Getting the flu shot is a good idea for everyone. So is getting a good night’s rest, enough exercise and eating good, nutritious food. That’s the advice of local health professionals, as the flu season makes its mark. And while there was a run on the three-strain vaccine at the start of the flu season, the good news is that Port Alfred’s Leach Pharmacy has the four-strain shot in stock.
Discovery Health, meanwhile, has expressed concern about the low rate of vaccination among members of its medical scheme, particularly those at risk. Discovery Health Medical Scheme is South Africa’s largest open medical scheme, with more than 2.8 million beneficiaries.
SA’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), whose roles include providing disease surveillance, said the country’s 2025 influenza season started on March 24. That was four weeks earlier than last year, and the earliest start to the season since 2010. Influenza A(H3N2), A(H1N1)pdm09 and influenza B were common seasonal influenza strains and most people with flu would experience mild illness for 3-7 days, the NICD said. Data from the institute’s pneumonia surveillance programme indicated that the most prevalent strain in circulation was influenza A(H3N2), accounting for 68% of lab-confirmed cases to date.
Was the flu worse than usual this year? we asked local doctors.
Port Alfred general practitioner Dr Ben Gaunt said influenza strains varied from year to year.
“We are not currently seeing a more serious variant. What we can expect, however, is that several people will get truly sick from the virus, some will be hospitalised, and those at the extremes of life (the very young and very old) may be at risk of dying. About 11,000 people die of influenza every year in South Africa,” Gaunt said.
“The flu shot is a good idea for everyone, especially for people over 65 and those with co-morbidities.” said Gaunt.
Gaunt’s concern was echoed by Discovery Health’s chief clinical officer, Dr Noluthando Nematswerani. “We encourage all members, especially those at high risk, to get their flu jabs,” Nematswerani said.
The medical scheme’s claims data showed that close to 17,000 members had been hospitalised due to influenza in 2024. This included 1,300 infants under a year old and more than 800 members over 85 years old.
Nematswerani said the following groups of people were at high risk of becoming seriously ill from the flu and encouraged them to get the flu vaccine:
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Children up to the age of five. People aged 65 or over.
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People living with HIV.
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Women who are pregnant or who have had a baby within the previous six weeks. (The flu vaccine is safe to have while breastfeeding, Nematswerani said.)
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People living in retirement homes and care facilities.
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People who have a chronic health condition; and
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People who have a weakened immune system from whatever cause.
Gaunt said there were other factors, too, in keeping your immune system strong.
“Apart from the flu shot, getting a good night’s rest is essential. Generally, good eating habits and trying to get some exercise.
“If you are frail and or have a condition that impairs your immune system, you might want to consider avoiding large gatherings, or wearing a N95 mask in public,” Gaunt said.
Vitamins and food supplements could also help keep the flu at bay.
“Good nutrition – real, whole food rather than processed, carbohydrate-rich fast food – is essential,” Gaunt said. “Many people have low iron levels, low vitamin D levels and sometimes other deficiencies. These deficiencies do impair your immune system, so if you’re in doubt, or can’t test, a supplement is worth considering.
Rest
Leach pharmacy Port Alfred pharmacist, Ryno van Rooyen, said a lot of customers were treating their early symptoms with prophylactic over-the-counter medicines.
“However if secondary symptoms develop such as persistent coughing, sore chest, build-up of phlegm, weakness and pain in the muscles or joints, patients must see a doctor immediately,” he said.
“Rest is probably one of the most important factors to help keep the flu away – and that also applies to those who have developed flu [and re recovering].”
Pharmacist assistant at Leach Pharmacy, Marinda Venter, said they have the 4-strain vaccine in stock and encouraged high-risk patients, especially the over-65s, to get their flu shot.
“There was a shortage of the 3-strain vaccine when the flu season started: we were inundated last month and ran out within two weeks. But we do have the four-strain in stock… there is no major difference between it and the three-strain,“ Venter said.
Discovery’s Nematswerani said a total of 92,000 of the Discovery Health Medical Scheme’s high-risk members had received the flu vaccine during the 2024 flu season. This represented an 8.3% increase in uptake in 2024 compared to 2023.
“While this increase has been welcomed, the flu vaccination rate still remains low. We would like to see an even bigger increase in 2025,” she said.
Nematswerani said medical professionals recommended either the three- or four-strain vaccine, as both offered good protection against the flu.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, June 5, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
