Have you had your ‘flu jab yet?

THE public health team at Warrington Borough Council is urging all eligible residents to get their flu vaccination as soon as possible.
Public Health England’s “Stay Well this Winter” campaign has been launched, aimed at promoting the flu vaccination programme and reducing the transmission of the illness in the community, across all age groups.
Flu is a highly infectious disease with symptoms that comes on very suddenly. Healthy individuals usually recover in two to seven days but for some, it can have very serious complications.
Children are most likely to spread flu to others, so this year the NHS flu immunisation programme is being extended to include all children in school years 1, 2 and 3 and parents are asked to give permission for their child to receive the free nasal spray vaccination in school.
Children aged 2-4 years should also be vaccinated and can get the nasal spray vaccine from their GP.
Those with long-term health conditions such as bronchitis, emphysema, diabetes or heart disease,  women who are pregnant, all people aged over 65, residents of long-stay care homes and carers, are all entitled to a free jab from their GP, as they are at greater risk of developing complications as a result of flu.
Cllr Maureen McLaughlin (pictured) , the council’s lead member for public health and wellbeing, said: “Flu can be a very nasty illness and we want to protect our communities as much as we can, particularly our more vulnerable residents. It’s really important that we take steps now to avoid the spread of flu over the winter months.
“We are advising everybody who is eligible for the flu vaccine to go to their GP and get it done as early as possible. For young children, the nasal spray vaccination is a quick, painless and effective way to be protected without the need for injections. It’s really not worth putting yourself at risk.”
Dr Dan Bunstone, clinical chairman of NHS Warrington CCG, said: “For most people, flu means a very unpleasant week, disrupting their work and social life and making it much harder to deal with daily life. That’s bad enough, but older people, the very young, pregnant women and those with underlying diseases are at particular risk of severe illness if they catch flu. Antibiotics will not treat the flu, so getting the jab is your main defence.”
Anyone eligible for the flu jab and aged 18 years or over,can get a free flu jab from their GP. For more information, or to view the full list of participating Warrington pharmacies where the jab is available, visit www.nhs.uk/staywell