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HEALTH & WELLBEING
Flu jabs and the Covid fight Vaccination saves lives and builds healthy communities. Ade Williams, lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy, community champion and brilliant ambassador for Bristol, dispels flu jab myths and gives us the lowdown on eligibility
T
he West Country produces many illustrious daughters and sons. Vision, enterprise and innovation are commonly shared traits. Edward Jenner, an unassuming, collegiate, countryside physician, is esteemed as an exemplar of this. In 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte, locked in conflict with Britain, released two English prisoners of war at the request of Jenner and permitted their return home, as a gesture of thanks for his work in the field of smallpox vaccination. Napoleon’s now very famous explanation – “What that man asks is not to be refused”, and remark that ‘‘he is one of the greatest benefactors of mankind’’ – encapsulated Jenner’s high esteem. Edward Jenner is the father of immunology, inventing vaccination. The legacy of his work has arguably saved more lives than any other human’s. While we all now await a vaccine, not knowing how the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) will react with others during autumn and winter months, we know that having your flu vaccination is an essential part of our fight against Covid-19 pandemic. Why? A spike in respiratory illness caused by influenza will bring our already stretched health system to a breaking point. We must never forget that flu kills an average of 8,000 people every year in the UK. The UK’s topmost human disease national risk remains a flu pandemic. New and emerging infectious diseases, i.e. Covid-19, were second. Experts agree there is a high probability of another influenza pandemic occurring. It’s impossible to forecast exact timing, but the World Health Organisation estimates that between 2 and 7.4 million deaths may occur globally. Needle phobia – a fear of medical procedures that involve needles or injections – can pose a barrier. It is common, affecting at least one in 10 people, but thankfully surmountable. Many people do not confront this fear because they feel embarrassed and avoid clinical settings, especially vaccination appointments. Don’t be ashamed of being scared of injections; please talk with health professionals about your anxiety. We can offer proven techniques and adapt our approach to helping you overcome this fear. Sadly, the internet, especially social media, has become a cesspool of misinformation and conspiracy stories about vaccine safety. These malicious campaigns seek to play on our healthy democratic values, where minority opinions can be aired, robustly discussed and corrected. They are instead employing manipulation and cynicism to warp the misinformed as bastions of libertarianism. Bristol must stand up to them – our choice will always be to protect the whole community as well as the individual. Some important reminders: the flu jab cannot cause the flu – it is an inactive vaccine that primes your immune response. It does not have 50 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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OCTOBER 2020
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No 193
any live flu virus. It takes up to 14 days after the jab to be fully protected; this explains the usual coincidence, so get your jab early. We need a flu vaccination every year as the antibodies that protect us from flu decline with time and flu strains can also change from year to year. Community pharmacies and GP surgeries, both part of the NHS, use the same vaccines. You can get your free NHS vaccination from either; information will always be shared to update your records. Irrespective of age, if you have an underlying health condition (such as diabetes, chronic heart, kidney, liver, or respiratory disease), are pregnant, work in social care/nursing homes/hospices, are a paid or unpaid carer, or a household contact of immunocompromised persons or persons on the NHS shielded patient list, you are eligible for the free vaccine. This year alongside the usual over 65s category, 50-64 year olds have been added – details of the eligibility criteria are now imminent. GP surgeries and school nurse teams also offer the free NHS flu vaccine for children over the age of six months with a long-term health condition, children aged two and three years on 31 August 2020 (that is, born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2018), children in primary school and children in Year Seven (secondary school). Children aged between six months and two years who are eligible for the flu vaccine will receive an injected flu vaccine. Children eligible for the flu vaccine aged between two and 17 will usually have the nasal spray flu vaccine. At war with Britain, Napoleon had all his French troops vaccinated against smallpox and awarded Jenner a medal! Vaccination saves lives and builds healthy communities. Do not delay, get your jab today. ■
• Follow Ade on Twitter: @adewilliamsnhs or @bedminsterpharm
