Published: 25-09-2023 13:47 | Updated: 25-09-2023 13:47

Get vaccinated against seasonal flu on 21 or 23 November 2023

The flu season is almost here Photo: Pixabay

The seasonal flu will soon hit the country. The management has decided to offer all employees of the University Dental Service and the Department of Dentistry the opportunity to be vaccinated against seasonal flu free of charge.

Photo: Kicki Carlsson KI

The vaccination is provided by Avonova

Drop-in:

  • Tuesday 21 November between 07.30 - 12.00 in the Sundström seminar room, level 6 in Sköterskegången.
  • Thursday 23 November between 13.30 - 17.00 in the seminar room Sundström, level 6 in Sköterskegången.

 

Fill out vaccination form

Before you can get vaccinated, you need to fill out the below vaccination form. Print it out in advance, fill it out and bring it to the nurse.

When should I get vaccinated?

It takes a few weeks for the vaccine to develop protection, so ideally you should get vaccinated before the flu season, in November-December. It can also be done after the turn of the year or when the epidemic is underway.

If you have already contracted the flu, the vaccine will not have time to prevent disease caused by the flu virus in question. Instead, the vaccine can protect against other influenza viruses that circulate later.

Is the flu vaccine safe?

Yes, the flu vaccine is safe. It has been used for over 40 years in hundreds of millions of doses. All vaccines have side effects, which only occur in a small proportion of those vaccinated.

What are the side effects?

  • The injectable vaccines can cause redness and soreness at the injection site.
  • Sometimes vaccine recipients experience muscle and joint pain, headache or fever. These symptoms subside after a few days and can be treated with antipyretics and painkillers.

Other side effects are rare. Serious side effects are very rare.

How long has VaxigripTetra been used?

Avonova uses Sanofi's vaccination VaxigripTetra. The content of VaxigripTetra is almost the same as Vaxigrip, produced by the same pharmaceutical company, which has been used since 1968 in over 1.8 billion doses. The difference is that Vaxigrip protected against three influenza viruses, while VaxigripTetra protects against four viruses. VaxigripTetra has been widely used in Europe since 2016.

Does the flu vaccine give me 100% protection?

No, the flu vaccine does not provide complete protection against influenza. In people of working age, the vaccine's protection against symptomatic influenza is between 70 and 90%, if the vaccine viruses are similar to the influenza viruses circulating in a large part of the population. While the vaccine does not guarantee that you will not pass on the infection, it is the best way to ensure that you do not spread the flu during an infection with symptoms, during an asymptomatic infection or the day before symptoms.

What about risk groups and pregnant women?

Pregnant women and people over 65 years old or people with certain underlying diseases can be vaccinated. If you are pregnant, vaccination is recommended after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The vaccine is safe to take throughout pregnancy, but the risk of serious influenza illness is greatest in the latter part of the pregnancy.

What if I have allergies?

Avonova does not normally carry out vaccinations where there is a risk of you developing serious allergic side effects:

  • Egg allergy
  • Established allergy to something in the vaccine
  • If you have reacted to previous vaccinations

If you have any of these, you will be referred to another healthcare provider/vaccination centre.

For up-to-date information, please see the Public Health Agency of Sweden website: Influenza – About vaccination – Public Health Agency of Sweden(folkhalsomyndigheten.se)

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