Influenza - Information for health professionals

Your regular use and support of the following messages will play an essential role in increasing influenza vaccination and lowering infection rates.

Immunisation is the best protection against influenza. Even if you still catch influenza after immunisation, your symptoms are less likely to be severe.
Get immunised to stop the spread of influenza around your community. Even if you don’t feel sick, you could still be infected with influenza and pass it on to others.
If you are sick, staying away from others, regular handwashing or use of hand sanitisers and covering your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing also help reduce the spread of influenza.
Influenza immunisation is recommended and FREE for people who are most likely to get very sick, be hospitalised or even die if they catch influenza:

children aged 6 months to 12 years old
people aged 65 and over
pregnant people
Māori and Pacific people over 55
people with underlying health conditions including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and serious asthma
people with significant mental illness such as schizophrenia or those currently accessing mental health services.

Having an influenza immunisation every year can keep older people healthy and active for longer.
Influenza immunisation during pregnancy helps protect the mother and her baby

Protect patients at greater risk of developing complications.
Improved patient safety, improved employee safety and decreased healthcare expenditure.
Healthcare workers have a duty of care to protect vulnerable patients from the serious threat of influenza illness.
Relying on patients being vaccinated for their personal protection is not enough, many vulnerable people have a poor immune response to the vaccine or may not have been vaccinated this year.

Resources can be downloaded and/or ordered from www.influenza.org.nz/resources