Number of healthcare workers receiving flu jabs increases

There has been a rise in the number of frontline healthcare workers in England who had a flu vaccination between this year and last.

More than 340,000 healthcare workers in England had a flu vaccination in September and October this year, which equates to around 36.8 percent of the workforce. This is higher than the corresponding 35 percent figure from the same point in 2013.

However, flu experts are warning that more workers need to take up the vaccine, with a campaign called Flu Fighter – now in its fourth year – currently running to encourage staff to get immunised.

This initiative helped the NHS to increase frontline staff flu vaccinations from 359,080 (34.7 percent) in 2010-2011 to 534,090 (54.8 percent) by the end of last winter.

Professor Nick Phin, flu expert for Public Health England, said: "Last year's flu season was less severe than some we have seen, but flu is an unpredictable virus and it is impossible to predict the impact that the disease will have on our communities and health services this winter."

In the UK, about 600 people a year die from a complication of seasonal flu. However, this can rise to around 13,000 during an epidemic, making prevention a key healthcare priority.