Who is eligible for  flu vaccine?

The following groups are eligible to receive the flu vaccine through the HSE programme.

People who:

• are 65 years of age and over
• are a child aged 2 to 17 years
• are pregnant
• all those aged 6-23 months and 18-64 years at increased risk of influenza- related complications such as:
  • Those with chronic illness, e.g. chronic heart disease (including acute coronary syndrome), chronic liver disease, chronic neurological disease (where the neurological condition compromises clearance of respiratory secretions), chronic renal failure, chronic respiratory disease (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, moderate or severe asthma, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia), diabetes mellitus or haemoglobinopathies
  • Those with immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including asplenia or hyposplenism, and all cancer patients
  • Those with any condition that can compromise respiratory function (e.g. spinal cord injury, seizure disorder, or other neuromuscular disorder,) especially those attending special schools/ day centres
  • Children and adults with Down syndrome
  • Children with moderate to severe neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy and intellectual disability
  • Those with morbid obesity (Body mass index >40)
• Residents of nursing homes, old people’s homes, and other long stay facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection
• Healthcare workers
• Household contacts of people with underlying chronic health condition or Down syndrome
• Out-of-home care givers for people who have an underlying chronic health condition or have Down syndrome. A carer is someone who provides ongoing significant level of care to a person who is in need of care in the home due to illness or disability or frailty.
• People in regular contact with pigs, poultry or waterfowl

GPS may only order from Cold Chain for this cohort of patients and may not charge the patient any fees in respect of the administration of the vaccine. The applicable fees which may be claimed by the GP are detailed below.