Damian Hinds MP: Getting your flu jab could save a life
As the cold season begins, GP surgeries and pharmacies display posters reminding people to get their flu vaccination. Every year, the NHS leads a national effort to encourage protection against flu and, more recently, Covid-19.
These illnesses can lead to serious complications and hospital admissions, further straining NHS services already under winter pressure. In Hampshire, vaccination rates among older residents are ahead of the national level, with over 65 percent of those aged 65 and above receiving their flu jab.
Among younger children, uptake is still lower than desired. Fewer than 60 percent of Hampshire’s two- to three-year-olds have had their flu vaccine — short of the World Health Organization’s 75 percent goal. Children under five experience some of the highest hospitalisation rates for flu.
Since early October, parents have been able to vaccinate their two- and three-year-olds at local community pharmacies, a change expected to help improve vaccination levels this year.
Vaccination remains one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine, saving countless lives and slowing the spread of infectious diseases. The UK continues to play a leading role in this field.
“Measles, however, is a stark reminder that progress can be undone.”
Once considered eliminated in England with no cases reported in 2018, measles has since re-emerged. By 2021, England lost its measles elimination status as outbreaks spread nationwide.
Author’s Summary
Damian Hinds highlights how flu vaccinations save lives, noting progress in older groups, challenges with child uptake, and lessons from measles resurgence.