As part of a weekly series, in association with LloydsPharmacy, Anshu Bhimbat from LloydsPharmacy in Buckinghamshire answers your common medicine queries…
Anshu Bhimbat from LloydsPharmacy in Buckinghamshire, gives expert advice
Q: Will a flu jab make me feel ill?
The flu jab will not give you flu as it is not a live vaccine; the vaccine consists of an inactivated form of the virus.
Some people get a slight fever or aching muscles following a vaccination which is the body’s normal reaction to fighting off something new in the body, but it is not flu itself; your arm may feel a bit sore where you had the injection.
Other reactions are rare; the flu jab has a good safety record. If you do come down with what you think is flu after a vaccination, you may have caught another virus.
Q: How can I get my teenager a flu jab?
A. Teenagers under 18 with long-term health problems such as diabetes, heart, kidney or liver disease or asthma, can get the nasal spray flu vaccine on the NHS though their GP.
Those 18 and over in the high-risk group can also get the vaccination for free on the NHS at a local pharmacy. A nasal spray vaccine or jab is available privately at pharmacies and some supermarkets, the age it is available for varies.
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