Start thinking about your flu jab

paulbowen

GPs are urging residents to take up the opportunity for their free flu jab as they hope to build on the success of last year, when Eastern Cheshire was named the second highest performing area in England for uptake of the seasonal vaccine by people aged 65 and over, and by two-to-four year olds.

GP practices offer the jab to at-risk groups, including people with long-term conditions such as asthma and diabetes, people over 65, pregnant women, young children and carers, health care workers.

If you are eligible for the jab you will have received an invitation from your GP practice, details of local flu clinics can be found below.

Dr Paul Bowen, GP chair of NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: "First of all I'd like to thank our residents for responding so well to their flu clinic invitations last year and helping themselves to stay well and flu-free.
"If you have ever had flu, you'll know that it's more than a bad cold, or a chesty cough, but can in fact reduce healthy people to bed for days. It's a serious, viral illness that can kill those at risk, and produce misery for millions.

"Yet many people do not take up their invitations due to a variety of reasons, ranging from not liking needles to not believing the vaccine works, but I would strongly urge these people to reconsider.

"The flu vaccination remains the best protection we have against an unpredictable, constantly shifting virus.

"Each year, the jab is manufactured to help the body defend itself against the most likely strains of influenza which evolve differently each year. Public Health England helps develop a jab which is designed to fight the condition by boosting your immune system against the most likely strains to emerge over the coming winter. While it won't stop you getting a bad cold or unpredicted strains of the disease, it is highly effective, safe and rarely causes any side effects."

Local flu clinics include:

Alderley Edge Medical Practice:
Saturday 1 October, 9am to 12pm
Saturday 8 October, 9am to 12pm
Saturday 15 October, 9am to 12pm

Handforth Health Centre:
Saturday 8 October
Saturday 29 October

Kenmore Medical Centre, Wilmslow:
Saturday 1 October, 8.30am to 12.30pm
Saturday 15 October, 8.30am to 12.30pm

Wilmslow Health Centre:
Saturday September 24, 9am to 12pm
Saturday October 8, 9am to 12pm

Tags:
NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group
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