Last updated at 13:33, Monday, 08 October 2012

Flu is often used as an umbrella term for all of the illnesses, including bad coughs and colds, that strike most of us at some point each winter.

Practice nurse Shona Broome with a flu jab

But doctors in Cumbria are stressing that real influenza is far worse than most of these relatively minor ailments – and that it does kill.

As this year’s winter flu campaign is launched across the county, they are urging elderly and vulnerable people to make sure they are vaccinated against it.

Among the GP practices now giving out the jab is Longtown Medical Centre. They have already held two walk-in clinics since their launch last Thursday – including their first ever Saturday session – and have another planned for tomorrow.

Adrian Rippon, a GP at the health centre, says the uptake has been good to date – but he wants to reach those who usually think they don’t need to bother.

“For the elderly population and those with chronic conditions, if they get flu it can kill them,” he explains.

“I had swine flu myself two years ago and I thought I was dying. Imagine if I’d had a condition like COPD (a chronic lung disease) on top of that.

“Last year we had two patients who ended up on ventilators because of the flu. One was asthmatic but the other was a healthy guy with no other problems. He ended up off work for six months afterwards so it was pretty serious. It just shows how ill you can get.”

Nigel Calvert, NHS Cumbria’s associate director of public health, says every winter people across the county die unnecessarily – when a simple flu jab could prevent it.

In total there are an average of 300 excess deaths in Cumbria annually due to the cold weather. Not all of these cases are a direct result of flu, but many are linked.

Dr Calvert stresses that many people think flu isn’t serious because it has been trivialised by society. But those who qualify and don’t get protected are putting themselves at increased risk of contracting respiratory diseases or pneumonia if they do catch it.

“People use the term very loosely. They say they have a touch of flu but there’s no such thing. That trivialises it in people’s minds,” he says.

“If you use its full name – influenza – it suddenly sounds more serious.”

He adds that other people may be put off by people who say they have caught the flu after having the vaccine, but he stresses that this isn’t true. “There’s no live virus in it so that can’t happen. It’s impossible,” he explains. In truth a very small percentage of people have any adverse reaction to the vaccine, and for those who do it is only swelling around the jab site.

Dr Rippon agrees that getting flu from the vaccine is nothing more than an urban myth: “You hear some people say they get symptoms afterwards but it’s just a coincidence. Elderly people are getting the jab at a time when there are lots of illnesses going round.”

Among those who get vaccinated every year is Audrey Mackie, 69. She was at the Longtown practice when she realised there was a clinic on – and decided to seize the opportunity.

“I only came in for a prescription, but then they said I could get the flu jab while I was here. I get it every year. I’m pretty healthy generally but I always make sure I get it. I don’t think twice about it. It’s better than getting the flu,” she says.

Practice manager Peter Sabuldihin says that in previous years their uptake hasn’t been as good as it could be. But this year they are determined to change that.

“We decided to run a clinic on a Saturday to target people who can’t come during the week. It’s the first time we’ve done that. In a community like ours a lot of it is word of mouth but we’ve also put posters up in lots of shops and down at the bingo club. We’re also using new technology to launch a text campaign so there are lots of ways to remind people.

“The first clinic of the year was on Thursday. We had about 150 people in the morning alone. We are hoping to get more than 1,200 over the three days,” he adds.

The drop-in clinics are led by a team of two practice nurses and a healthcare assistant. Those who can’t attend can make an appointment by calling the surgery.

Shona Broome, one of the practice nurses, believes this year has got off to a good start because of better national planning: “Last year we didn’t get the vaccines delivered until November but this year we’ve got them a lot earlier.

“It’s a lot better because it coincides with the television adverts. What I would say to people is not to put it off. Sometimes we get people waiting until January but it’s far better to get early, otherwise they might be too ill to have it.”

Dr Calvert stresses that it is not just the elderly that qualify for the vaccine. Anyone with a medical condition like asthma or diabetes can have it, as can pregnant women.

“We started vaccinating pregnant women a couple of years ago when we had the pandemic flu and there was a higher rate of infection in this group than expected. After that we started offering the seasonal flu vaccine, but they’ve been doing it in other countries for years.

“We don’t want to worry people but pregnancy does reduce the immune system a bit. The vaccine is well tested and it’s good public health advice to have it,” he adds.

In the over 65s, Dr Calvert also strongly advises anyone who qualifies to have it – even if they feel fit and well. He also urges this group to further boost their chances of staying fit by keeping their homes warm during the winter months, as the cold can impact on health.

For those struggling with mounting energy costs, he advises keeping at least two rooms warm – the living room at a minimum of 21 degrees and bedroom at a minimum of 18 degrees.

This is because, in older people’s bodies, a sudden drop in temperature – for example when going into a cold bedroom – can put a strain on the heart and result in illness.

He adds that simple steps like this can help to dramatically reduce the number of winter hospital admissions in Cumbria and stop people dying unnecessarily.

• are over the age of 65
• have heart problems
• have a chest complaint or breathing difficulties, including bronchitis and emphysema
• have kidney disease
• have a lowered immunity due to treatment (such as steroid medication or cancer treatment)
• have liver disease
• have had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
• have diabetes
• have a neurologic condition such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or cerebral palsy
• have a spleen problem or have had it removed
• are pregnant
• are a carer

First published at 11:29, Monday, 08 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk