What are the symptoms of flu?
These normally include a high temperature, headaches, weakness and severe body pain. 5-10 days absence from work is common. Flu can also be a trigger for depression and other mental conditions. It can exacerbate heart problems, diabetes, kidney disease, asthma and lung disease. In the worst cases, it can be fatal.
How effective is the vaccination?
Vaccination reduces the incidence of flu by over 80%.
Are there any side-effects?
These are very rare. Since vaccination was started in the mid 1980s there have been over 160 million vaccinations given and only nine recorded cases of attributable anaphylaxis (serious allergic reactions), all of which resolved satisfactorily.
Bear in mind that many thousands of people have died of flu during this period - and the great majority of these deaths would have been prevented by vaccination.
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