Get your flu jab at Lloyds Pharmacy

With the flu season upon us I’m heading to my local Lloyds Pharmacy this week to get my jab as every parent knows you have more chances of catching bugs when you have children in school. I have been having the flu jab ever since I had a whooping cough when pregnant with Jelly Bean and Hubby has since he caught whooping cough which turned to acute pneumonia because feeling poorly is bad enough as it is without having to take care of small children too.

Flu Nasal Vaccination for Children

According to the news all children aged 2, 3 and 4 are entitled to receive the flu nasal vaccination but we haven’t had contact from our GP yet for Beanie Boy so perhaps it’s time to give them a call.

Lloyds Pharmacy released some new research in October which discovered that 58% of the UK adult population are willing to put themselves and others at risk of flu this winter, with 37% believing that there is no need for people in low-risk groups to be vaccinated and yet 48% said they would get the Flu Jab if it meant they were protecting those around them.

Did you know:

• that one person with the flu can infect 16,500 people in just two weeks? That’s enough to fill 189 double decker buses!
• you are contagious for approximately 40 hours before you show any signs of symptoms
• each time a person sneezes they can spread hundreds of thousands of viruses
• only 30-50 viruses need to enter the respiratory system to give a 50/50 chance of catching flu

Top Tips to stay healthy this winter

• Good hygiene – wash hands with soap and hot water regularly
• Cover your mouth with a tissue (not hanky) if you cough or sneeze and dispose of the tissue then wash your hands
• If you work in an office you need to regularly clean your surfaces such as phones, keyboards and door handles
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet to boost your immune system for protection
• Get a good night’s sleep as you are more likely to catch colds and flu if you are tired and run down
• Have the flu vaccine to protect you and those around you

• The LloydsPharmacy flu service launches on 1^st October in 750 stores nationwide. LloydsPharmacy is offering the vaccinations for £12.
• LloydsPharmacy is offering a free flu vaccination, funded by the NHS, to people in the following high risk categories – this is available in selected LloydsPharmacy stores

* High-risk categories are (note this varies dependent on local pharmaceutical committee (LPC) guidelines):

• You’re over 65
• You have asthma or lung disease
• You have chronic heart disease
• You’re diabetic
• You have a chronic kidney condition
• You have a chronic liver condition
• You’ve had a stroke
• You have an illness or are taking medicines that lower your natural defences

• LloydsPharmacy is offering businesses across the UK the opportunity to provide flu vaccinations to their employees. Employers are able to pre-order the preferred number of vaccines, which are redeemed by employees with either a pre-paid voucher at any of the vaccinating LloydsPharmacy branches across the UK or at a flu clinic run within the employer’s premises, between 1^st October and 31^st December.
• The consumer survey was carried out by Censuswide between 8^th and 12^th September 2014 and surveyed a sample of 2000+ non-vulnerable adults, 16 – 65, who were not eligible to receive the vaccine for free
• LloydsPharmacy has over 1500 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 150 million prescription items annually.

DISCLAIMER: I have been offered a complimentary flu vaccine for publishing this post. I WILL be having my vaccine this week.