Source: Denis Campbell Health policy editor, The Guardian, Wed 17 Oct 2018.
Britain’s 5.4 million asthma sufferers are “playing Russian roulette with their life” if they do not have the flu jab before this winter, doctors are warning.
Asthmatics need to get immunised because colds and flu are the main trigger for potential fatal flare-ups of the disease, according to the charity AsthmaUK.
Most asthmatics are entitled to a flu jab free on the NHS as they are classed as a vulnerable group. But a poll has found that almost one in four people with asthma do not plan to have the jab ahead of the cold spell.
“Unfortunately there are lots of myths about the flu jab not working, causing side-effects or causing flu, and our research shows this is preventing people from getting it.”
Deaths from flu and deaths from serious breathing problems both peak during winter. Asthma claimed 1,410 lives during 2016, the last year for which full-year figures are available.
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