Rising number of patients with flu at Black Country hospitals prompts warning to get jabbed
Patients with flu are being hospitalised in increasing numbers across the Black Country, health chiefs have warned as they are urging those eligible to take up their vaccinations.
Some patients are so poorly that they are on ventilators in critical care – particularly those with underlying health conditions who are more likely to develop complications.
For those who have diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, catching the flu puts them at an increased risk of becoming seriously ill.
Vaccinations are offered free to people with these conditions as well as families of those who are immunosuppressed.
Patients being cared for in the region have shared their experiences to raise awareness of how debilitating flu can be and to encourage people to have their vaccinations.
Patricia Bull, 82, has flu and is being treated at Walsall Manor Hospital.
The Wednesbury great grandmother said: "I have never, ever felt like this.
“Flu has completely knocked me off my feet and I never dreamt it would put me in hospital. I just think how much worse it could have been if I hadn’t had my jab this year.”
The former school cook was taken ill on Boxing Day and ended up in Walsall’s emergency department on Tuesday after becoming increasingly unwell and confused.
Her daughter Karis Deakin said: “Mum stayed with us on Christmas night following our lunch and I could hear her coughing then. But the cough got worse and for someone who is usually fit and healthy this has really affected her badly.
“She has had all of her Covid-19 and flu jabs and I’m glad she has because this could have been much worse for her. It’s already given us a shock – her being hospitalised.”
Director of nursing at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Debra Hickman, said: “Flu is so much more than feeling rotten with a cough and a cold – our patients will tell you just how serious it can be.
“Many of them would never have expected to end up in hospital with this virus but that is exactly what can happen. And for those who have not been vaccinated, the consequences can be devastating."
Director of nursing at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Lisa Carroll, added: "We have patients with underlying health conditions who have had to be ventilated in critical care because they are so seriously ill. Flu can kill people and its potential effects should never be underestimated.
“We have seen many people whose Christmas has been spoilt this year because they have become so poorly and the last thing anyone wants is to be in hospital at what is often a special time for families and friends.”
To find out more about flu vaccination and where to get it, visit nhs.uk/flujab
