As record numbers of people in England will be offered a free flu vaccine this winter, business owners and managers are being urged to also consider offering the flu vaccine to their teams.
People not in one of the NHS target groups can pay privately to be vaccinated if they wish.
According to an article in Personnel Today, Dr Petra Simic, interim medical director at Bupa Health Clinics, said:
“It’s good that businesses are taking steps to help employees prepare for the flu season. The spread of flu is inevitable and it has the potential to be much quicker within an office, so it’s encouraging to see employers being proactive when it comes to protecting the health of their employees this winter.
“Flu is one of the most common reasons for someone to take time off work, which can significantly impact productivity, but it’s easily preventable if you plan early.”
The International Longevity Centre UK has found that the flu vaccination could save the economy up to £28.9 million in averted sick day costs if used more widely.
The health service in England has prepared for its largest ever flu protection drive to help keep people well and ease pressure on urgent care services over the colder months.
The Flu vaccine is the single best defence against what can be a serious illness. Flu is a highly infectious disease and can lead to serious complications particularly for people with underlying health condition such as COPD, bronchitis, emphysema, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease or a chronic neurological disease like multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and some learning disabilities. Flu on top of health conditions like these increases the chance of serious health complications resulting in a hospital visit.
The number of people eligible has topped 25 million this year as the offer of the vaccine is now extended to all primary school aged children – an extra 600,000 children. NHS commissioned school vaccination teams, maternity services, general practices and local pharmacies are all now gearing up to provide vaccines to primary school aged children, 2 and 3 year olds, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women and older adults (aged 65 years and over).
Employers of frontline health and social care workers also have a responsibility to ensure their staff can get the free vaccine. A record number of NHS staff – almost 3 quarters of a million, or 70.3% of frontline workers – took up their workplace jab last year.
Professor Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England (PHE), said:
Every winter there is always the threat of a bad flu season. Flu is a serious illness and can even be deadly for the most vulnerable of our population.
That’s why it’s vital that we are prepared and always working to offer people better protection.
This year, more vaccines are available and every primary school child will be offered a flu vaccine. Children are ‘super spreaders’ of flu. Flu vaccination not only protects the children but it also protects other more vulnerable members of the community from a potentially horrible illness.
If you or your child are in an eligible group, make sure you get a flu vaccine. It’s the best defence we have against an unpredictable virus.
Image courtesy of https://www.ellsworth.af.mil