Winter is coming, and with the cold weather comes respiratory viral infections, including influenza.

So now’s a good time to protect yourself and others with the flu vaccine. It’s effective, free and widely available for many high-risk groups. Even if you don’t qualify for a free vaccine, it’s still recommended for you and your family.

Here are five common questions you might have about the flu and the flu vaccine, and our answers.

1. Is the flu really so bad?

Most flu infections are relatively mild and uncomplicated – but not all. Experimental studies, where volunteers are infected with the flu virus or rhinovirus (a cause of the common cold), show the flu is associated with more intense symptoms that last longer.

The flu weakens the natural defences of the lung. This can allow bacterial or fungal infection to become established, leading to secondary pneumonia.

The flu is also thought to trigger heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular disease. In young children, it can trigger febrile seizures (childhood seizures caused by a sudden spike in body temperature).

Uncommonly, the flu virus can directly infect body organs other than the lungs, leading to often severe and devastating diseases. These include infection of the brain (causing encephalitis) or heart (myocarditis).

Frail, older people may have a limited capacity to cope with the stress of infection. So for them, the flu can trigger confusion (delirium), dehydration and cause other body systems to fail.

The groups with the highest risk of flu-related........

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