Households like Vimala’s aren’t quite common in India, the place regardless of availability of flu vaccines, uptake stays low. There’s additionally no government-funded programme in India that routinely offers seasonal influenza vaccination.
Just one.5 per cent of adults aged 45 years or older had ever obtained an influenza vaccine, in line with knowledge from the Longitudinal Ageing Examine in India 2017-18. The low uptake, medical specialists say, is because of a mix of things, together with restricted consciousness, the notion that influenza is normally a light sickness, and the price of an annual vaccine. Usually, a flu vaccine is priced at round Rs 2,000 within the non-public sector.
Docs ThePrint spoke to broadly agree that influenza vaccination can scale back the danger of extreme illness, though it doesn’t forestall each an infection.
“Flu vaccines can present between 40-60 per cent safety and may scale back the severity of sickness and the danger of hospitalisation,” mentioned Dr Dhiren Gupta, senior paediatrician and co-director, Paediatric Pulmonology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi.
Public well being professional Dr Chandrakant Lahariya mentioned that even round 50 per cent effectiveness can translate into significant safety as a result of influenza impacts a lot of folks in India.
No clear flu season
India doesn’t have one clearly outlined flu season. Influenza can flow into all year long, with patterns various by area and main peaks usually related to the monsoon and winter. This makes vaccination timing and surveillance extra difficult.
In keeping with Dr Tarun Kumar, Director and Head, Medanta Moolchand Coronary heart Middle in New Delhi, the variable timing of influenza exercise may additionally contribute to low uptake. “The viral sickness may be very variable in India, not like the West. Generally it peaks in September, typically in October, typically in August,” Dr Kumar mentioned.
H1N1, or influenza A(H1N1), is a subtype of influenza A virus that causes seasonal flu and spreads from individual to individual, primarily by way of respiratory droplets and aerosols. It could actually trigger signs starting from fever, cough and physique aches to extreme respiratory sickness, notably in weak folks.
Delhi recorded 2,602 influenza circumstances by 21 August this yr, dominated by 2,392 influenza A infections, together with 1,777 H1N1 circumstances, and 210 influenza B infections.
The Indian Council of Medical Analysis (ICMR) confirmed the spike stems from the identified A/Missouri/11/2025 pressure quite than a brand new or unusually harmful variant. Noticed genetic modifications mirror regular antigenic drift, that means circulating viruses stay well-matched to really useful Northern Hemisphere vaccines.
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Flu vaccines in India
The influenza virus was first remoted in people in 1933-34, though massive outbreaks had been described a lot earlier.
One of the crucial devastating was the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, which prompted an enormous variety of deaths globally and in addition had a very heavy influence on India, mentioned Dr Raj Shankar Ghosh, senior doctor and public well being professional, Public Well being Basis of India (PHFI).
The isolation of the virus helped drive efforts to develop vaccines in opposition to influenza. Because the virus modifications over time, vaccine formulations have additionally advanced to focus on the strains anticipated to flow into.
A number of influenza vaccines can be found in India by way of the non-public sector. These embody inactivated trivalent vaccines, which goal three influenza strains, and quadrivalent vaccines, which goal 4.
The Central Medication Normal Management Organisation’s checklist consists of influenza vaccines from producers akin to Abbott, GSK, Sanofi and Zydus.
Nevertheless, the popular composition has been altering. For the 2026-27 Northern Hemisphere season, the really useful trivalent vaccine protects in opposition to influenza A(H1N1), H3N2 and influenza B/Victoria. “The transfer in direction of trivalent vaccines follows the absence of the B/Yamagata lineage from world surveillance for a number of years,” mentioned Dr Lahariya.
He defined that flu vaccines are manufactured based mostly on the World Well being Organisation (WHO) suggestions in regards to the strains anticipated to flow into throughout a specific season. The composition is chosen utilizing surveillance knowledge, and vaccines take time to fabricate, that means the formulation obtainable at a specific level within the yr displays viruses recognized earlier within the course of.
“The vaccine must be taken yearly as a result of influenza viruses regularly bear genetic modifications and immunity from vaccination additionally declines over time,” defined Dr Kumar.
The teams most constantly prioritised by medical our bodies embody older adults, younger kids, and pregnant girls. “Additionally it is really useful for these with coronary artery illness or coronary heart failure, diabetes, continual lung illnesses akin to Persistent Obstructive Pulmonary Illness (COPD) and bronchial asthma, and other people present process chemotherapy,” mentioned Dr Kumar.
He defined that since flu is self-limiting generally, in these high-risk teams it may result in issues that may be life-threatening. Healthcare employees are additionally thought-about a precedence group by WHO due to their elevated publicity to influenza and the potential for transmitting the virus to weak sufferers.
The Indian Academy of Pediatrics recommends annual influenza vaccination from six months of age, with routine vaccination by way of 5 years of age. For youngsters receiving the vaccine for the primary time, two doses are usually given 4 weeks aside, adopted by one dose yearly.
For adults and older folks, the vaccine is usually given as a single annual dose.
If somebody is already affected by H1N1 on this season, vaccination is usually postponed till they get well. As soon as recovered, vaccination could be mentioned with a physician, notably if belonging to a high-risk group.
A flu vaccine doesn’t shield in opposition to each respiratory sickness. It particularly protects in opposition to influenza viruses, not illnesses akin to dengue or pneumococcal illness, which requires a separate pneumococcal vaccine.
Everybody usually wants only one annual dose of the flu vaccine, besides for youngsters receiving the flu vaccine for the primary time between 6 months and eight years previous. They want two doses given at the least 4 weeks aside.
The timing is necessary as a result of safety takes about two weeks to develop. WHO recommends vaccination earlier than the interval when influenza exercise is predicted to extend, though getting vaccinated later can nonetheless present safety.
“Each particular person who’s eligible for these vaccines must be given details about these vaccines to make an knowledgeable alternative,” Dr Lahariya mentioned.
He added that folks ought to perceive the vaccine’s limitations, together with that it doesn’t utterly forestall an infection however can scale back the danger of extreme illness.
Not a part of Common Immunisation Programme
India’s Common Immunisation Programme has historically centered on vaccines given to pregnant girls, infants and kids in opposition to illnesses that trigger substantial morbidity and mortality. Influenza will not be a part of the Nationwide Immunisation Schedule.
The query, nevertheless, is whether or not India has sufficient proof on illness burden, vaccine effectiveness and prices to justify spending public cash on an annual vaccination programme for flu.
Illness burden consists of not simply deaths, but additionally sickness, incapacity, hospitalisations and monetary prices. Dr Ghosh mentioned such proof can justify government-funded vaccination when the burden is excessive sufficient.
He cited pneumococcal illness, an an infection brought on by the micro organism Streptococcus pneumoniae that may result in pneumonia, meningitis and different critical diseases, the place proof on fatalities and hospitalisations helps free vaccination for weak teams.
For influenza, nevertheless, he mentioned proof to justify including the vaccine to the grownup immunisation schedule remains to be missing.
“India wants a lot stronger proof earlier than introducing influenza vaccination for weak populations by way of a authorities programme,” Dr Ghosh mentioned. He mentioned this could embody higher surveillance and stronger Indian knowledge on influenza’s burden on the healthcare system, vaccine effectiveness and mortality.
“With the shortage of correct proof inside India, we actually mustn’t quote any determine,” Dr Ghosh mentioned when requested about influenza’s case-fatality fee.
That is notably related as a result of influenza deaths could be troublesome to seize.
Many sufferers aren’t examined for influenza, whereas the virus can worsen underlying situations akin to coronary heart illness, diabetes or continual respiratory illness.
Dr Lahariya mentioned not each individual with a respiratory sickness must be examined as a result of testing usually doesn’t change therapy. Instances which can be hospitalised or require specialised care usually tend to be examined.
However, there’s rising proof that vaccination might make financial sense.
A 2025 cost-benefit evaluation discovered that vaccinating wholesome adults and pregnant girls with a quadrivalent influenza vaccine might scale back healthcare useful resource use and enhance productive days. The researchers estimated financial savings of Rs 13,730 per case averted from a company perspective and Rs 11,211 from the Staff’ State Insurance coverage Company perspective.
One other research revealed in April 2026 examined seasonal influenza vaccination amongst folks aged 60 and above. It estimated that this group skilled 5.3 million influenza-associated acute respiratory infections in 2021, leading to about 36,000 hospitalisations and 84,600 deaths. The evaluation discovered that vaccinating older adults was cost-effective in most situations.
Present analysis additionally means that partnerships with the non-public sector might assist enhance entry to influenza vaccination.
The Unified Consensus on Grownup Immunization 2026 recommends influenza vaccination for folks with continual illnesses or weakened immunity, people who smoke and alcohol shoppers, these travelling or attending mass gatherings, and adults above 50.
India’s ageing inhabitants provides another excuse to look at the difficulty. Folks aged over 60 are projected to account for about 15 per cent of the inhabitants by 2036, up from 12 per cent in 2021.
Dr Lahariya, nevertheless, mentioned the proof doesn’t but assist a mass government-funded vaccination programme.
“Authorities assets are restricted and have to be directed in direction of interventions the place the public-health profit is strongest,” he added.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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