Annual influenza immunisation is recommended to provide protection from the predominant circulating influenza strains. The vaccine should be given before the influenza season in New Zealand.
The World Health Organization monitors influenza illness throughout the year and makes recommendations on which four influenza types are likely to cause the most illness in the northern and in the southern hemisphere during their respective influenza seasons. Vaccine ingredients are specific to the brand of influenza vaccine they are associated with and may vary to year. Specific information on ingredients in the vaccines use each season can be found in the individual Medsafe vaccine datasheets.
Influenza immunisation is recommended and offered free to:
Those not eligible for a free influenza immunisation can purchase one through their family doctor or a vaccinating pharmacy.
Some employers fund influenza vaccinations for their employees.
*Adults aged 18 years or older must also be eligible to receive publicly funded health and disability services in New Zealand to receive funded influenza vaccination.
Responses associated with Afluria Quad Junior and Afluria Quad:
Responses associated with Fluad Quad in older adults:
Brands: Afluria Quad Junior, Afluria Quad, Fluad Quad, FluQuadri
Information about influenza immunisation in 2023 for people who are not health professionals can be found on the Manatū Haora website pages here.
* Two doses separated by at least 4 weeks if an influenza vaccine is being administered for the first time.
The 20-minute waiting period continues to be the best option when the waiting area is adequate and safe. Adolescents aged 13 years or older and adults receiving any other vaccination, and all children aged under 13 years need to remain under observation for the 20-minutes post-vaccination.
If the risk of exposure to infectious disease in a crowded waiting room is higher than the low risk of anaphylactic events, for those receiving only an influenza vaccination the observation period can be reduced to 5 minutes if those people meet ALL of the following criteria:
Store as per the cold chain, between +2°C to +8°C. Protect from light. The expiry date of the vaccine is the last day of the month in the year indicated on the packaging.
For all vaccines, similar to most medications, an extremely rare allergic reaction called ‘anaphylaxis’ can occur. Anaphylaxis after immunisation occurs about 1–3 times in every one million vaccine doses. All vaccinators will have training and equipment to deal with this situation in the unlikely event of it occurring. No other serious responses to the vaccine have been identified.