Damian Hinds MP: Getting your flu jab could save a life

Damian Hinds MP: Getting Your Flu Jab Could Save a Life

As colder months approach, posters urging flu vaccination appear in GP surgeries and pharmacies. Each year, the NHS promotes a major campaign to encourage protection against seasonal flu and, more recently, Covid-19.

These illnesses can lead to serious complications and hospital stays, increasing pressure on NHS services that are often stretched during winter.

Vaccination Rates in Hampshire

Among older adults, Hampshire’s flu vaccination rates surpass the national average, with over 65% of those aged 65 and above receiving the jab.
However, flu vaccine uptake among younger children remains below expectations.
Just under 60% of children aged two to three in Hampshire have been vaccinated, which falls short of the World Health Organization’s 75% target.

Children under five experience some of the highest hospital admission rates related to flu. Since early October, parents can have their two- and three-year-olds vaccinated at community pharmacies, a step aiming to boost vaccination numbers this year.

Importance of Vaccination

Vaccination stands as one of modern medicine’s greatest public health achievements, saving lives daily and limiting infectious disease transmission globally. The UK has been a longstanding leader in this effort.

"Measles, however, is a stark reminder that progress can be undone. Once considered eliminated in England, with no reported cases in 2018, the disease has since returned."

By 2021, England lost its ‘measles elimination status’ due to outbreaks spreading nationwide.

Author’s Summary

Regular flu vaccination, especially for children and older adults, is crucial to prevent serious illness and ease NHS burden during winter months.

Farnham Herald — 2025-11-09