News from Australia is they're experiencing a bad year for the 'flu this year - and generally what happens there follows us to the UK. Coincidentally, this year's vaccination appears to be the best match for the main strain this year. And with two confirmed cases of 'flu at our hospitals recently, the planning behind the campaign seems even more important.
Our YES (You're Extra Special) campaign starts officially on Monday 2 October. Like last year, many of our colleagues will be peer immunisers, with the infection control team and occupational health also supporting vaccinations.
There will be some drop-ins for peer immunisers over the next week to collect their stickers, posters, t-shirts (if they haven't got one) and to learn more about the flu campaign:
- Fri 22nd September 10-12 Boardroom CRH
- Tue 26th September 12- 1pm Dining Room CRH
- Thurs 28th September 12-1pm Hubs HRI
Our occupational health and wellbeing lead Christine Bouckley said: "The more people we can immunise, the less risk of flu getting a grip on our teams and services, and it also reduces the likelihood of the strain drifting to another strain. The current expectation is that the vaccine is a good match for the most prevalent strains in Australia – let’s hope it stays that way!"
And this year everyone who gets a jab, will effectively be giving a jab - as we'll donate the equivalent of 10 tetanus vaccinations to Unicef. Read more about Unicef's work to eliminate neonatal and maternal tetanus on their website.
More information coming soon - and you'll can see all the common facts about 'flu here too.