Health chiefs are urging ‘at risk’ people to get their flu jab – to try to prevent a repeat of last year’s outbreak.
Seasonal flu kills around 8,000 people in Britain every year, including 96 in the north west last winter.
The vaccination will be available in GP surgeries across Greater Manchester from October for people in ‘at risk’ groups.
Doctors are urging people who are over 65 or have medical conditions which make them vulnerable to flu to get protected with the free vaccine.
Pregnant women and carers are also eligible.
Last year just under three-quarters of people aged over 65 from Greater Manchester chose to have the jab but less than half of people with serious medical conditions took it up.
The government came under fire for not running a national advertising campaign – but this year local trusts are running their own campaigns to urge people to get immunised.
Everyone aged 65 and over is routinely offered the flu jab, as are younger people with long-term conditions.
NHS Stockport’s consultant in infection control, Dr David Baxter, who has asthma, is believed to be the first person in the country to have his free NHS flu vaccination this autumn.
He rolled his sleeves up to encourage more people at serious risk from flu to have the jab.
Dr Baxter said: “For most people flu tends to be nothing more than an unpleasant illness that lays you low for a couple of weeks. But for some groups, like pensioners or expectant mums, it can be life threatening as we saw with devastating effect last winter.
“We don’t want to see people dying this year – it is completely avoidable. The vaccination is safe and highly effective. It will protect you against all types of seasonal flu.”
The jab is different from the swine flu immunisation programme, which starts later in the year.
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My employer has offered the chance for all its workers to have the free flu jab. I know it benifeits them by less people going on the sick for flu money and work wise. Many more could also do this. I worked for the NAAFI in the 60's and they also offered this service.
But it also saves people that do need to have it trying to fit it in at a doctors surgery, where quite a few seem to have a 9 to 5 office hours themselves. I
know that there are some that have longer hours and some a Saturday surgery. MIne is not in the least bit helpful in that respect.
My employer (The Co-operative) is also providing free flu jabs for all employees and it's apparently the biggest provider in europe. I think it's a great thing to offer employees.