Good Health Blog

The Flu Vaccine is provided free in Australia to certain groups. The reasoning behind this is that vaccination of the following gives better health outcomes and saves the Government money on hospitalisation.  But you should consider having a flu vaccine even if you do not fall into the ‘at risk’ cateogory because the ‘flu’ is not just a cold  – it can lay you low and keep you sick for many days and sometimes weeks.  Talk to your Doctor and consider your risks.

Free influenza vaccine groups

• People who are 65 years of age and over
• Pregnant women at any time during their pregnancy
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months to under five years and 15 years and older
• Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• Any person 6 months of age and older with a chronic condition predisposing to severe influenza illness that requires regular medical follow-up or hospitalisation, including children aged 6 months to 10 years undergoing long-term aspirin therapy, and people with:
  • • cardiac disease
    • chronic respiratory conditions
    • immunocompromising conditions
    • renal disease
    • diabetes and other metabolic disorders
    • chronic neurological conditions
    • haematological disorders
    • Down syndrome and fall under one of the above categories
    • obesity (BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m²) and fall under one of the above categories
    • alcoholism requiring regular medical follow-up or hospitalisation in the preceding year and fall under one of the above categories.

Influenza, or flu, is an epidemic disease that causes widespread illness every year.

Influenza immunisation is recommended for people in known high risk groups including people over 65, hospital patients and staff, some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, pregnant women, residents in nursing homes or other care facilities, severe asthmatics and anyone with a chronic illness. Serious side effects or allergic reactions to the vaccine are rare.

The ‘Flu’ is caused by a highly contagious virus that is spread by coughs and sneezes. Every year it causes widespread illness in the community (epidemics and pandemics).

Taking the ‘it will never happen to me’ attitude is a bit like thinking Denial is just a river in Egypt. Sometimes you have to be proactive and plan ahead to stay healthy and enjoy, rather than just survive, the flu season.

this project started in 2008 with a concept to bring quality health advice direct to the public. After a year of reviewing preventative health recommendations and trying to design a format that is patient friendly and undertandable, eDoc.net is now ready to go onto the web. Many of the preventative health and screening protocols are designed in ‘doctor-speak’ and thus make little sense to patients. I am writing the explanations and getting my 16 year old daughter and local tradesman friends to read them before I post them. If they cannot understand what is needed then I re-work the explanation until it is useful.