On this page:
- What is the influenza vaccine?
- Everyone 6 months and older can get a free influenza vaccine
- How to book an appointment
- How the vaccine is given
- Influenza vaccines available in BC
- Vaccines recommended for adults 65 years of age and older
- Vaccines recommended for people 6 months to 64 years of age
- Influenza can cause serious illness in children
- You need an influenza vaccine every year
- Virus strains the 2023-2024 vaccines protect against
- Influenza vaccine safety and side effects
- Immunization aftercare
- Influenza (flu) quick facts
- Posters
Read the Influenza (Flu) Vaccine HealthLinkBC Files
Inactivated influenza (flu) vaccine.
Live attenuated influenza (flu) vaccine.
Available in multiple languages.
The 2023-24 influenza (flu) season is over.
This page will be updated with information for the 2024-25 influenza season in August.
What is the influenza vaccine?
Everyone 6 months and older can get an influenza vaccine
- People at high risk of serious illness from influenza
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People at high risk of serious illness from influenza, include:
- Children 6 months to less than 5 years of age
- Pregnant people at any stage of pregnancy during the influenza season (typically spanning Nov-Apr)
- Seniors 65 years and older
- Residents of any age living in residential care, assisted living or other group facilities
- Indigenous people
- Children and teenagers required to take Aspirin® or ASA for long periods of time due to a medical condition
- Children and adults who are very obese
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Children and adults with certain medical conditions, including:
- Heart or lung disorders that require regular medical care, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cystic fibrosis
- Kidney disease, chronic liver disease such as hepatitis, diabetes, cancer, anemia or weakened immune system
- Those with health conditions causing difficulty breathing, swallowing or a risk of choking on food or fluids, such as people with severe brain damage, spinal cord injury, seizures or neuromuscular disorders
- People who may be in close physical contact with those at high risk
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People who may be in close physical contact with those at high risk of serious illness from influenza include:
- Household contacts (including children) of people at high risk
- Household contacts, caregivers and daycare staff of children under 5 years of age
- Doctors, nurses and others working in health care settings, including long-term care facilities, who have contact with patients
- Visitors to health care facilities and other patient care locations
- Inmates of provincial correctional institutions
- Those who provide care or service to people at high risk in potential outbreak settings such as cruise ships
- Other groups
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Other groups who the vaccine is specifically recommended for include:
- People who provide essential community services, including police officers, firefighters, ambulance attendants, and corrections workers
- People working with live poultry
How to book an appointment
When can I book my appointment?
How the vaccine is given
The influenza vaccine is usually given as 1 dose. Most influenza vaccines are given by injection (needle), but there also is a nasal spray influenza vaccine. In BC, influenza vaccines are usually available in October. For best protection, get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Children under 9 years of age who have never had an influenza vaccine need 2 doses, 4 weeks apart. The second dose of vaccine is important to give these children the strongest possible protection to last through the influenza season.
Influenza vaccines available in BC
- FLUAD® Trivalent (inactivated).
- FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT (inactivated).
- FLUZONE® HIGH-DOSE QUADRIVALENT (inactivated).
- FLULAVAL® TETRA Quadrivalent (inactivated)
- FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT (live attenuated).
Vaccines recommended for adults 65 years of age and older
- FLUZONE® HIGH-DOSE QUADRIVALENT (inactivated).
- FLUAD® Trivalent adjuvanted (inactivated).
Vaccines recommended for people 6 months to 64 years of age
Children 6-23 months of age will be given:
- FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT, or
- FLULAVAL® TETRA Quadrivalent.
Children and teens 2-17 years of age will be given:
- FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT,
- FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT (given as a nasal spray), or
- FLULAVAL® TETRA Quadrivalent.
People 18-64 years of age will be given:
- FLUZONE® QUADRIVALENT, or
- FLULAVAL® TETRA Quadrivalent.
Adults 18-59 years of age with an intense fear of needles who are unwilling to get an influenza vaccine by injection may get the FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT vaccine, given as a nasal spray. FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT is a live attenuated influenza vaccine. However, it's important to note that the inactivated influenza vaccine is recommended for adults because it provides better protection against influenza infection than the live vaccine in this age group. Read who should not get the live attenuated influenza vaccine.
Influenza can cause serious illness in children
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Book an appointment at a health authority clinic or pharmacy:
- Online using the Get Vaccinated booking link you received for your child by email or text message (re-send your booking link).
- Call 1-833-838-2323. 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm. Statutory holidays 9 am to 5 pm. We'll help you get the next available appointment.
- Book an appointment with your primary health care provider if they offer flu shots.
You need an influenza vaccine every year
- Influenza viruses change (mutate) from year to year, so each year, the viruses used to make the vaccine change to protect you against the viruses circulating that year.
- Protection from the influenza vaccine can wear off with time, so you need a new one every year to stay protected.
Virus strains the 2023-2024 vaccines protect against
- A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus (new this year).
- A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus.
- B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus.
- B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (in quadrivalent vaccines only) .
Influenza vaccine safety and side effects
Immunization aftercare
Influenza (flu) quick facts
- What it is
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Influenza is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the influenza virus.
- How it spreads
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Influenza spreads easily from person to person through coughing, sneezing or having face-to-face contact. The virus can also spread when you touch tiny droplets from a cough or sneeze on another person or object and then touch your eyes, mouth or nose before washing your hands.
- Symptoms
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Influenza symptoms vary from mild to severe, and can include:
- Fever,
- Headache,
- Muscle pain,
- Runny nose,
- Sore throat,
- Extreme tiredness,
- A cough.
Children may also experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Although infections from other viruses may have similar symptoms, those due to the influenza virus tend to be worse with a greater risk of complications.Symptoms can begin about 1 to 4 days, an average of 2 days after a person is first exposed to the influenza virus. Fever and other symptoms can usually last up to 7 to 10 days, but the cough and weakness may last 1 to 2 weeks longer. - Risks
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Getting sick with influenza also puts you at risk of other infections. These include viral or bacterial pneumonia, which affects the lungs. The risk of complications can be life-threatening. Seniors 65 years and older, infants and very young children, people who have lung or heart diseases, certain chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems are at much greater risk.Healthy pregnant women in the second half of their pregnancy are at much greater risk of hospitalization following infection with influenza virus.In Canada, thousands of people are hospitalized and may die from influenza and its complications during years with widespread or epidemic influenza activity.