Vaccinations

The Department of Health recommends a vaccination for seasonal flu and pneumococcal disease for:

• people over the age of 65
• people with a heart condition, chronic lung disease, chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, a weakened immune system or a damaged or absent spleen.

We know that some people with coeliac diseaseA condition where a person is unable to eat gluten as it makes their body attack itself. are ‘hyposplenic’, that is, they have a spleen which does not function very well.  This potentially puts them at risk of pneumococcal infections and those people who are known to be hyposplenic should receive the pneumococcal vaccine and also vaccines to meningitis C and influenza.

Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by a bacterium that usually lives harmlessly at the back of many people’s throats.  However, it can invade other parts of the body and cause serious, possibly life-threatening illnesses including pneumonia, septicaemia or meningitis.

If you have coeliac disease, immunisation against pneumococcal disease and seasonal flu needs to be considered on an individual basis.  If you are concerned about this issue, your GPYour local doctor or General Practitioner. is best placed to discuss this with you.

Swine Flu

There is no evidence that people with coeliac disease will be at any greater risk of getting swine flu than the general population.

Symptoms of swine flu appear to be similar to those that occur with seasonal flu.  These include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue.  If you develop symptoms of flu you should check your symptoms online or call the Swine Flu information line on 0800 1513 513.

As with immunisation against seasonal flu, the use of Tamiflu needs to be considered on an individual basis, taking into account any additional health problems.  As with all UK prescription medications, Tamiflu is gluten-freeWhen a food has less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten so it is safe for people with coeliac disease to eat. .

More information about swine flu can be found on the NHS website.