Free flu vaccines for care staff and more younger children
Free flu vaccines are now being offered to all primary school pupils and two and three-year-old children in Wales.
By Owain ClarkeBBC Wales health correspondent The latest winter flu campaign, launched in Torfaen later, will also see staff in residential and care homes offered free vaccines. Last year saw the highest number of cases since the 2009 flu pandemic, with more than 16,600 seen by GPs. Public Health Wales said the vaccine was the "single best way to protect yourself". More than 820,000 flu vaccines were given by NHS Wales last year. Developments this year include: Last year in Wales, uptake of flu vaccine in vulnerable groups under 65 was nearly 48%, although below the target. Vaccine uptake for those aged 65 and over was 68.8% last year - the highest on record but still below the target. Health Secretary Vaughan Gething AM launched the campaign when he received his vaccination at a pharmacy in Cwmbran. Mr Gething said on take-up rates that "we can always do better". "That's not actually about me being concerned about government targets because we could better protect our public if we get more people to take up the jab," he added. He said it was about changing the culture, to take flu seriously. "Flu spreads very easily, especially among children," he said. "By extending the programme to include all primary school age children this year we hope to protect them from catching flu, and also prevent them spreading it to others in their family and in the community who may be vulnerable." Last winter was the worst for nine years, with excess mortality and 2,680 patients with confirmed flu went to hospital - 192 in intensive care. HOW DOES THE VACCINE WORK? Dr Richard Roberts, head of the vaccine preventable disease programme at Public Health Wales, said: "Vaccination against flu is the best way of preventing it. We have no alternatives really, you can try to reduce spread, you can give anti-virals when somebody becomes infected, but by far the best way is to vaccinate." He added that people with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems are more than 10 times more likely to suffer severe outcomes from influenza "and we want to see even more people protected this year". While most NHS flu vaccines are given in GP surgeries, it is also available for adults in many community pharmacies across Wales.