Beat the flu, get the jab

Winter is fast approaching and Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) is advising all staff, patients and members of the public to get their flu jabs now so they can stay well and beat the flu this winter.

The directors at EPUT are leading by example by getting their flu jabs. Soon after the last Board Meeting, all of the directors who were present including Sally Morris, Chief Executive were given the flu jab.

Sally Morris, Chief Executive at EPUT, said: “I’ve had the jab which is safe and is the best defence against flu. With winter on the way, we have to try to reduce the pressures on A&E and one way of doing this is by looking after ourselves. By having the flu jab we can protect ourselves, our families and friends against flu and stay well this winter.”

In the UK an average of 600 people a year die from complications of flu, however this can rise to over 10,000 people. Flu leads to hundreds of thousands of GP visits and tens of thousands of hospital stays a year.

The flu jab is offered free of charge on the NHS to people who are at risk. You are eligible to receive a free flu jab if you:

• are pregnant
• are 65 years of age or over
• have certain medical conditions
• are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility
• receive a carer’s allowance, or you are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill
• frontline health staff
• social workers

The flu jab:

• cannot give you the flu
• protects and reduces the risk of spreading flu
• reduces sickness absence
• prevent flu-related hospitalizations

The most common symptoms of flu are:

• sudden high temperature of 38°C or above
• severe headache
• general aches, pains, tiredness and weakness
• shivering and chills
• aching muscles, pain in limbs or joints
• sore throat
• a runny or blocked nose, and sneezing
• a dry, chesty cough
• difficulty sleeping

Don’t wait until you see any of the symptoms above. Get the flu jab now and beat the flu.

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