Flu jab for UK trip?

[brewsterbudgen]

I'm taking my wife and 2.5 year old to the UK for Christmas. There has been lots of talk of freezing temperatures and the possibility of a flu epidemic.

 

Would it be a good idea for all of us to have flu vaccinations before we go? Neither my wife nor son will have ever experienced freezing conditions before!

 

If so, can we just get them at any hospital or clinic?

 

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[lopburi3]

Actually it is normally a good idea to have even if staying in Thailand as flu is everywhere.  And you should do now as takes several weeks to be fully effective for children.  Any hospitals should have - probably not so many clinics.

[BobHG46]

The 'flu shot is only effective for 2 strains of 'flu, but I wouldn't recommend any vaccine to anyone anyway, considering what the ingredients are.

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[lopburi3]

The normal vaccine directly protects against 3 versions of flu and the current available Northern Quad Vaccine against 4 (and this is available in Thailand as have obtained).

Quote

 

The composition of trivalent virus vaccines for use in the 2017–2018 Northern Hemisphere influenza season recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on August 25^[127], 2017 was:

• an A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09–like virus^{[note 1][125]}
• an A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus
• a B/Brisbane/60/2008–like virus (Victoria lineage)

Quadrivalent vaccines will include in addition to these components a B/Phuket/3073/2013–like virus (Yamagata lineage).