The start of the colds and flu season is almost upon us, which means it's time for the estimated 16 million people in England alone who are eligible to get their free flu jab.
But despite the fact that more than 600 people died last year from the flu virus, not to mention the hundreds of people who were hospitalized, the government believes running an advertising campaign to promote awareness of free flu jabs isn't worth the bother (or could that be worth the money in these times of economic cut-backs?).
Health secretary Andrew Lansley allegedly made the decision for the second year running. But his continued refusal to run a flu jab awareness campaign has angered doctors, including senior doctors such as Dr John Middleton, who is vice-president of the Faculty of Public Health.
The problem, says Dr Middleton, is that many people who have a high risk of going down with the flu simply don't know they can get a free flu jab – and that will inevitably result in many unnecessary cases of flu as well as hospital admissions. Some people who should be vaccinated, Dr Middleton claims, may even die from complications of the virus – which is something that could be prevented if they were vaccinated.
The NHS has had a flu jab awareness campaign every autumn for some time now, though it was scrapped by Mr Lansley and his department last year. Instead, a spokesperson from the Department of Health claims it would be far better (or should that be cheaper?) if GPs invited those who they knew to have a high risk of catching flu to their surgeries for a free jab.
Doctors may well argue that's easier said than done, however, since altogether there are almost nine million elderly people, more than five million people with an existing medical condition and more than half a million pregnant women to be identified who are eliigible for the free jab.
The question is, will scrapping the advertising campaign help with budget cuts, or will the health service end up spending even more on caring for those victims of flu who may have had a jab if the campaign had been run?
Here's how we can all do our bit. If you don't know whether or not you're in a high risk group, just walk into any pharmacy and ask. If you're not eligible for a free jab, many pharmacies offer paid-for flu vaccinations – and it's not much to pay for a flu-free winter, especially if there's any possibility you'll come into contact with people who may have the virus (commuters, for instance, may be particularly susceptible).
What do you think of the government's decision to scrap the free flu jab campaign? Could it end up costing the health service even more than the amount of money it saves?
