Brrrrr, winter’s on its way and it’s about that time to start thinking about protecting you and your family from the frightful flu virus!

So, how does the flu jab work?

The flu jab is a clever little thing - the injected flu vaccine stimulates your body’s immune system to make the antibodies combat the flu virus! It can take around 10 to 14 days for your immunity to build up fully after your jab.

After your jab, if you’re exposed to the flu virus, your immune system will recognise the virus and immediately produce more antibodies to fight it!

If you’ve had a flu jab in the past – don’t think you’re protected as the antibodies that protect you from flu decline over time.

The flu jab is offered free on the NHS to:

• Adults over the age of 18 at risk of flu (including everyone aged 65 and over)
• Children aged six months to two years at risk of flu

Get your jab today at your GP surgery or your local pharmacy offering the flu jab service.

Fight off the flu – top tips:

Flu jab

Having your flu jab protects you, your family and your colleagues – remember, the flu can be more than just a cold; it can be a serious illness with potential lethal side effects. The vaccine is typically up to 70% effective depending on the strains of flu circulating each year.

Keep your hands clean

On top of your jab, keep your hands nice and clean to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, particularly after sneezing or coughing. Did you know you can pass flu on without having any symptoms? That’s why it’s so important to wash your hands regularly.

Avoid causing an outbreak in work!

If you have flu, it’s really important to protect your colleagues by staying away from work until you are better. Flu is highly infectious and outbreaks can happen quickly.