Getting a flu jab helps reduce your risk of getting really sick or having to go to hospital.
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Every year Pharmac funds an influenza vaccine for people who meet the eligibility criteria. The currently funded vaccine for people is called Influvac Tetra for adults and young people.
is available each year for patients who meet the following criteria, as set by Pharmac:
all people 65 years of age and over; or
people under 65 years of age who:
have any of the following cardiovascular diseases:
ischaemic heart disease, or
congestive heart failure, or
rheumatic heart disease, or
congenital heart disease, or
cerebo-vascular disease; or
have either of the following chronic respiratory diseases:
asthma, if on a regular preventative therapy, or
other chronic respiratory disease with impaired lung function; or
have diabetes; or
have chronic renal disease; or
have any cancer, excluding basal and squamous skin cancers if not invasive; or
have any of the following other conditions:
autoimmune disease, or
immune suppression or immune deficiency, or
HIV, or
transplant recipients, or
neuromuscular and CNS diseases/disorders, or
haemoglobinopathies, or
are children on long term aspirin, or
have a cochlear implant, or
errors of metabolism at risk of major metabolic decompensation, or
pre and post splenectomy, or
Down syndrome, or
are pregnant; or
children 4 years of age and under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or have a history of significant respiratory illness; or
people under 65 years of age who:
have any of the following serious mental health conditions:
schizophrenia, or
major depressive disorder, or
bipolar disorder, or
schizoaffective disorder, or
are currently accessing secondary or tertiary mental health and addiction services; or
Unless meeting the criteria set out above, the following conditions are excluded from funding:
asthma not requiring regular preventative therapy,
hypertension and/or dyslipidaemia without evidence of end-organ disease.
Contractors will be entitled to claim payment for the supply of influenza vaccine to patients eligible under the above criteria pursuant to their contract with Te Whatu Ora for subsidised immunisation, and they may only do so in respect of the influenza vaccine listed in the Pharmaceutical Schedule.
Contractors may only claim for patient populations within the criteria that are covered by their contract, which may be a sub-set of the population described in paragraph A above.
