Lorna leads drive for flu Armadale vaccination

Nov 12 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A WEST Lothian woman is urging more people to follow her example and protect themselves this winter by getting their flu jabs.

Lorna Lewis-Dale, 34, of Armadale, is supporting the Scottish Government campaign encouraging those eligible for the free seasonal flu and H1N1 swine flu vaccinations to take advantage of them.

This winter, some people who are entitled to the seasonal flu vaccination may also be offered the H1N1 swine flu vaccination.

A spokesman from the Scottish Government says it’s important that people who are offered both jabs take them to make sure they fully protect themselves.

Those eligible for the seasonal flu vaccination include people over 65 and adults and children between six months and 65 years who suffer from heart or chest problems, diabetes or other serious disease.

The H1N1 vaccination will be offered to people aged six months to 65 years with heart or chest problems, diabetes or other serious disease as well pregnant women, frontline health workers and close household contacts of people who are immunosuppressed.

Lorna was diagnosed with asthma when she was a teenager, and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis six years ago.

She now works for the MS Society Scotland, and really enjoys her job as it gives her the chance to help and support others with MS.

Lorna has had her seasonal flu jab every year since being diagnosed with asthma in her teens and she also intends to get the H1N1 swine flu vaccination

She said: “I would hate to get the flu nowadays - it would floor me. When I get ill I tend to get things ten times worse than people who don’t have MS.

“You have to take all the support you can get.”

The Scottish Government are also reminding people who got the seasonal flu vaccination last year that they will need a new flu jab this winter because the seasonal flu virus changes every year and the vaccine needs to match the latest version of the virus.

Craig Wilkie, Policy Officer at the MS Society Scotland, said: “The flu jag offers important protection against infection to people with conditions such as MS.”

Seasonal flu is responsible for the deaths of about 8000 people a year in the UK.

The seasonal flu vaccine does not contain any live viruses, so it cannot give you seasonal flu, and neither will it increase your chances of getting swine flu as a result of the vaccination.

For more information about either the seasonal flu vaccination or the H1N1 swine flu vaccination, talk to your GP, nurse or pharmacist, or visit www.infoscotland.com/flu or www.scotland.gov.uk/swineflu.