Hi there! I’m a local nurse working with communities to educate people about vaccinations and I also run vaccination clinics for flu and COVID-19.

I want to talk to you about something really important – getting your flu jab this year, to boost your immunity.

Every winter, lots of people get the flu. The flu can make you feel very unwell, and sometimes, it can be dangerous. That’s why the NHS gives a free flu vaccination to children, people over 65, pregnant women, and those with certain health problems.

It’s really important to keep getting your flu jab every year, especially if you’re at higher risk (like children, pregnant women, or older people).

But guess what? Not everyone who should get the flu vaccination actually has it.

Holly runs flu and COVID-19 vaccination clinics all across Dorset, and particularly focuses on making sure the access to vaccinations is equal and fair. She works for NHS Dorset HealthCare.

The flu jab is safe

The flu vaccination makes your immune system stronger. The vaccination doesn’t have any live flu virus in it, so it can’t make you sick with the flu. However, it takes about 7 to 14 days for the jab to fully protect you.

If you catch the flu during this time, or just before, you might still get sick. But that doesn’t mean the jab didn’t work – it just means the flu got to you before your body was ready to fight it.

This is why it’s important to have your flu vaccination on time, so you are protected.

Why the flu vaccination is so important

Flu can be very serious. Every year, it kills up to half a million people around the world, and sometimes even more if there’s a flu pandemic. That’s why we need to protect ourselves with the vaccination.

The flu virus changes all the time. This makes it tricky for doctors and scientists to choose the right vaccine every year. But the flu jab helps your body’s immune system learn how to fight the virus by training it to spot certain proteins on the virus.

Why do we need a new flu jab every year?

The flu virus is clever. It changes its proteins all the time, and sometimes our immune system can’t spot the new version. This is why scientists have to keep making new vaccines to protect us from the latest version of the virus.

Even though the flu jab might not be 100% perfect, it still gives you protection – and this can stop it becoming fatal or leading to complications such as pneumonia.

Listen to your GP

If your GP says you need the flu jab, make sure you get it. It helps protect you, and the people around you, from getting very sick. And remember – it can’t give you the flu.

There’s lots of ways to get the vaccination, and you can have it at the same time as your COVID-19 vaccination too.

If you can have the vaccination you will be contacted by the NHS.

You can have it at your general practice surgery, at your local pharmacy or at a walk in clinic with nurses like me!

Stay healthy this winter

Visit the Stay Well Dorset vaccinations page to find out more about all the vaccinations and when you can have them.