Winter is here, and we still find it challenging to understand whether we’ve got the common flu or contracted the Coronavirus. The flu vaccination is here to protect you from the viruses that attack your immune system.
This article will cover everything you need to know about the flu and how to tackle it here in the UK, with Westbury Chemist. Let’s find out more about the flu and how you can protect yourself.
What is a flu vaccination?
Flu, also known as Influenza, is a set of viruses that attack your immune system during the winter season. Viruses live longer in warm and humid environments. Whilst we’re indoors, it’s easy for it to send over to other family members. It’s spread by touching objects of high use, e.g. doorknobs, handshaking and more.
The flu virus can spread in the air. It passes when you inhale from the surface of your nostrils and your eyes. During the winter flu season, it’s important to regularly wash your hands (or sanitise), wipe your face and nose with an anti-bacterial wipe.
How do you get a vaccination at Westbury Chemist?
Westbury Chemist in Streatham is currently offering flu vaccinations to people over the age of 65 and below. We offer flu vaccines from Thursdays-Saturdays from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. To get a flu vaccination appointment, walk into the chemist and arrange for the vaccination if you’re local.
The flu vaccination is free from the NHS if you’re eligible. For a private flu vaccination, you’ll need to pay when you pop into the chemist. Learn More about vaccine info.
Why should you get a winter flu jab?
Protect yourself from getting sick with the flu
There are so many reasons why you should get the flu jab. We’ll cover three core reasons why you should start considering taking the flu vaccine every year.
Taking the flu vaccination has shown a reduction of 40% when it comes to visiting the doctors during the winter period. Those who do not take the flu vaccination can get severely sick and often prove to be life-threatening.
According to an article written by Express, health officials and NHS leaders have warned that there could be 60,000 deaths alone from the winter flu this year.
Reducing the severity of illnesses
We cannot say that you will not be affected by the flu after taking the flu vaccine, but the severity of the impacts is significantly less.
A 2021 study shows a 31% lower risk of death compared to those who are not vaccinated. As people who live in the UK, England, the NHS provide free flu jabs to keep you protected, and at Westbury Chemist, we are now offering the vaccine for the flu.
Are you concerned about the side effects of the flu vaccine? Check them out here.
Lifesaving for children
Children have weaker and vulnerable immune systems compared to most adults. The flu impacts them quite heavily. Children are at higher risk of dying from the flu every year.
Protect those around you by getting yourself vaccinated. You never know who you walk past or come across; people could be vulnerable, elderly and at high risk. Protecting yourself helps protect others from dying.
Symptoms and how the vaccine can help
The flu impacts people differently and at different thresholds. Here is a comprehensive list of the symptoms you can experience from the flu.
- Fever
- cough
- runny nose
- stuffy nose
- body aches
- headaches
- vomiting
- fatigue
- sore throat
Side effects from the jab
Just as the flu symptoms can impact people differently, so does the side effects of taking the vaccine. No vaccine is ever 100% and can have different effects on people. Here is a comprehensive list of the side effects of the flu vaccine.
- High fever
- Mood and behavioural changes
- Hives
- Paleness
- Breathing difficulties
- Drowsiness
- Weakness
Some people can often experience allergic reactions to the flu vaccine too.
Pregnancies and taking the jab
In short, pregnant women can take the flu vaccination. Whilst you may be the host of taking in the vaccine, it protects the baby from any form of the flu as well. According to CDC, taking the flu vaccination whilst you’re pregnant can reduce the chances of respiratory infections by half.
The NHS recommends that any woman carrying a child take the flu vaccine, no matter the stage of their pregnancy.
Risks of not taking the flu vaccination whilst you’re pregnant
If you catch the flu whilst being pregnant, it could lead to complications at the birth of your child. Your child could be born underweight, prematurely or you could end up having a stillbirth or even death of your child.
For further information and advice on this, please contact your local GP or speak with your midwife, who can guide you in the right direction.
Who can take the winter flu vaccine?
Anyone can take the winter flu jab at this point, there are conditions for a specific type of people who cannot take the flu jab, but we will touch upon this in just a moment.
The NHS highly recommends that if you’re at risk of complications, you should take the flu jab as soon as possible. An appointment at the local pharmacy or chemist is not required, but you’re able to walk into any chemist or pharmacy that offer it for a jab.
Consult your local chemist, GP or doctor for more advice before taking the flu vaccination. Based on your health circumstances, they will advise you accordingly.
Preventing the flu
So, how can you prevent the flu and reduce the risk of spreading illnesses? Other than the vaccine, there are several ways you can avoid contracting the flu. To add a note, this is not the best alternative to getting the vaccine but other tips that can help you prevent it.
- Have a good and healthy diet with rich nutrients
- Keep a distance from people who are already sick
- Stay at home if you’re unwell
- Wash your hands regularly
Booking a flu vaccination appointment at Westbury Chemist
How often do you need to take the flu jab?
NHS doctors recommend that the flu jab be taken annually from children old as six months and up. The flu jab is there for your protection and to prevent spreading the flu virus.
Products to help you fight the flu
We all go through the motion of catching the common cold and becoming victims of irritable coughs. Those nasty ones start giving you a banging headache, and you begin to feel that the world is ending. Here are some ways to protect yourself from the flu; you don’t need to do all these things but choose the most helpful one.
Tissues
It’s flu season; tissues are essential, no doubt. It’s a good idea to keep pocket-sized tissues and tissue boxes at your desk too. Staying prepared with tissues will help you catch any sneezes and running noses before it’s all out in the open.
I can’t tell you the countless number of times I’ve seen people sneeze into the open air and wipe their noses with the palm of their hands. It’s gross!
Once you use your tissues, we recommend that you immediately find a way to dispose of them and get your hands clean. Whether you wash them or use hand gel to sanitise, take your pick but turn this into a habit.
Decongestants
Breathing in the beautiful air has become a myth. Becoming all bunged up can start to feel very uncomfortable very quickly. Decongestants can help narrow the nasal lining to help reduce the blood flow to the area. They result in reduced swelling of your nasal glands and relieve you from the irritating feeling of discomfort.
There are several types of decongestants you can use here are to name a few:
- Sudafed Mucus relief
- Sudafed Decongestant
- Lemsip Max, cold and flu
- Vicks Vaporub
- Pirinase, in my opinion, is a gem!
Balms and Hot Water Vapour
Using balms and hot water steams not only sounds like a fantastic me-time thing to do, but it’s also remarkable for decongestion.
Balms
Using balms is amazing; applying products like Vicks VapoRub helps unblock your nose. The trick here is to apply tiny Vicks just under your nose so you can keep inhaling the Vicks whilst doing your tasks. It doesn’t have to be Vicks, but this is the most popular kind! I mean, who doesn’t know about Vicks and its magical cold healing properties?
Steamer
You can use any steamer; some people even boil water in a big pot and inhale the hot steam like that. Nowadays, there is a tonne of products that are just steamers. Pop into Westbury Chemist, and we’ll gladly help you with one of these.
You load the water in, start it up, let the steam pass through, inhale from your nose, and exhale from your mouth. The steam will weaken all the clogged up mucus in your nose. Now, it’s essential to understand that mucus is there to protect your body from taking in bacteria, germs, debris and prevent it from entering the lungs.
However, an excess of this can make you feel, well, congested.
Pain Killers
Having the flu can become painful, with the shivers, headaches, body aches and temperatures. Pain killers help ease this. If you experience these symptoms listed above and it becomes intolerable, then we recommend taking painkillers. You can take Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen or even Tylenol.
Before consuming any pain killers, please consult your GP or local chemist and pharmacy.
Cough drops/sweets
When I’m unwell and have cough sweets like soothers or strepsils, this cheers me up. Maybe it’s because of the fruitful flavours. If you’ve been experiencing a bad cough and it’s drying out your throat, it’s essential to stay hydrated and try Soothers, Strepsils, Lockets, or Halls.
Fisherman’s friends are extremely helpful menthol and eucalyptus sweets. These can be a bit strong, but, in my opinion, they’re the most impactful. They can open up your nose and help you breathe properly again. You grow to love them.
Sanitiser
As we’ve learned over the last two years, hand sanitisers are essential to keeping us safe. After blowing your nose, make sure to sanitise your hands and dispose of the used tissues quickly and adequately to stop the spread of germs.
Flu vaccinations we use at Westbury Chemist
At Westbury Chemist, we provide two types of vaccinations to protect our customers.
Fluad Tetra
Protecting over 65s from the flu. Fluad Tetra contains proteins of 4 inactivated Influenza A and B virus strains.
“Every year WHO recommends which flu strains should be included in the flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season.”
Flucelvax Tetra
The Flucelvax Tetra vaccine is a vaccine used to protect children and adults from 2 years old from the flu.
The vaccines we tend to change from time to time, please see the link below to stay up to date with information. Vaccine Info
Flu vaccine allergies
Some flu vaccines contain eggs ranging from ovalbumin (55% of the protein found in egg whites) or chicken proteins. If you are experiencing any forms of allergies, please consult your doctor or chemist before taking the vaccine. They may be able to suggest alternatives.
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