Will you be ready for flu season in 2022?
Don't let the virus catch you off guard. Talk to your GP or pharmacist about flu vaccines and how you can protect yourself against the flu.
Anyone can catch the flu
It doesn’t matter how fit and healthy you are, or your age – you’re still at risk of catching flu.
The influenza virus doesn’t discriminate. It can hit unexpectedly, and influenza can be serious – sometimes causing complications or occasionally even causing death.
Certain groups are more at risk of flu and its complications, including older people.
People with a comorbidity may have up to 2.5x increased risk of death from flu.1
Flu is highly contagious
Flu infection happens when you breathe in droplets from sneezes and coughs of an infected person, or touch a contaminated surface then touch your mouth, eyes or nose.
A sneeze can travel
1-2
metres
A single sneeze droplet may contain
200,000,0002
individual flu virus particles
The flu virus can survive in the environment up to 8 hours or more!
Up to 5 MINS
on hands after transfer from other surfaces
Up to 1 hour
in the air in enclosed environments
8+ hours
hard surfaces such as stainless steel and plastic
Flu can spread before any symptoms show
You can pass it on to family or workmates before you know you’re sick. You can be infectious to others for over a week: 1 day before symptoms develop, and up to 5-7 days after getting symptoms.
You can spread flu from:
BEFORE symptoms develop
and
AFTER getting symptoms