Eligibility criteria

Funded influenza vaccine is available each year for patients who meet
the following criteria as set by PHARMAC:

• all people 65 years of age and over; or
• people under 65 years of age who:
  • have any of the following cardiovascular diseases:
    • ischaemic heart disease, or
    • congestive heart failure, or
    • rheumatic heart disease, or
    • congenital heart disease, or
    • cerebrovascular disease; or
• have either of the following chronic respiratory diseases:               
    • asthma, if on a regular preventative therapy, or
    • other chronic respiratory disease with impaired lung
      function;^(a) or
• have diabetes; or
• have chronic renal disease; or
• have any cancer, please refer to the vaccine precaution below^#, excluding basal and squamous skin
  cancers if not invasive; or
• have any of the following other conditions:
      • autoimmune disease^(b), or
      • immune suppression or immune deficiency, or
      • HIV, or
     

• transplant recipients, or
• neuromuscular and CNS diseases/disorders^(c), or
• haemoglobinopathies^(d), or
• children on long term aspirin, or
• a cochlear implant, or
• error of metabolism at risk of major metabolic decompensation, or
• pre and post splenectomy, or
• Down syndrome, or
• pregnant women (any trimester); or
• children aged four years or under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or have a history of
  significant respiratory illness;

Unless meeting the criteria set out above, the following conditions are
excluded from funding:

• asthma not requiring regular preventative therapy,
• hypertension and/or dyslipidaemia without evidence of end-organ
  disease.

Also refer to the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule on the PHARMAC website
www.pharmac.govt.nz/patients/PharmaceuticalSchedule/Schedule?osq=influenz

a. Chronic respiratory diseases may include: chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, emphysema.
b. Autoimmune diseases may include: coeliac disease, Crohns disease, Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis:
    Immune suppression or immune deficiency includes diseases modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) or targeted biologic therapies.
c. Neuromuscular and CNS diseases/disorders include: celebral palsy, congenital myopathy, epilepsy, hydrocephaly, motor neurone disease,
    multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury.
d. Haemoglobinopathies including: sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia.