Dr Tim Dalton: preparing for flu vaccine season

For many of you, September is the time of returning kids to school and hoping for a last few days of sun and warmth before autumn sets in for good. However, in GP practices, September is the beginning of the biggest vaccination drive of the year.

Yes, with flu season only about 8 weeks away, it is time to think about flu vaccines and we are in full planning swing at my practice.

The flu is nasty, when you get it, it isn’t just like having a cold, you will spend a miserable week in bed and take a few weeks to recover. And the flu does kill several thousand people every year who are known to be at increased risk from flu. So, it is important that in GP practices, we are well prepared to protect as many eligible people as possible.

This year, there is a slight change to when vaccines will be available for many eligible adults.

For children and young people under 18, the flu vaccine season began as normal in early September. 2-3 year olds and all children of school age (from reception right through to year 11) should soon be invited for their jab – if they haven’t already.

For eligible people aged 18 and over, the flu vaccine season doesn’t begin until October.

This is because the latest scientific evidence shows that age affects how long the vaccine stays in your system and gives you immunity. So, for most eligible adults, the vaccine will be less effective over time, whilst in children it remains effective for a much for much longer. This means that we can vaccinate children earlier than adults, who we want to vaccinate as close as possible to flu season to give them protection throughout the whole winter.

From 3rd October, invites will start to begin for those aged 65 and over and anyone aged 18-65 who is at increased clinical risk (for example, people with asthma, COPD, diabetes, weakened immune systems, etc). Frontline health and care staff will also be offered a vaccine at this later time too.

Pregnant women are a little different; they will be invited earlier with the younger age groups. This is because the protection from the vaccine passes to the baby and will give the baby protection for the first few months of their lives too, which is particularly important if they are born during winter. So, I really encourage pregnant ladies get vaccinated as soon as possible, to protect them and their baby.

In fact, I encourage all eligible people to start thinking about their vaccine, look out for the text, email or letter reminder from their GP practice, and make time to get protected.

And just a final note for those of you who are aged 75-79, don’t forget that you are now also entitled to an extra vaccine for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), an infectious disease of the airways and lungs that has symptoms quite like a cold. You only need to have this vaccine once and it will protect you for life from the risk of some of the more serious complications you can experience if you get RSV as an older adult.