Flu: when is the best time to be vaccinated?

It takes the immune system between two to three weeks to produce sufficient quantities of specific antibodies against the flu strains in the vaccine.

This means that the best time to be vaccinated against the flu is before the end of April, before the flu season typically starts in the Southern Hemisphere.

However, there is no cut-off date for flu vaccination; it can be given at any stage during the winter.

Annual influenza vaccination is provided free through the National Immunisation Program (NIP) to groups who are at an increased risk of influenza complications.