| Vaccination
and Immunisation |
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s winter approaches, your resistance levels can drop, making you
and your family more likely to contract certain illnesses. The next
three pages highlight what we are doing to help safeguard health
and what action you can take to help yourself and your family. |
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SAVING
LIVES WITH A SIMPLE JAB
The
seasonal peak in the death of people over 65 years old was significantly
reduced in 2000/2001 compared to the previous year. The greatest
number of deaths from ’flu-related conditions normally occurs
between November and March. However, in the year in question,
the number of people over 65 who died from ’flu-related conditions
in Wirral hospitals dropped by 78 in that crucial period. While
one year’s figures cannot confirm a trend, we are hopeful that
these results can be attributed to the introduction in October
2000 of our ‘Don’t Get Knocked Out by ’Flu’ vaccination campaign.
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HARD-HITTING:
Our campaign poster featured Wirral-based former heavyweight boxing
champion Earnie Shavers, in a bid to encourage as many people as
possible to be vaccinated against ’flu. |
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| In
2000, every health authority in the country was instructed by the
Government to give the ’flu vaccine to at least six out of 10 people
aged over 65 within their catchment area. In Wirral this meant more
than doubling the previous year’s rate and, in fact, we managed
to achieve a rate of 63.3%. The Government’s continuing aim is to
limit the effects of ’flu in people who are considered ‘at risk’
and to ensure that local people stay healthy. |
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| FACTS
AND FIGURES |
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most people ’flu is an unpleasant experience and an inconvenience.
It spreads rapidly and causes a high temperature, chills, muscle
pain, headache, backache and a cough. Those affected are best advised
to stay at home, rest and drink plenty of water. However, for people
in ‘at risk’ groups, ’flu is a significant cause of more serious
illness and death. Each year ’flu causes some 3,000 to 4,000 deaths
in England alone. |
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The
number of people in Wirral whose health will be ‘at risk’ include:
- 58,000
over 65-year-olds
- 20,000
under 65-year-olds with chronic chest or heart complaints or
those who take steroids regularly for asthma.
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| ’Flu
vaccines prevent or reduce the duration of the virus. They have
been shown to reduce complications and hospital admissions by as
much as 60% and deaths by around 40% – proof that immunisation works.
The 2000 campaign was the first time that the 65 to 74 age group
had been targeted; previously the NHS had concentrated on people
over 75. |
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IN
THE NEWS
We
launched a major publicity campaign targeting people over 65 as
well as other ‘at risk’ groups, based on the Department of Health’s
campaign which featured heavyweight boxing champion Sir Henry
Cooper. Our complementary strategy took the theme ‘Don’t Get Knocked
Out by ’Flu’ and was launched by Wirral-based former heavyweight
boxer Earnie Shavers. Posters and promotional material were distributed
throughout Wirral from the start of October 2000, for display
in GP surgeries, health centres, nursing homes, public buildings,
supermarkets, leisure facilities and the Wirral Multicultural
Centre. Coverage in newspapers, on television and radio was also
widespread. Our thanks go to the media for helping to get the
message across so effectively.
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THE
HIT SQUAD
Credit
is also due to GPs and primary care staff in our local primary
care organisations for achieving the national target, despite
early shortages of ’flu vaccine. We joined forces with health
organisations throughout Wirral, setting up the ’Flu Unit at Royal
Standard House to co-ordinate the vaccination programme. This
Unit, which was of a type later commended by the Department of
Health as exemplifying good practice, involved a number of GP
practice managers on secondment. They visited each practice in
the area, offering advice on how to encourage more people to take
up vaccinations and how to improve vaccination systems to cope
with increased demand. They also staffed a telephone advice line.
Time-saving initiatives instituted by the ’Flu Unit included a
co-ordinated vaccination programme at nursing homes. This meant
that all residents were vaccinated in one session by one nurse,
rather than involving visits by different nurses from the residents’
own GP practices.
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2001
CAMPAIGN
We
were delighted that a winter admissions crisis was prevented by
last year’s vaccination campaign and hope to protect even more
‘at risk’ people from ’flu in the coming winter. The Government
has already set a more ambitious target of 70% of people over
65 to be immunised in 2001 and has asked Primary Care Groups and
Primary Care Trusts to lead this year’s initiative. Lessons learned
from last year should help us to meet this target. These include
better and earlier co-ordination of the vaccination campaign,
deploying nursing staff more effectively and increasing awareness
of the benefits of ’flu vaccination.
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We invite everyone who benefited from a ’flu jab last year to come
forward again this year (immunisation is needed annually). We would
also ask those who declined to consider the very real - and potentially
life-saving - benefits, which immunisation can bring to ‘at risk’
groups. |
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