How to Get the Flu Jab in Norway

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health is encouraging nearly 1.6 million people to get vaccinated against seasonal flu this season.

In Norway, an estimated 900 people die from influenza in a typical year. However, it has been two years since Norway last had a proper flu season. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health expects an epidemic this winter.

Therefore, the organization recommends that everyone in a risk group for influenza get vaccinated. In a press release, they estimated this at 1.6 million people.

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“We assume that viruses that have not been in circulation for several years will return. This is a virus against which we have little protection, and this is especially true for young children,” said Camilla Stoltenberg, director of the Public Health Institute.

Important information about the flu

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is harmless to most people except for relatively mild symptoms such as fever, weakness, dry cough, headache and muscle/joint aches, and sore throat.

However, influenza can lead to pneumonia, stroke and worsening of chronic underlying diseases. If the complications are severe, hospitalization may be necessary.

Elderly people and people with chronic diseases are more likely to get the flu than the rest of the population. It can affect people with cardiovascular, diabetes, asthma, and other lung diseases.

According to the Public Health Institute, seasonal influenza vaccination “can prevent severe influenza disease progression and protect against long-term health consequences and permanent health impairment.”

The seasonal flu vaccine in Norway

Vaccination only takes a few minutes, although if you have a negative reaction you will be asked to wait 20 minutes afterwards.

Flu vaccines differ from other vaccines in that they have to be adapted to the mutations in the virus and therefore change from year to year. It is therefore recommended to have the vaccination carried out every year.

The effectiveness of influenza vaccination varies from year to year, but averages around 60%. The effect depends on the characteristics of the virus, the vaccine and the vaccinated. Some people get influenza despite getting vaccinated, but it seems that getting vaccinated can reduce your risk of developing severe illness.

A group with a particularly low vaccination coverage are children from risk groups. As of today, the vaccination coverage of these children is around eight percent.

“Influenza has largely stayed away during the pandemic due to strict infection control measures, and the protection of the population against influenza is therefore low. Some children have never had the flu and therefore have little or no immunity. That’s why it’s very important that the risk groups think about the flu vaccination this year,” said Stoltenberg.

Risk groups for influenza in Norway

As already mentioned, around 1.6 million people are considered risk groups in Norway. This contains:

• Residents of nursing and nursing homes
• All over the age of 65
• Pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester and pregnant women in the 1st trimester with additional risk factors
• Premature babies, especially babies born before 32 weeks gestation, from 6 months (chronological age) to 5 years

Other risk groups include adults and children with:

• chronic lung disease (including asthma)
• Cardiovascular diseases (except well-controlled high blood pressure)
• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• Liver failure or kidney failure
• chronic neurological disease or injury
• Impaired immune function due to disease or treatment (eg, organ transplant, cancer, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases)
• morbid obesity (BMI over 40)
• other serious or chronic diseases where influenza poses a serious health risk, after individual assessment by a doctor

How to get the flu vaccine in Norway

First contact your family doctor. They may have posted information about the flu vaccine on their website. You can also check with your municipality.

For example, my doctor offers the seasonal flu shot for everyone in a risk group for NOK 300. Bookings can be made online like normal appointments.

It is also possible to get the seasonal flu vaccine at some pharmacies. This can be a good option for you if your doctor is short on appointments or you are about to travel.

For example, all Boots pharmacies offer the vaccine at a price of NOK 349. Bookings can be made online, and it is also possible to drop by, subject to availability. Apotek1 branches also offer the vaccine at a price of NOK 399.

If you get the vaccination at a pharmacy, you do not have to tell your doctor. It is automatically registered in the Norwegian vaccination register called SYSVAK. You can log on to helsenorge.no to see your vaccinations.