GPs should invite some patients to be vaccinated against influenza

GPs are being advised to contact at risk patients and urge them to have the seasonal flu jab, the Department of Health has said.

Patients with chronic or respiratory illness, older people, and pregnant women are among the most vulnerable groups likely to get the influenza viruses associated with winter flu. Currently, the uptake of vaccination is similar to that in previous years, but the government has reinforced the need for at risk groups, such as pregnant women—of whom only 25% in 2010 have been vaccinated—to contact their GP and protect themselves against the winter flu.

The latest data published by the …