Pros and cons of the flu jab

Doctors say asthmatics who shun the vaccination are playing ‘Russian roulette’ with their lives

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(Image credit: Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images)

Medical experts are urging the 5.4 million asthma sufferers in the UK to get the flu jab as soon as possible this winter, in a bid to avoid needless deaths.

Most asthmatics are entitled to a flu jab free on the NHS, because the condition puts them at higher risk of experiencing severe complications as a result of the influenza virus. 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”, says The Guardian.

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