Eligible patients and carers can avoid the nasty effects  and potentially serious complications of flu by getting their free flu jab from either their family doctor or their local pharmacy if they are participating in the flu vaccination programme.

Once again, the jab is being offered to all pregnant women as well as everyone aged over 65 and younger people with long-term conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, multiple sclerosis, serious kidney, neurological and liver disease.  If you are the main carer of an older or disabled person you may also be eligible for the flu vaccine, ask your GP or Practice Nurse for advice.

This year the seasonal flu vaccination protects against the three main flu strains that are expected to circulate in the coming winter.

The aim is to protect as many people as possible as early as possible before the flu really starts circulating in November, so the best time to get your flu jab is in October, but you can have the jab throughout the whole winter season. It’s free and it's effective against the latest flu virus strains.

Because the flu virus is able to change itself, the flu jab only protects you for the year those particular strains are around. So even if you've already had a flu jab in previous years, you need another one this year.

Dr John Radford, Director of Public Health at NHS Rotherham, said: “Flu is much more serious than a cold and anyone who has had flu will tell you, it’s not very pleasant. Flu gives you fevers, chills, extreme tiredness and aching muscles, as well as the more general cold-like symptoms of a sore throat and runny nose, and tends to last for up to two weeks.  Whilst flu is a nasty experience for all of us, for those at risk it can lead to more serious illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia or even meningitis, complications which often require hospital treatment.”

The best way to avoid flu is to get immunised, but in addition, people can protect themselves by practising good respiratory and hand hygiene,  following the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ principle. This means carrying tissues, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue, disposing of the tissue after one use, and cleaning hands as soon as possible with soap and water or a hand sanitiser such as alcohol hand rub.

Health and social care workers in Rotherham are being made aware of the importance of and encouraged to have the flu vaccine. By having the jab health and social care workers will be protecting themselves, their families and their patients/clients against the flu be reducing the risk of them passing it on.

Every year there are approximately 8,000 seasonal flu-related deaths in the winter months in England and Wales. In the 2010/11 the death rate in patients in ‘at risk’ groups i.e. with chronic disease was 10 times greater than those patients not in ‘at risk groups’- many of which are avoidable by vaccination.

A local publicity campaign has been launched which will see posters, radio advertising and letters to eligible patients to encourage them to get their jab.

Ref:   NHSR12-P37