Flu Vaccination Newsletter            

September 2009

This newsletter aims to inform you about our annual (also known as seasonal) flu vaccination campaign, and also outlines the plans for the national swine flu campaign.

We will be running our seasonal flu campaign as normal this autumn, and aim to start calling patients in for their flu vaccination during the second week of October.  The target group for seasonal vaccination is the same as in previous years, so if you fall into one of the following areas, you will be invited to attend for your seasonal flu vaccine:

• All those aged 65 years and over
• ‘At Risk’ group - all those aged 6 months and over with any of the following;
• Chronic asthma
• Chronic lung disease, including bronchitis and emphysema Chronic heart, liver or kidney (renal) disease, Diabetes, Neurological disease, including stroke, vascular disease, multiple sclerosis
• Immunosuppression, including those receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or immunosuppression drugs; absence of a spleen; long-term steroid treatment
• Those living in long-stay residential care homes
• Carers (defined as a provider of essential care to a dependent person)

If you have been vaccinated against seasonal flu in previous years, or think that you fall into one of these groups, and would like to be vaccinated against seasonal flu, please contact reception to make an appointment.

Swine flu arrangements

If you fall into one of the above ‘At Risk’ categories you will also be invited to be vaccinated against swine flu. 
Please note that if you are over 65 and otherwise healthy, you are not eligible for the swine flu vaccine at this stage.

We are hoping to be inviting patients for vaccination against swine flu towards the end of October 2009.  The vaccination will be in two parts, with at least 3 weeks in between the first and second part.

It is possible to have both your seasonal flu vaccination at the same time as either the first or second part of the swine flu vaccination, although we advise that you do not delay having your seasonal flu vaccine, as we do not know when we will be receiving stocks of the vaccine.