Flu Vaccination
Intradermal flu vaccination is an alternative to the traditional flu shot. It is injected on the skin instead of the muscle. In order to do so, it uses a needle which is 90% smaller than the needles used for traditional flu shots. This vaccine is targeted at adult people from the age of 18 to the age of 64. This time of the year is appropriate to get flu vaccination in Australia. Make sure you get informed by your GP.
The vaccine works like its traditional counterpart but uses less antigens in the process, it requires 40% less antigens than the intramuscular version. Antigens are what the vaccine uses to help the body build up proper protection against viruses. This reduction in the number of antigens used by vaccine is very useful as it allows to produce more flu shots.
The intradermal flu vaccination is designed to protect against the four strands of flu viruses which research predicts to be prevalent during the next flu season. Statistically, researches prove that the intradermal flu vaccination is as efficient as the intramuscular one and provides the same amount of protection. It is supplied as a single dose pre filled syringe which has the good taste to be preservative-free. Regarding the risks of serious side-effects, if we look at the statistics, bad side-effects are very rare among the millions of people who get vaccinated every year. The shot may still cause, even though it’s extremely rare, strong reactions such as a severe case of allergic reaction. Keep in mind that the flu shot cannot cause flu as the viruses used in it are already dead (they’re called inactivated viruses). Common reactions can be experienced such as redness, itching or small pain where the injection has been done but it’s nothing to worry about.
If you had the Guillain-Barre syndrome or experienced allergy to eggs, or any part of the flu vaccine, we strongly recommend that you talk about it with your doctor beforehand in order to avoid any bad surprise at the injection time.
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