HSE West launching Flu Vaccination campaign

With winter fast looming on the horizon, HSE West is today launching its Flu Vaccination Programme, urging people in at-risk groups to get vaccinated.
The HSE estimates that over the last eight flu seasons, between 200 and 500 people in Ireland died each year from flu related illness, and up to 1000 people could die in a particularly severe flu season.
The risk was tragically highighted when there were a number of deaths at Nazareth House in Fahan in March and April of last year attributed to the flu. That cluster led to the Irish Patients’ Association stressing the importance of vaccinations for health care workers and regular visitors to nursing homes, as well as to the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
The HSE says that during the last rwo flu seasons, around 57% of people over 65 with a medical card or GP visit card received the flu vaccine, down slightly on previous years and less than the World Health Organization target of 75%.