Mother’s warning to the vulnerable in society

Jo Walters, 31, of Acklam, in Middlesbrough, came close to dying after contracting the H1N1 strain of the virus while heavily pregnant in 2009.

She was critically ill and doctors at The James Cook University Hospital battled for more than a month to keep her and her baby alive.

Now Ms Walters – who regrets not having the flu jab before she became ill – is urging people in at risk groups who are eligible for the free flu jab, including mothers-to-be, to make an appointment with their GP.

The flu vaccine is available from GP surgeries and is free to eligible people to keep them safe during winter.

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All those at risk are being urged by the NHS to get the vaccine now and not to wait until there is a flu outbreak this winter.

Her plea coincided with the County Durham and Teesside launch of the North-East Flu Fighter Squad.

In the next few days the squad – travelling in a specially marked NHS Flu Squad Range Rover – will be touring towns and communities in County Durham and Teesside to encourage people who are eligible to come forward and have their free flu jabs.

At each venue they will park the Range Rover in a prominent spot and then hand out hot drinks to locals and try to answer any questions they have about flu jabs.

Ms Walters, who was seven months pregnant, was taken to A&E with cold symptoms, back and chest pains and breathing difficulties.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was transferred to intensive care.

By 8pm she was on a ventilator and put into a medically induced coma as she struggled to breathe.

Ms Walters, who lives with Kevin, a 39-year-old delivery driver, and is also mother to four-year-old Joshua, pulled through and gave birth to another healthy baby boy, Thomas, now 19 months.

“I never thought this could happen to me, but it did and I wouldn’t want any women to risk going through what my family went through that winter,”

said Ms Walters.

Keith Sams, 65, from Ashfield, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, who is at risk from serious flu complications because of his age, is also urging other families – especially men – who are eligible for the flu vaccine to protect themselves from becoming ill.

“The injection doesn’t take long at all and protects you from catching flu,” the fatherof- two and grandfather said.

Dr Stewart Findlay, a GP from Bishop Auckland and the chair of Durham Dales Clinical Commissioning Group, warned that flu can kill, despite it being an entirely preventable disease.

He said: “Last winter many people were so ill with flu they needed ended up in intensive care in hospitals across the North-East. Most of these patients were under 65 and were in at risk groups, but had not taken up their free offer of the vaccine – sadly some died.

“All of this can be prevented with the free and safe annual flu jab which is available now and includes protection against the H1N1 strain which caused the swine flu pandemic in 2009 and continues to attack younger people. For this reason it is really important that all pregnant women are protected, no matter what stage of pregnancy.”

Do you need the free vaccination?

PEOPLE who need the free flu jab include:

• All pregnant women
• Anyone aged over 65
• Anyone who lives in a residential or nursing home
• Anyone over six-months with a long-term health problem such as:
• Diabetes
• A chest problem or breathing difficulties (such as asthma, bronchitis or emphysema)
• A heart problem
• kidney disease or liver disease
• A neurological condition (such as Parkinson’s or motor neurone disease)
• A problem with the spleen (such as sickle cell disease) or if the spleen has been removed
• Having suffered a stroke
• A lowered immune system due to disease (such as cystic fibrosis or Crohn’s disease) or treatment (such as cancer treatment

If you live with someone who has a lowered immune system then you may also be eligible for a free jab. If you have recently moved home or changed GP practice and are eligible for the free flu jab then you may need to check with your new practice that you are on their mailing list. This is particularly important for the main carers of older or disabled people as carers cannot be identified through medical records. If you think you are eligible for a jab contact your GP practice.