Make no mistake – flu kills. To put the risks into perspective, deaths from the common cold are vanishingly rare. Flu, by contrast, was associated with almost 16,000 deaths in England alone in 2017/8.
If you have a cold, you may feel miserable and sniffly but you can usually struggle through. Influenza is very different. You'll usually feel absolutely exhausted, have a very high temperature and ache all over, with a harsh wracking cough and headache.
Older people, pregnant women, small children and people with long-term health conditions are particularly vulnerable to life-threatening complications such as pneumonia.
The flu jab is the best defence we have against the disease. For those who are eligible, it isn't too late to get vaccinated. Haddenham Medical centre has vaccine available for all three catogories:
- a live quadrivalent vaccine (which protects against 4 strains of flu), given as a nasal spray – this is for children and young people aged 2 to 17 years eligible for the flu vaccine
- a quadrivalent injected vaccine – this is for adults aged 18 and over but below the age of 65 who are at increased risk from flu because of a long-term health condition and for children 6 months and above in an eligible group who cannot receive the live vaccine
- an adjuvanted trivalent injected vaccine – this is for people aged 65 and over as it has been shown to be more effective in this age group
Adults can book online for a flu jab at Haddenham Medical Centre, or in person at the Reception. Parents or guardians of children should have received an invitation, but if not, please also feel free to pop into the Medical Centre and book an appointment for a child.
