PATIENTS with chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes are to be among the prime targets of this year’s flu campaign, launched today.

The over-65s are still the main target, but the Department of Health is putting greater emphasis on those with chronic conditions, for whom flu can be a serious threat.

“The flu is not a severe cold — it can be a serious illness,” said Sir Liam Donandson, the Chief Medical Officer. “If you suffer from a chronic illness like asthma or diabetes, or are 65 years or older, you are particularly at risk. This means that if you do catch flu, it is more likely to lead to a more serious illness. The flu jab is the most effective protection. That’s why our message for this year’s campaign is, ‘If you knew about flu, you ’d get the jab’.”

The campaign is being backed by Paul Scholes, the Manchester United footballer, who suffers from asthma. He said: “Staying fit and healthy is vital for me. I can’t afford to miss games. A bad bout of flu could put me out of action for at least a couple of weeks. As an asthmatic, I have to be particularly careful because the likelihood of flu developing into a more serious illness is much higher. I’ll be getting my jab this year and I’d urge anyone with asthma who is worried about coming down with the flu to have the jab.”

This year’s vaccine has, as usual, three strains of the virus to provide protection against what experts believe are those likeliest to cause problems. In a change from last year’s vaccine, the Panama strain of the H3N2 flu virus has been replaced by the related Fujian strain, also H3N2, which caused most cases last year. The other two strains are New Caledonia (H1N1) and Shanghai, a strain of influenza B. No attempt has been made to protect against avian flu — no vaccine exists and it is not yet considered a worldwide threat.

Donna Covey, chief executive of Asthma UK, said that 4.3 million people in England had asthma and, for many, flu could be a major concern. “We would recommend that anyone who has asthma should discuss with their GP the possibility of having a flu jab,” she said.

Simon O’Neill, director of research and care at Diabetes UK, added: “Flu can really upset the control of your diabetes, causing your blood glucose levels to fluctuate. People with diabetes are a high-risk group and by not getting the jab they are leaving themselves open to the threat of health problems. There is also an increased risk from complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis.”

In future, young children and pregnant women may become the focus of attention. A recent study in the British Journal of General Practice showed that flu transmission in families could be cut by a third if children were vaccinated.

The problem would be to persuade mothers to take their children back year after a year for their jabs, so a longer-lasting vaccination would be desirable. But flu’s variability from year to year makes this problematic.

Douglas Fleming, director of the Royal College of GPs’ Birmingham Flu Research Unit, urged further research into the vaccination of young children and pregnant women. “In the US, pregnant women are also included in the vaccine target group,” he said. “Vaccination is recommended for people over 50 and there is increasing interest in the vaccination of young children. These are areas that call for further research.”

Dr Fleming was unwilling to say if the UK would face a bad outbreak of flu this winter. The past three years have all been relatively easy. “Flu is highly variable from one winter to the next, both in its appearance and impact,” Dr Fleming said.

The DoH is also launching a “Keep warm, keep well” campaign to encourage older people to take steps to avoid cold-related illnesses during the winter. More information on the vaccination programme is available at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or by calling NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

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