In Switzerland, every year, the flu is responsible for between 100 000 and 250 000 visits to the doctor, 1000 to 5000 hospitalisations and several hundred deaths. In France, the number of medical consultations for flu-like symptoms during the 2016/17 season was estimated at 1.9 million. Of all the patients hospitalised with the flu, 15% were aged between 65 and 74 years old and 56% were aged 75 and over, while 67% of serious cases requiring life support concerned patients aged 65 and over. In addition, the flu is believed to have caused 14 358 deaths, of which 13 136 were among the over-75s.

The flu vaccine has proved its worth by halving the number of flu-related hospitalisations, and it lessens the severity of the symptoms.

Carriers can spread the flu virus without experiencing symptoms themselves, so it is easily passed to vulnerable people for whom it could be fatal.

The flu vaccine is safe, simple and effective and it is officially recommended for the over-65s, pregnant women, obese people (BMI >= 40), and those coming into contact with infants under six months old.

Other adults can also be vaccinated for their own benefit as well as from a more public-spirited perspective, for the benefit of vulnerable people around them.

Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist and the members of CERN’s Medical Service can answer any questions you may have about the flu vaccine.

The health professionals in the CERN Medical Service can prescribe and administer the vaccine.

More information can be found on our website.