People Urged to Get Five-Minute Flu Jab or ‘Risk Death’
Medical experts are urging eligible individuals to get their annual flu vaccination as soon as possible, warning that influenza is a potentially life-threatening illness, not simply a severe cold. The NHS offers free flu jabs to those at higher risk, with access available until the end of March 2026.
Dr. Jeff Foster, Medical Director of Manual.co, emphasized the benefits of early vaccination. “From a personal perspective, this means that you are immune earlier and so are protected before the main bulk of the yearly disease spreads,” he explained. “Simply your risk of getting sick and flu goes down if you are already vaccinated. The second reason is that this helps herd immunity. The more people that have vaccinated the harder it is for the virus to spread and that means that vulnerable people are less likely to catch the disease badly or at all if they were unable to be vaccinated themselves.”
The warning comes after stark figures revealed the serious consequences of influenza. Last year, over 7,000 adults and 50 children in the UK died as an inevitable result of the flu. Dr. Foster stressed the potential to drastically reduce these numbers through vaccination. “It is indeed crucial for all those eligible to be vaccinated as it will simply decrease their risk of getting severe flu which can lead to pneumonia, sepsis and even death.”
The following groups are eligible for a free NHS flu vaccine:
* Individuals aged 65 or over (including those who will turn 65 by March 31, 2026)
* People with certain long-term health conditions
* Pregnant women
* Residents of care homes
* Main carers of older or disabled individuals, or those receiving a carer’s allowance
* Individuals living with someone who has a weakened immune system.
Dr. Foster also highlighted that awareness of the free vaccine isn’t universal,especially within certain communities. “some of those groups that are missed out,include those either socially isolated,those from ethnic minority backgrounds who may not be able to access healthcare as easily or be familiar with how the NHS systems work.”
