Way back in the 1930s, Hollywood
film makers came to realise that moviegoers needed to see advertisements for the
studio’s films a whole seven times, before they would decide to buy a ticket
and go to the cinema. The Rule of 7, as the idea became known, was quickly taken
up by advertisers and marketing companies. I’m not sure if the rule still
applies today, but for the purposes of this week’s blog, I’m going to assume it
does.
I’m on a campaign to persuade
everyone to get their flu jab asap. So, I’m taking every opportunity to remind,
persuade, and challenge people, to get their flu jab. There are very good
reasons for doing so. The ‘flu season’ in the UK has already started,
and it has started in a big way. Every day last week there were nearly 1,800 people
struggling with influenza in acute hospital beds, 69 of whom were in critical care
units.
According to NHS England (NHSE), this
is 56% higher than the same week last year and ten times higher than two years
ago. The NHSE Chief Executive, Sir Jim Mackey, noted last week that this number
could easily quadruple in the coming weeks. People need to get their flu jab,
in order to reduce the risk of becoming one of these patients in hospital.
Last Christmas, Steve spent 19
days in a coma after catching flu. He spent 52 days in hospital and has not
been able to return to work since due to the long-term consequences of his
illness. Like other healthcare workers he was entitled to a free flu
vaccination. He chose not to have one, believing himself to be a fit and
healthy individual. There were nine to ten days where it was uncertain as to whether
Steve would survive, or not. If Steve’s experience doesn’t persuade you to get
your flu vaccination, last year there were 7,800 deaths from flu. That is more
than double the 3,600 deaths in 2023-2024.
Getting a flu vaccination is the best
way to protect yourself. For healthcare professionals like Steve, it not only protects
the individual, but the patients they care for. Paradoxically, over the last
few years healthcare professionals have for various reasons, been reluctant to
get a flu vaccination. This year we have access to more robust data on the uptake
of flu vaccinations by healthcare colleagues. The national average uptake level
currently stands at just under 40%. The best (Harrogate and District NHS FT
and Norfolk and Norwich NHS FT) have both achieved a 61% uptake. Well done
to both organisations!
There are other compelling reasons
for folk to get their flu vaccination; that is the current state of urgent and
emergency care services. A&E departments are already experiencing increased
demand. Whilst a third of all people who pitch up have no need for emergency
care*, nationally, A&E departments are becoming increasingly busy, as health
problems associated with winter begin to rise. They are not great places to be,
if you don’t need to be there. Helpfully, last week, NHS England posted a great
short film on YouTube entitled ’24 Hours Not in A&E’ to try
and help folk get help for common health problems rather than pitch up at an
A&E department. Getting a flu vaccination will also help you avoid an
A&E department attendance for flu.
Finally, this year’s flu
mutation, H3N2, is said by the World Influenza Centre to be more
infectious and leading to more severe illness and hospital admissions than
previous flu viruses. It’s been described as a ‘nastier’ virus than those
previously experienced. China is a few weeks ahead of the UK with its flu
season. The H3N2 flu virus is already beginning to cause China hospital and
other health care services to become overwhelmed. So please, please, if you
haven’t already done so, get your flu vaccination as soon as you can. Let’s try
and keep each other healthy and safe.
* I was astounded to discover that
there were over 200,000 A&E attendances this time last year for non- emergency
conditions which could easily have been sorted elsewhere. These included almost
9,000 attendances for itchy skin and nearly 97,000 for a sore throat.