At Swinton pharmacy near Manchester, we provide flu vaccinations as part of this service. We hope to encourage people to get their flu vaccinations and protect themselves and those around them. We want to ensure our customers that our flu vaccinations are safe and effective. We offer flu vaccinations for people who are most at risk of getting seriously ill from the flu.

The reason people should look into getting their flu vaccinations is because while the flu is unpleasant for most people, it can be even more dangerous and even life threatening for people with certain health conditions or those who are much older.

People who want to start receiving their flu vaccinations should get them either in the autumn or early winter months.

What is the flu?

It occurs every year, and doesn’t take any time off, however, the flu occurs mostly in the winter which is why it was named seasonal flu. The flu isn’t just a little cold and a runny nose, it’s highly infectious with symptoms that come on very quickly. A bad bout of the flu can be much worse than a heavy cold.

The flu is caused by influenza that infects a person’s windpipe as well as the lung. Due to it being caused by viruses and not bacteria then antibiotics can’t help treat it.

Getting the flu can affect pretty much anyone however, if you have a long-term health condition the effects of the flu can make it worse even if the condition is well managed and you feel healthy as a horse majority of the time.  

Who’s more at risk from the effects of the flu?

Contracting the flu can affect anyone however, it’s worst-case scenario for people who suffer from long-term health conditions such as:

• Heart problems
• Breathing difficulties including bronchitis, emphysema or severe asthma
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Diabetes

Talk to your GP if you are concerned whether to have the flu vaccinations or not since he or she will be able to provide you with a better understanding of whether or not your underlying illnesses will get worse. As well as what your chances are of becoming seriously ill from the flu, if you have it. Relatively, if you are currently pregnant or aged 65 years or over or care for an individual with low immunity then receiving the flu vaccination would be beneficial. It will protect yourself and those vulnerable around you. Those who have children between the ages of six months to two years and is in a high-risk group for the flu, they will be offered the flu injection.

To prevent further harm from the flu, those more at risk of becoming seriously ill from it should receive the vaccine. When receiving the flu vaccination, it can contain some side effects. For instance, children ages between 6 months to two years receive the injection only result in having a sore arm, a slight fever and aching muscles for one or two days after they receive the vaccination.

If you have any question’s regarding our flu vaccination service, get in touch with us today for more information.