NHS in Sussex urges public to get flu jabs as hospital cases soar

The NHS in Sussex is urging those eligible to get their flu vaccines, with hospital cases for flu at their highest yet this winter.

While many of those people eligible for a flu jab in Sussex have had it, there are still a large number of eligible people who are yet to take up their winter vaccinations and are therefore at increased risk of serious illness.

A spokesperson for NHS Sussex said: “With hospital cases for flu at their highest yet this winter, the message is clear – anyone who has been invited for a flu vaccine but yet to take it up, should come forward now.

“It is not too late to get vaccinated and I would urge you to book an appointment at your local pharmacy, GP or via the National Booking Service, as soon as possible”.

Those eligible for the flu jab include all people aged 50 and over, health and social care workers, people aged six months and over and considered “at risk” due to another medical condition, as well as pregnant women and children aged two and three.

Children are able to receive their vaccination via a nasal spray and are encouraged to get the vaccine to not only protect themselves but reduce transmissions to others at risk.

Those eligible for the flu jab are:

• people aged 50 and over• those aged between six months and 49 years with a specified health condition• some secondary school-aged children• two and three-year-olds• pregnant women• primary school-aged children• those in care homes• people who are carers, as set out in the Green Book• frontline healthcare workers• frontline social care staff who do not have access to occupational health schemes• household contacts of people with weakened immune systems

For more information on how to book a flu vaccination if eligible, please visit Covid-19 and flu vaccinations - Sussex Health and Care (ics.nhs.uk)