It's not too late to get immunised against flu.
The influenza vaccine is free until July 31 for people aged 65 years and over, pregnant women, and people with long term health conditions such as severe asthma.
For everyone else aged 6 months or older, the vaccine is available for a small charge either from their GP or some pharmacies. To date, almost 1.18 million flu vaccines have been distributed across the country. This compares to more than 1.25 million doses distributed last year.
Even though 2013 was one of the mildest influenza seasons in 20 years, 782 people were hospitalised with influenza.
- More information about influenza and how to prevent it is available at www.health.govt.nz/influenza and www.fightflu.co.nz.