Flu Vaccination Service

Every year almost three million people in the UK are affected by seasonal influenza, more commonly referred to as 'The Flu'.

The condition can strike quite suddenly and severely, and as flu is caused by a virus and not a bacteria, it can’t be treated with antibiotics. Flu isn’t just a bad cold; at best it can be an unpleasant experience and lead to subsequent days off work, even for people who are usually healthy. It can however lead to more serious conditions such as pneumonia and result in a hospital stay. What are the symptoms and complications of the flu? Symptoms include fever, cough, muscle pain and sweating. Further complications include pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema. These conditions are more common in young babies, older people, people with an underlying disease such as asthma, pregnant women and people who have a weak immune system.

Flu in the workplace Seasonal flu is one of the main reasons for short term illness. It is highly contagious and can affect people regardless of their age. Therefore, flu vaccinations are a simple and cost-effective method of preventing employee sickness and resulting sick days, helping both employee and employer. Kennedy’s Pharmacy are offering a flu vaccination service this winter, catering for individual members of the public and local businesses wishing to provide employees with the vaccination as a preventative measure. The vaccination is a good option for those people who feel they cannot afford the time to be off sick with the flu. Flu Vaccination available on the NHS The flu vaccine is offered free of charge on the NHS to people who are at risk. This is to ensure they are protected against catching the flu and developing serious complications. The following people are eligible to receive a flu vaccine via their own GP under the NHS:

● If you are over 65 years of age

● Pregnant

● Have certain medical conditions

● Living in a care home

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● Receive a carer’s allowance or you are the main carer of a elderly or disabled person whose welfare would be at risk if you fell ill.

● A front line health and social care worker.

Flu Vaccination Service 2016 Kennedy’s Pharmacy, Rasharkin and Dunloy, is again offering customers and businesses a Flu Vaccination Service. The primary aim of this service is to treat patients who are not eligible to receive the flu vaccine under the NHS. However, we can also offer this service to patients eligible to receive the flu vaccine under the NHS, if they prefer to receive their vaccine with us instead of with their GP. although we have previously given vaccination’s to those eligible under the NHS. As a result of the continually changing nature of the flu virus, it is recommended that the vaccine is provided yearly, and this will protect individuals against the most common strains of flu that are circulating this year. The injected flu vaccine contains harmless forms of the flu virus and therefore cannot cause the flu. The vaccination costs £12; discount can be arranged with businesses who are vaccinating ten or more employees. We can arrange for our pharmacist to visit businesses to administer the vaccinations for those larger groups of people if this is more convenient. This service is available now at both our pharmacies in rasharkin and dunloy. It is important to get your flu vaccine as soon as possible so that your body is ready to fight off any infection as we come into the winter period.

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