Are you one of the 2.2%?

The UK has experienced a double-digit increase in employee flu-related absenteeism within recent years. The average number of days lost to sickness absence has been fluctuating at around 5 days per employee, a rate of 2.2%, for the past 6 years! And more shockingly, over 10,000 deaths are attributable to flu infections each year. If you were to get more info  on these statistics, you’d learn that a small part of these deaths occurred due to negligence of not possessing proper healthcare plans. So what can you do to make sure you aren’t one of these statistics? 

The government has an annual flu programme and each year thousands of people are vaccinated against the flu virus. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection. Although anyone can catch flu, certain people are at greater risk from the implications of flu as their body may not be able to fight the virus. These ‘at risk’ groups include the elderly (over 65 years), children, and those with a chronic disease. If you are ‘at risk’ you are entitled to a free flu jab. Saying all this, it is still advisable to have a vaccination even if you are ‘healthy’. Prevention is better than cure!

Here at Torpedo we are pretty clued up on flu, its impact on society, which groups are most vulnerable and how you can avoid catching it. We have worked with our client Seqirus (and previously Novartis Vaccines) for nearly 10 years on their annual flu programme. Rolled out across the UK to support and train HCPs on flu vaccine administration, as well as increase awareness amongst the general public, more than 1.6 million people have been vaccinated and 15,000 pharmacists trained to date as a result of the programme.

Here are just a selection of some of the awareness materials we created for our client for the 2016/17 flu season.

As the circulating flu viruses are constantly changing, vaccines are developed annually to protect against the latest predicted strains. Therefore, it’s important to get vaccinated each year between September – December. In preparation for the upcoming 2017/18 flu season we shall be updating all our materials again this year, so look out for our materials in your local GP surgeries and pharmacies.

When the time comes, ensure you help protect yourself and get your vaccination booked. After all, flu is too big to ignore!