Plea to get flu jab after disappointing uptake in Highlands

Scotland’s most senior medical officer has called on people with underlying health conditions in the Highlands to get protected from flu.

His call follows the release of new figures showing that more than half people in this group were still to be vaccinated this year.

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Harry Burns, made his plea as new figures were released for flu vaccination uptake since the campaign started on October 1.

The figures show that a number of people have yet to be vaccinated in the Highlands NHS area, including:

- 51 per cent of people under 65 with underlying health problems such as asthma and diabetes

- 62 per cent of pregnant women

- 61 per cent of two and three year olds

Sir Harry said: “Flu strikes suddenly and it's important to be prepared. If you have a long-term medical condition, the best way to protect yourself is to get the vaccine. It is not too late for those who have not received their flu vaccine to do so.

“The flu vaccine only takes a few minutes, but will offer protection for around 12 months.”

“It is equally as important to ensure that if your child is invited to get vaccinated against flu, you take up the offer as children are unlikely to have built up immunity from previous infections.

"In fact, youngsters are two to three times as likely to be ill with flu than adults.

Dr Ken Oates, Flu Immunisation Co-ordinator at NHS Highland, said: “Flu survives better in a cold environment and flu viruses will circulate across Scotland as we move deeper into winter.

"People need to be aware that flu is much worse than a bad cold and can make adults and children very unwell.

“If you are in an eligible group then it’s very important to get vaccinated to help protect you from the virus as you can suffer from serious complications if you do catch flu.

"I would like to urge all remaining local people who are eligible for the flu vaccine to speak with their GP practice to arrange to get their free vaccination.”

If you would like to find out more information about the flu vaccine, contact NHS Inform on 0800 22 44 88 or log on to www.immunisationscotland.org.uk.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.