I’m a doctor – here are four common beliefs about flu jabs that are NOT true

The season of stuffy noses and barking coughs is almost here.

Although the flu is just unpleasant for most, it can be life-threatening for others.

But getting an annual flu jab can protect people from getting seriously ill.

Those over the age of 65 and people with certain long-term health conditions such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease are able to get the jab free on the NHS. It’s also recommended if you are pregnant or a carer.

Here, NHS GP and This Morning resident doctor Dr Sara Kayat, who is working with Boots, busts some common myths surrounding the flu jab.

Can you catch the flu from the vaccine?

Some believe that getting the flu jab can actually give you the flu. But doctors say this is categorically not true.

‘Injected flu vaccinations contain a tiny amount of an inactive flu virus that cannot give you the flu,’ says Dr Kayat.

While this makes it impossible to catch influenza from getting jabbed, feeling achy or slightly feverish for up to a few days post-vaccine is a common side effect caused by the immune system reacting to the vaccine.

Severe side effects are extremely rare, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). One in a million people may get Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which causes muscle weakness and paralysis.

However, the flu itself can be severe. Last winter, it is thought to have killed around 14,500 people in England.

But children who were jabbed had a 66 per cent lower chance of being hospitalised, while the over-65s saw their risk reduce by 25 per cent and vulnerable people were a third less likely to need NHS care. 

Will the flu vaccination hurt? 

Like all jabs, the flu vaccine may sting a bit.

But most side effects are only mild and last a day or so.

‘You may feel slightly sore where your jab was injected,’ says Dr Kayat.

‘Other side effects include a slightly raised temperature, muscle aches or a headache, but these tend to be mild and only last for a day or so.’

To help ease the pain, the NHS suggests continuing to move your arm regularly and taking a pain killer such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.

I had the vaccination last year, do I really need it again?

Unlike some vaccines which last a lifetime, the flu jab needs to be updated each year.

‘It is recommended to have the flu vaccination annually’, says Dr Kayat.

‘This is because the flu virus evolves and changes over time, so each year new vaccinations are developed to match the new flu strains. 

‘Also, your protection declines over time.’

Each February, the WHO recommends which influenza strains the vaccines should target and manufacturers make them ready for September that year.

It is still possible to become infected by a strain of flu even after getting the vaccine, because several flu viruses are circulating all the time and no vaccine is 100 per cent effective.

Is it true or false that pregnant women can’t have the vaccination?

It’s a myth that pregnant women can’t have the flu jab.

In fact, getting the flu jab will help protect both mother and baby.

‘Pregnant women are eligible to have a flu jab during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date.

‘I encourage all pregnant women to have their flu jab this autumn’, says Dr Kayat who is currently in her third trimester of pregnancy.

However, according to the UK Health Security Agency, only 35 per cent of expectant mothers got their free flu jab last season (2021-22), compared to 38 per cent the year before (2020-21)

Dr Kayat said: ‘Pregnancy changes how the body responds to infections, which is why pregnant women like me are considered to be at increased risk of serious complications from flu.

‘If you are pregnant, a flu jab helps protect you and some protection will be passed onto your baby too, lasting for the first few months of their lives.’

Those who get jabbed are less likely to both become infected and develop severe illness due to the flu.

Getting infected with the flu while pregnant raises the risk of giving birth prematurely, the baby having a low birth weight and stillbirth, the NHS warns.