Flu Vaccination
What you need to know
Influenza (or flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses; the impact on our health & wellbeing can be mild to severe, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year, and taking everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of the germs (e.g.: handwashing, and social distancing).
Like every year, we have worked with medical providers across the region to make affordable flu shots available to our MetLife insured members (employee & dependents) at discounted rates.
You will find the details & locations of where you can avail the offer on this page.
But first, please scroll through the below carousel to learn more.
About your MetLife offer
Outside of our offer, the market price for flu vaccination in the UAE is typically around ê 100-110 (and close to that amount in local currencies around the Gulf region). You can go to any provider of choice and pay this full amount out-of-pocket (you may want to make sure first that your provider of choice is administering the flu vaccine by calling them and checking), and if your employer has provided you coverage for the flu vaccine, you can submit a claim on myMetLife portal for reimbursement.
With our discount offer, you can go to our select campaign providers listed in the table below & pay a discounted price of ê 40 to 60 (or its equivalent across the Gulf). You can as well reimburse this amount in case your employer provides coverage for the flu.
Please note that for most members, it is very likely that your benefits do not include flu vaccination coverage. To confirm, you can check with your HR, find this information in your table of benefits via myMetlife portal, or call our customer service.
More FAQs?
CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older to get vaccinated every flu season, with rare exceptions.
There is no recommendation for pregnant women or people with pre-existing medical conditions to seek special permission or secure written consent from their doctor for vaccination if they get vaccinated at a worksite clinic, pharmacy or other location outside of their physician’s office. With rare exception, CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older, including pregnant women and people with medical conditions.
Tell your vaccine provider if the person getting the vaccine:
- Has had an allergic reaction after a previous dose of influenza vaccine, or has any severe, life-threatening allergies.
- Has ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome (also called GBS).
In some cases, your health care provider may decide to postpone influenza vaccination to a future visit.
People with minor illnesses, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. People who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting influenza vaccine.
Your health care provider can give you more information.
Some children 6 months through 8 years of age require two doses of flu vaccine for adequate protection from flu. Children in this age group getting vaccinated for the first time, and those who have only previously gotten one dose of vaccine, should get two doses of vaccine this season—spaced at least 4 weeks apart. Your child’s health care provider can tell you if your child needs two doses.
As part of our offer, some medical providers are charging a consultation fee, others aren’t. Please see below grid for more information.
Below is a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination
1. Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu.
Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor’s visits each year. For example, during 2018-2019, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 4.4 million influenza illnesses, 2.3 million influenza-associated medical visits, 58,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 3,500 influenza-associated deaths in the United States.
During seasons when the flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 to 60%.
2. Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and older adults.
Flu vaccine prevents tens of thousands of hospitalizations each year. For example, during 2018-2019 flu vaccination prevented an estimated 58,000 flu-related hospitalizations.
A 2014 study showed that flu vaccine reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission by 74% during flu seasons from 2010-2012.
In recent years, flu vaccines have reduced the risk of flu-associated hospitalizations among older adults on average by about 40%
A 2018 study showed that from 2012 to 2015, flu vaccination among adults reduced the risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) with flu by 82%.
3. Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions.
Flu vaccination has been associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who had had a cardiac event in the past year.
Flu vaccination can reduce worsening and hospitalization for flu-related chronic lung disease, such as in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Flu vaccination also has been shown in separate studies to be associated with reduced hospitalizations among people with diabetes and chronic lung disease.
4. Flu vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy.
Vaccination reduces the risk of flu-associated acute respiratory infection in pregnant women by about one-half.
5. Flu vaccine can be lifesaving in children.
A 2017 study was the first of its kind to show that flu vaccination can significantly reduce a child’s risk of dying from flu.
6. Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
A 2017 study showed that flu vaccination reduced deaths, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, ICU length of stay, and overall duration of hospitalization among hospitalized flu patients.
A 2018 study showed that among adults hospitalized with flu, vaccinated patients were 59% less likely to be admitted to the ICU than those who had not been vaccinated. Among adults in the ICU with flu, vaccinated patients on average spent 4 fewer days in the hospital than those who were not vaccinated.
7. Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.
For more information about the scientific studies that support these benefits, check this link.
It takes about 2 weeks for protection to develop after vaccination.
Please check the information in the above carousel, section 1 “About your MetLife Offer”
All MetLife insurance card holders can avail this discount offer, as well as FMC, MSH, and Nextcare plans.
Just show your MetLife Insurance Card (for all plans) or your Emirates ID (for Nextcare plan members) to avail the offer.
The flu shot won't protect you from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
But getting a flu vaccine is especially important this season because the flu and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cause similar common signs and symptoms.
Flu vaccination could reduce symptoms that might be confused with those caused by COVID-19. Preventing the flu and reducing the severity of flu illness and hospitalizations could also lessen the stress on the health care system.
No, Influenza vaccine does not cause flu.
Flu vaccines given with a needle (i.e., flu shots) are made with either inactivated (killed) viruses, or with only a single protein from the flu virus.
Some people report having mild side effects after flu vaccination. The most common side effects from flu shots are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur. If these reactions occur, they usually begin soon after vaccination and last 1-2 days. In randomized, blinded studies, where some people got inactivated flu shots and others got salt-water shots, the only differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm and redness at the injection site among people who got a flu shot. There were no differences in terms of body aches, fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat. The most common reactions people have to flu vaccines are considerably less severe than the symptoms caused by actual flu illness.