Flu shot invitations arrive late this year after vaccine delivery delay
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) says the free flu shot campaign has started, with letters going out a few weeks later than usual.
Many people in the Netherlands receive an invitation by post for the flu shot from October, the RIVM says. The letters come later than normal because the delivery of the vaccines was delayed by a few weeks. The shot is free at a GP or care institution for people at extra risk of serious illness from flu.
Most people do not become very ill from flu, the RIVM says. For those at greater risk, vaccination cuts the chance of ending up in hospital with flu by 40% on average.
People with a vulnerable health condition and people living in a nursing home receive an invitation letter.
Pregnant women can get the shot if they are 22 weeks or more pregnant between 15 October and 1 March. They can book at the child health clinic (consultatiebureau), at the same time as the 22-week whooping cough shot. The RIVM says it is safe to have both at once.
The RIVM advises people who work in healthcare to get the shot, which is available through their employer. It says vaccination lowers the chance of passing flu to others, which matters for staff in contact with vulnerable patients and clients.
This autumn the shot is also open to people at higher risk of bird flu, such as those working with poultry, pigs, wild birds or wild mammals. They get no invitation but can make an appointment with their GP for a free shot. The RIVM says that if someone catches flu and bird flu at the same time, a new virus variant could emerge that is more infectious and makes people sicker. The chance is very small, it says, but the consequences could be large.
Some people also receive an invitation this autumn for the pneumococcal shot, which protects against serious illness such as pneumonia. It can safely be given at the same time as the flu shot.