South east near top of flu vaccine table

As fears are raised that the government may not hit its target of doubling the number of people getting the flu vaccine this winter, figures show that the south east sits towards the top of the table of numbers of people having the jab.

On July 24th, the government announced its plans for the "most comprehensive flu vaccination programme in UK history" in order to reduce pressure on the NHS this winter.

It aims to double the number of people taking the vaccine from 15 million to 30 million this winter.

But there are fears that it may fall short of its stated aim as the number of the most vulnerable people having the jab is declining every year.

Charities and academics believe legitimate concerns around the side effects of vaccines, religious barriers and a 'complacency' around the effects of flu are putting people off having the jab.

And they say there is a particular problem among people under 65 with serious health conditions such as asthma and Multiple Sclerosis, where uptake is "worrying".

The BBC's Shared Data Unit has looked at the figures for uptake of the flu vaccine last year, and found that the south east of England ranks towards the top of the table.

The figures place the south east in third place behind the north east and north west when it comes to the numbers of people taking up the offer of the jab.

The authority with the lowest rate of uptake was Hammersmith and Fulham, with just 28.7% of eligible over 65s having the jab.

In terms of primary school vaccination, Kent, Surrey and Sussex figures are around the middle of the table, with 61.2% of eligible children getting the jab.

However the government has decided to expand the eligibility criteria for the jab in 2020-21.

The vaccinations will be delivered in two stages.

Stage one will see a free vaccine made available to people who are on the shielded patient list and members of their household, as well as all school year groups up to year 7, everybody aged over 65, and under 65s with pre-existing conditions, including at-risk under twos.

The government says that once vaccination of the most 'at-risk' groups is under way, the department will work with clinicians to decide when to open the programme to invite people aged 50 to 64.

The NHS will contact people directly, giving information about where to go to get the vaccine.

Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, Professor Heidi Larson, said it was important that people had the jab this year becuse of the risk of catching both flu and Covid-19. "Both attack the respiratory system but Covid attacks a lot more organs than just the lungs. You wouldn't want that double attack on the system," she said. "It's also so important to limit the stress on the system. Two or three years ago the Red Cross had to come in to handle a bad flu season on its own." Addressing the issue of why uptake of the vaccine is declining in certain at-risk categories, she said: "I find there is almost a complacency around the vaccine in the UK. "It doesn't have the same aggressive 'anti' sentiment we see against some of the childhood vaccines. But I do think there a lot of perceptions around the vaccine in general, and there is a degree of truth to them. "Part of the nasal vaccine for children contains traces of porcine gelatin, which has prevented many Muslim parents from taking it up. "There are also people that say it doesn't work enough, it's not effective enough. Some of these concerns aren't wrong. Some years it really isn't that effective against all strains. "But I would certainly urge people to take it anyway as you wouldn't want the strains that it does protect against." Do you have the flu jab each year? If not, why not? Let us know on our Facebook page!