Influenza Injection

Influenza Injection helps protect you from influenza (flu). It works by exposing you to a small dose of the flu virus which helps your body to develop immunity against the disease. Vaccination will not treat an existing flu virus infection.

Influenza Injection is given as an injection into a muscle by a doctor or nurse. It is usually given just before the cold season when the flu virus begins to increase. Normally, only one injection is required to protect you for a year. You should have the vaccination each year because different new strains of the flu virus emerge frequently and different vaccines are developed. It is especially important to have this vaccine if you are elderly or have chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart failure, kidney failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is also recommended for young children over 6 months of age.

This vaccine can cause mild side effects, but it is better to get vaccinated than to become infected with flu. Influenza causes thousands of deaths each year. The most common side effects include headache, weakness, tiredness, and pain or swelling at the vaccination site. They do not normally last very long. Consult your doctor if any of the side effects persist or worry you.

Before having the injection, you should tell your doctor if you have an illness with a high temperature or if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccine. Some other medicines may react with the flu vaccine so talk to your doctor about other medications you are taking as well. As with any vaccine, vaccination may not fully protect everybody, although it will reduce the symptoms of the flu if you get it. It will not prevent illness from avian flu (bird flu) or a common cold. Consult your doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

• Prevention of Influenza (flu)

Prevention of Influenza (flu)
Influenza (flu) is a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system (nose, throat, and lungs). For most people, it gets better on its own. However, for people who are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill such as elderly, young children, pregnant women, people with chronic long-term conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, and diabetes), people with weakened immune systems and residents of a nursing home should have the influenza vaccine to provide protection.

Because the flu virus changes quickly and new strains appear regularly, a new vaccination is needed every year (even though you may have antibodies to a previous version). It is never 100% effective and some strains will be immune, but it is still your best defense against influenza and will reduce the seriousness of the illness if you get it. Influenza can be a serious illness and kills a large number of people every year. So, you should ask about this vaccine if you feel you are vulnerable.

Most side effects do not require any medical attention and disappear as your body adjusts to the medicine. Consult your doctor if they persist or if you’re worried about them

Common side effects of Influenza

• Headache
• Weakness
• Injection site reactions (pain, swelling, redness)

Your doctor or nurse will give you this medicine. Kindly do not self administer.

Influenza Injection is an inactivated vaccine (made from a dead virus). It helps develop immunity by forming antibodies, which are proteins that protect against infection caused by viruses present in the vaccine.

• Your doctor will inject Influenza Injection as an injection in the muscle of the upper arm.
• Vaccination should be repeated every year to protect you from the flu.
• It can take up to 2 weeks for the vaccine to work. Therefore, you could still develop the illness if you are exposed to flu immediately before or after your vaccination.
• The vaccine will not protect you against common cold, even though some of the symptoms are similar to flu.

Inactivated Influenza vaccine [Package Leaflet]. Mumbai, India: Sanofi Pasteur India Pvt. Ltd.; 2014. [Accessed 15 Aug. 2020]. (online) Available from:

Fluarix Quadrivalent (Influenza Vaccine). Dresden, Germany: GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals; 2012 [revised Jul. 2019]. [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019] (online) Available from:

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). [Accessed 03 Apr. 2019] (online) Available from: