'I'm a paediatrician, and these are the 7 most common myths I hear during flu season.'

Thanks to our brand partner, NSW HEALTH

It's sitting on your mental to-do list right under 'visit dentist' and 'buy new school shoes': book the family flu vaccines. But months pass, your days fill up with endless tasks, and it just keeps falling further down the list.

Dr Phoebe Williams, a paediatrician and infectious diseases doctor at Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, totally understands — she's been there too.

"I've got four kids myself and have had flu seasons where I'll be the first to put my hand up — it's on my to-do list, but before I know it, the first child goes down with influenza early in the season and I kick myself for not getting around to immunising them earlier. Taking my kids for a flu vaccine is now one of the first activities planned at the start of every Easter holidays."

The thing is, flu season is well and truly here, and this year it's especially tough. Couple that with the chilly weather, and it's a good reminder why protecting your family matters more than ever.

If you're curious about the flu vaccine, you're in good company. Dr Williams gets it too — with so much information out there, it's normal to want clear answers.

With Dr Williams' help, we're here to bust some common flu myths and help you feel confident about booking your flu vaccine this season.

Myth 1: "The flu really isn't that bad."

"I think there's a misconception that the flu is just like many of the other viruses that kids will see through their childhood," said Dr Williams. "But with influenza, it's often a lot worse than your average virus, it's not just a cold."

That's because the flu can come with fever and chills, cough, sore throat, tiredness, headache, muscle aches and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

People can get very sick from the flu and may have complications such as lung infection (pneumonia) or severe breathing difficulties requiring hospitalisation.  

The flu is definitely something to take seriously — and recovery can stretch out over weeks, not days, meaning missing daycare, playdates and work, which, let's be honest, no one has time for.

Myth 2: "My child is healthy, so they don't need the flu vaccine."

Dr Williams said what's easy to forget is that influenza is one of those nasty bugs that hits all children particularly hard, even healthy children can get really sick from it. The flu vaccine gives all children the best protection from serious illness.

"When we look at the data for the children that are hospitalised due to the flu or who die from the flu, almost two-thirds of those kids are otherwise healthy children," she said.

And the numbers are enough to scare any parent. "There are unfortunately every year up to 2000 kids hospitalised with influenza across Australia. In the last 15 years we've had around 50 children die, and the vast majority of those kids are otherwise healthy children," explained Dr Williams.

This is why the flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older — and it's free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for children aged six months to under five years.

Myth 3: "The flu vaccine doesn't work."

There might not be a magic fix for completely avoiding the flu, but the flu vaccine comes pretty close. The flu vaccine is the best tool we have to protect ourselves and our families from serious illness and from being hospitalised. It does a lot more than most people realise.

"We know that if you have an annual flu vaccine, you've got about a 40 to 60 per cent lower chance of getting the flu," explained Dr Williams. And while the vaccine is designed to protect you against the most commonly circulating and severe strains each season, it can also lower your risk of hospitalisation.

"If you do still get the flu despite having the annual flu vaccine, you'll likely get a shorter illness that's easier to recover from, rather than two weeks stuck in bed or ending up in hospital," she said.

The flu vaccine is also updated each year to match globally circulating strains, and offers extra protection from severe complications.

Myth 4: "The flu vaccine gives you the flu."

This is a big one — and much like the flu, you hear this every year — but Dr Williams explained that flu vaccines in Australia do not contain any live virus, so you can't get the flu from the flu vaccine.

The confusion is probably due to the side effects that some people experience for a day or two after they get the flu vaccine.

"Up to one in 10 people will get some mild side effects when they have a flu vaccine," said Dr Williams, "but all those symptoms are actually not the flu virus itself circulating in their body". She said they're a result of our immune systems identifying and responding to protect you against the flu.

These mild side effects will only last for a day or so (if they occur at all), and are small in comparison to the symptoms you can get from the flu.

Myth 5: "My child has an egg allergy, so they can't have the vaccine."

This myth continues to circulate as Dr Williams said historically, the flu vaccine did contain higher levels of egg protein. But the good news is our current vaccines are perfectly safe for anyone with egg allergies — they can still get the flu vaccine, no special precautions required.

"Nowadays, even if your child has an egg allergy, they are perfectly safe to be vaccinated by your GP, and everyone aged two years and over can even be vaccinated just by walking into a pharmacy. You don't have to come to a hospital or see the GP to get a vaccine," said Dr Williams.

Myth 6: "The flu vaccine is only for 'vulnerable' people."

The flu vaccine is free for some vulnerable groups under the National Immunisation Program but is recommended for everyone aged six months and over. 

One of the reasons, Dr Williams explained, is because of 'herd immunity'.

Dr Williams said that flu vaccine rates in Australia are not currently high enough to achieve what the experts call 'herd immunity'. Herd immunity is when many people in a community become immune to a disease (through previous vaccination or illness), making it difficult for the disease to spread.

Herd immunity helps indirectly protect vulnerable people in the community — such as young babies less than six months of age, who can't have a flu vaccine — and that's why it's important for otherwise healthy people to get the flu vaccine each year.

You're bound to live with or work with someone who is more vulnerable to the flu. This includes older adults, pregnant people, those with chronic illness and babies under six months.

Myth 7: "You shouldn't get the flu vaccine while pregnant."

"The best thing a pregnant woman can do is get a flu vaccine," Dr Williams said, confirming that it is safe and highly recommended.

"For the flu vaccine we recommend getting it at any stage through pregnancy because we're just as worried about the mum getting sick with influenza, as we are for the baby."

Alongside reducing the risk of pregnant women becoming sick with a severe influenza illness, the flu vaccine during pregnancy can also protect their newborn against influenza. And as a bonus, the flu vaccine is free for pregnant people under the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

To book your family's flu vaccines, visit here, or find out more here.

Feature Image: Getty.

Influenza is serious, but it isn't as scary if you're vaccinated.
Protect yourself and your family from influenza.
A flu vaccine offers you and your child the best protection from serious illness and can also protect your newborn against influenza during the first six months of life.
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone aged six months and over and free for children six months to under five years and pregnant women.
Book your family's flu vaccine at your GP or pharmacy* today: www.healthdirect.gov.au/nswfluvaccine
Note: everyone two years and over can be vaccinated at a pharmacy