Influenza vaccination for adults

Who this is recommended for

• Adults over 50 years of age
• Adults of any age with diabetes, chronic lung disease including COPD and asthma, heart disease, chronic kidney disease or chronic liver disease
• Adults who are immunocompromised
• Pregnancy, at any stage
• Healthcare workers and carers of high-risk adults
• Pilgrims travelling for Hajj or Umrah

Schedule

One dose each year. Protection develops over about two to three weeks.

Timing

In Hyderabad the sensible window is April to June, ahead of the monsoon-associated peak, using the Southern Hemisphere formulation. If you present outside that window, the current available formulation is still worth taking.

What is available, and what we use

All of these are reasonable. We hold Influvac Tetra as the default and can obtain any of the others on request. If cost is a consideration, say so at the consultation; the difference across brands is more than twofold for a broadly similar product.

Product names and prices are listed so you know what you are being given and what it costs. They are for identification only and do not constitute a recommendation of any manufacturer. Prices shown are the manufacturer's maximum retail price per dose as at 12 August 2026; manufacturers and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority revise these from time to time, and your actual cost is confirmed before anything is administered.

What we will not gloss over

• Defer if you have a moderate or severe acute illness with fever.
• Tell us about any severe allergic reaction to a previous influenza vaccine or its components.
• Tell us if you have had Guillain-Barré syndrome within six weeks of a previous influenza vaccine.
• From the 2026 Southern Hemisphere season, the B/Yamagata strain has been dropped worldwide on WHO advice because it is no longer circulating. Some current packs are therefore three-strain rather than four. This is a deliberate change, not an inferior product.