Can the flu jab give you flu?

The flu jab won’t give you flu, but you may experience some minor side effects.

There are two kinds of vaccine against the influenza virus, or flu. The most common of these is the flu jab, an intramuscular injection which is given to most people who have the vaccine. Children who are 2- or 3-years old during the flu season are eligible for a free nasal spray vaccine from their GP. All children in primary school are also eligible for this vaccine, as well as children aged 2-17 who have a long term health condition. We do offer a private service for those who do not fall into the ‘at risk’ groups.’

The more widely used vaccine, the jab, doesn’t contain a live version of the flu virus, so it can’t make you ill. It builds up your immune system without exposing you to the illness so there isn’t any risk of you catching the virus.

The nasal spray contains a small amount of the vaccine, weakened but still live. This helps build up your child’s immunity to the virus, but they won’t show any symptoms of the illness. It won’t give them flu.

There is a chance you can still get the flu if you’ve been vaccinated. Rather than being one virus, there are lots of different flu viruses. The vaccine doesn’t protect against all of them.

The flu vaccine is still worth getting. You are much less likely to get the flu if you’re vaccinated. Even if you do get the flu, it will probably be milder and not last as long. You may also be less likely to spread the virus to other people.

Side effects of the flu vaccine are usually mild and don’t last long. You can read more about flu vaccine side effects here.

If you experience side effects of the flu jab, you can report them through the government’s Yellow Card scheme. This helps the MHRA (Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) to better understand and inform people of the side effects of medicines. Find out more about reporting side effects.

Even if you’re worried you’ll experience these side effects, it’s still worth getting the vaccine—it's far less pleasant to have the flu.