, potentially leading to hospitalisation. Even healthy children can get very sick from influenza.

You should get your annual influenza vaccine anytime from April onwards to be protected for the peak flu season.

• The highest level of protection happens in the first few months following vaccination.
• If you are sick with a cough, runny nose or fever, it is still important to stay away from others, especially those who are most at risk, including pregnant people and newborn pēpi. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing and wash your hands.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding 

• Flu vaccination during pregnancy helps protect pregnant people/hapū māma and baby/pēpē, during the first few months of life.

• The flu vaccine is free for pregnant people and can be given at any stage of pregnancy.

• The flu can seriously harm your health and that of your unborn baby. Several flu-related complications can affect a baby’s development in the womb. Pregnant people who get the flu have higher rates of early birth, miscarriage, stillbirth and lower birth weight.

• Getting a flu vaccine when you are pregnant protects you and your baby so that when they are born, they have some protection against the flu for the first few months of life. Newborns and young infants are more likely to end up in hospital with the flu than older children, so the protection they receive from you in the womb could make all the difference.

• There is no increased risk of reactions to the vaccine for pregnant people or their unborn babies.

• If you are in your second or third trimester, you can get the flu vaccine and whooping cough booster vaccine at the same visit. Both immunisations are free for pregnant people.

• Keeping up to date with your immunisations (like Covid-19 and whooping cough) provides the best possible protection for you and your unborn baby.

• You can get a flu vaccine if you’re breastfeeding. By protecting yourself, you’re also protecting your baby.

• For more information about the benefits of the flu vaccine, talk to your midwife, Plunket or GP.

Children (tamariki) aged 6 months to 12 years old.

• Tamariki are at a higher risk of catching the flu and of passing it on to others, particularly other members of their whānau who may be older or have underlying health issues.

• Tamariki receiving their flu vaccine for the first time will receive two vaccines given at least four weeks apart.

• Most tamariki aged 9 years old and over need one vaccination each year to get good protection against flu.

• Flu vaccines can be given with other vaccines your child may be due for.

• If you have a child under 9 years old, talk to your healthcare provider as they may need one or two vaccinations depending on whether they’ve had a flu vaccine before.

• Children aged 6 months to 4 years old get a free flu vaccine if they have previously spent time in hospital due to respiratory illness.

People aged 65+ 

• As you get older, you’re at higher risk of catching flu and developing complications, even if you feel fit and healthy. That’s why it’s important to get your annual flu vaccination.

• The flu vaccine is free for all people aged 65 years old and over.
• Having a flu immunisation every year can keep older people healthy for longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the flu vaccine not free for everyone?  

Pharmac operates on a fixed budget and have to make difficult choices about which medicines are funded.

For those who do not meet the funded eligibility criteria, the flu vaccine is available through private immunisation providers (Māori and Pacific Hauora healthcare providers, general practitioners, pharmacists or occupational health) at a small cost.

What are the different types of flu vaccinations available? 

The funded flu vaccine for children and adults (6 months of age and over) available in Aotearoa New Zealand is Influvac Tetra. This vaccine has been developed to protect against the flu strains that have been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) this year.

Pharmac funds the vaccines and determines who is eligible.

While each flu vaccine offered in New Zealand is slightly different, they are all approved by Medsafe and can help stop you from getting very sick if you do catch the flu.

Immunisation provides you with the best possible protection against flu symptoms, so it’s important that you get a flu vaccine, whether you opt for the funded or non-funded vaccine.

Please talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about the different flu vaccines that are available.

Can I get my flu vaccination at the same time as other vaccinations? 

Yes, the flu vaccine can usually be given at the same time as other vaccines including all nationally scheduled childhood vaccinations.

Tamariki 

Is the flu vaccine safe for children as young as 6 months?  

Yes, Medsafe has reviewed the flu vaccines being used for adults and children – as they do for all medicines used in New Zealand – and approved them as safe for use from the age of 6 months.

Do children need one or two flu jabs? 

Children nine years and older, and children younger than nine years old who have previously had a flu vaccination, only need one dose.

Children younger than nine who have never had a flu vaccination before will need two doses, at least four weeks apart. While one dose offers some protection, two doses are strongly recommended to help their immune system recognise and fight the flu.

Pregnancy

When is the best time to be vaccinated during pregnancy? 

The flu vaccination can be given at any time during pregnancy. It is preferable to vaccinate as soon as the vaccine is available (from 1 April 2025), well before the start of winter. The funded vaccine is available through to 31 December 2025.

Can a pregnant person receive two flu vaccinations? 

Yes, an individual who is pregnant across two flu seasons is recommended to have a flu vaccination in both seasons.

Each year the strains of the flu virus which are predicted to affect New Zealanders are reviewed and the vaccines are developed according to the strains identified.

Over time, the protection provided by flu vaccines decreases, so people need to keep up with their immunisations.

A pregnant person’s risk of flu also increases with increasing gestation. No minimum time is required between a flu vaccination in 2024 and one in 2025.

Can flu and whooping cough vaccinations be given to pregnant people at the same visit? 

Yes, the flu vaccine and whooping cough booster vaccine (Tdap) can be administered at the same visit from 16 weeks of each pregnancy.

Can flu and COVID-19 vaccinations be given to pregnant people at the same visit? 

Yes, it’s recommended the flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be given at any stage of pregnancy. They can be given at the same time or separately.

The Health Quality & Safety Commission is selecting individuals to join their quarterly Patient Experience Survey.
If you’re selected, an invitation may arrive via email or text message.

For more details, feel free to check out their website:
https://www.hqsc.govt.nz/our-data/patient-reported-measures/patient-experience/about-our-surveys/

Steph and Mengyi, our wonderful team members from the HMC Health & Well-being Hub, will be hosting a walking group every Friday starting February 14, 2025.

Steph, our Health Coach, and Mengyi, our Health Improvement Practitioner, are dedicated to supporting our patients on their health and well-being journeys.

Times and locations may change each week so keep an eye out on our Facebook posts each week for further information.

We look forward to seeing you there!

In our absence, CareHQ is available to help!

If you need support, you can get a virtual GP consultation from the comfort of your home, anywhere in New Zealand by using CareHQ.

GPs are available from 7 am – 9 pm, 7 days per week.

Southern Cross members should use their MySouthernCross app to book their appointments, and non-Southern Cross patients can access CareHQ directly via the MyIndici patient portal.

From Monday 16th December 2024, through to Sunday 19 January 2025, as a benefit of belonging to our practice, CareHQ appointments are subsidised, when booked via the MyIndici patient portal.

HMC Newsletter – Summer/Xmas 2024

Our new Henderson Medical Centre Newsletter – Goodbye 2024 Edition is now available to check it out click here

Want to stay in the loop with all the exciting things happening at our center? Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter!

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Diabetes Action Month

November | Noema is Diabetes Action Month. It is the largest awareness campaign by Diabetes New Zealand, aimed at uniting New Zealanders to address the country’s biggest and fastest-growing health condition. This November, the theme for Diabetes Action Month 2024 is “Don’t Sugar Coat Diabetes.”

The focus is on dispelling diabetes myths to enhance everyone’s awareness and understanding of the condition. The goal is that with improved knowledge, there will be less judgment and stigma toward individuals living with diabetes.

📲 Call us today 09 837 1110 to book in your free Health Review with our Health Coach Steph King.

This service is for our enrolled patients 18 years or older.

Not enrolled? Check out our  How to enrol tab to get started.