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Flu jabs - the health professional's view
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Health & Fitness tips
"It is important for anyone who is entitled to a free flu jab to have one"
In common with GPs up and down the country, Dr Sarah Jordan is responsible for administering the annual flu jab to hundreds of patients, and has thrown her support behind the government's campaign to encourage at-risk groups to get inoculated against the virus. |
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"I can't stress enough how important it is for anyone who is entitled to a free flu jab to have one," she says. "It's especially important for anybody who has any other serious illnesses, such as heart disease, any respiratory condition, chronic lung diseases, kidney disease, diabetes, or lowered immunity, either through disease or treatment such as steroids and immune suppressants."
Although the flu jab is intended for people aged over 65, anyone who is prone to respiratory illness may well be eligible. "GPs will be very much targeting high-risk groups," Dr Jordan adds, "but they usually have a surplus of the vaccine that may be available to people who are not such an obvious case. Anybody who catches a cold in winter and goes on to suffer with chest problems and a cough could qualify in any case, depending on the GP's judgement.
"The aim is to get the jabs in before the flu hits - normally that's later in the year or early the following year, though that isn't always the case. It's not uncommon to get it just after Christmas, into the New Year. There was certainly a lot of respiratory illness around early in 2005." |
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The NHS campaign aimed at encouraging those aged 65 to have a flu jab has one simple aim - to save lives. "We want to minimise death rates for flu, so the main thrust of the campaign is aimed at those who are at risk," explains Dr Jordan. "Anyone who thinks they may fall into this category - because they suffer from coughs throughout the winter, for example - even if they have not been contacted by their GP's surgery, should have a chat with their doctor. They may be in the eligible group but not realise that they are. |
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"It is difficult to quantify how many lives are saved each year because of the flu jab campaign, because most people don't die of the flu virus, they die of complications arising from it. But about 3,000 to 4,000 deaths per year are attributable to flu, and about 10 to 15 per cent of the population develop flu each year, though that varies.
"There is also some evidence that people who have the flu jab are slightly less susceptible to other coughs and colds, so there is some knock-on benefit, although it is primarily directed at influenza."
One of the main reasons people are put off having a jab is because of the side-effects - in particular the fear that, by having the jab, they may actually go down with the virus. But Dr Jordan says it is very unusual for anyone to suffer significant side effects. "Sometimes people think that because they went for a flu jab, and then went down with a cough or cold, there is some connection. But we are giving these immunisations at a time when coughs and colds are becoming more common, so, inevitably, some of the people you are giving them to will be brewing a virus, or be in the incubation phase. There is no way that you can get flu just from having the jab. In fact, the most common side effect is a slightly sore arm, but most people don't get any side-effects at all." |
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