People aged 65 and over urged to get protected against flu

Public Health Wales is reminding older people that they are more at risk of complications if they catch influenza (flu) than the general population.

Flu can be a serious illness, leading to complications like pneumonia, and every year people in Wales end up in hospital or intensive care units with flu.

What’s more, last year, more than half of all confirmed cases of influenza in hospitals in Wales were in people aged 65 and older.

Latest vaccine uptake data shows that many older people in Wales – just over half of those aged 65 and over – have already had their flu vaccine this year.

But those who haven’t had the vaccine yet this winter remain at risk, and are encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible for the best protection.

Angharad Phillips of national charity Age Cymru urges people to listen to the experts, and added:

“Influenza is still a very real health risk to us all, but especially for those of us who are older. This is why the NHS funds people aged 65 and older to have a flu vaccination every year.

“As we age our immune system becomes less efficient at protecting us and so we should take every precaution we can against a disease that can prove fatal to older people.

“Flu vaccine is the best protection we currently have against flu, it helps protect against catching flu and also against spreading flu to others.

“At Age Cymru we promote uptake of the free flu vaccine every year as part of our own winter health and resilience campaign. We ask that people ‘Spread The Warmth’ to older people and not the flu! Get protected and protect others at the same time.”

Most NHS flu vaccines are given in GP surgeries, but the vaccination is also widely available for adults in many community pharmacies across Wales.

Find out more by visiting www.beatflu.org or www.curwchffliw.org or finding Beat Flu or Curwch Ffliw on Twitter and Facebook.