With flu season approaching in the UAE, Dubai health officials are reminding residents that now is a good time to check whether they are up to date with their annual influenza vaccine.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is encouraging healthcare professionals to ask patients about their vaccination status during routine visits and recommend the flu shot where appropriate. The advice is particularly important for people who are more likely to develop complications from influenza.
It also addresses a question that comes up every flu season: can the vaccine itself make you sick with the flu?
The short answer is no. An inactivated flu vaccine cannot cause influenza.
Why getting vaccinated every year matters
For many people, flu means several unpleasant days of fever, coughing, body aches and exhaustion. Most recover without needing medical treatment, but the infection can be more serious for people who are particularly vulnerable.
That is why health authorities continue to recommend annual vaccination.
Protection from the vaccine can decrease over time, and the strains of influenza circulating in communities can change. Flu vaccines are updated regularly to account for those changes, which is why last year’s shot does not replace this year’s vaccination.
DHA’s advice is to think about protection early rather than waiting until flu is already spreading widely.
Who should make the flu shot a priority?
Some groups have more reason than others to make sure they are protected.
Annual flu vaccination is recommended for pregnant women, children aged six months to five years, adults aged 65 and over, healthcare workers and people with chronic medical conditions.
People who care for or live with someone who has a weakened immune system should also consider vaccination. The same applies to those who spend time around babies younger than six months, who are too young to receive the vaccine themselves.
Pregnant women can be vaccinated during any trimester. As well as protecting the mother, vaccination can provide some protection to the baby after birth.
Why the flu shot cannot give you flu
It is easy to understand where the concern comes from. Someone receives a vaccine, feels unwell afterwards and assumes the injection has caused the illness it was supposed to prevent.
But inactivated influenza vaccines cannot give someone the flu.
DHA wants healthcare professionals to explain this clearly to patients, while also discussing how vaccination can reduce the risk of complications linked to influenza.
There is also more than one way to receive a flu vaccine.
Inactivated and recombinant vaccines are given by injection, while a live attenuated influenza vaccine is available as a nasal spray. Which option is suitable can depend on a person’s age and individual circumstances, so anyone unsure can discuss it with a healthcare professional.
Hospitals can help close the vaccination gap
DHA also wants healthcare visits to become an opportunity to identify people who may have missed their annual vaccination.
This includes patients admitted to acute-care hospital wards. If someone has not been vaccinated, healthcare teams are encouraged to offer the flu shot before discharge when it is appropriate to do so.
It is a simple measure that could help reach people who might otherwise put off getting vaccinated.
What does influenza feel like?
Flu symptoms often begin about two days after infection.
They can include a sudden fever, usually dry cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose. Many people also experience significant tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell.
While most cases improve without medical treatment, influenza can cause complications in vulnerable people. Recognising symptoms and taking steps to avoid passing the virus on to others therefore remains important.
If you become unwell, staying home and limiting close contact with other people can help reduce the spread of infection.
The everyday precautions still matter
Getting vaccinated does not mean the basic habits that help prevent respiratory infections can be forgotten.
Regular handwashing remains one of the simplest precautions. Hands should also be dried properly, while coughs and sneezes should be covered and used tissues disposed of promptly.
Keeping some distance from people who are visibly unwell can help reduce exposure. It is also worth avoiding unnecessary touching of the eyes, nose and mouth, since viruses can spread from contaminated hands.
None of these measures is complicated, but together they can make a difference during flu season.
For Dubai residents, DHA’s message is ultimately about preparing before illness becomes a problem. Checking vaccination status early is especially important for those at greater risk, while sensible everyday precautions can help everyone limit the spread of influenza.
And if fear of catching flu from the vaccine is the reason for putting off the shot, that particular concern should not stand in the way: an inactivated flu vaccine cannot cause influenza.