Vaccinate against flu

New government reforms aim to increase levels of immunisation in children.

IT MAY still be a few months before the colder weather brings the return of flu season but Clarence Valley residents are already being urged to consider getting a flu shot this year to protect themselves and others from the potentially dangerous virus.

North Coast Area Director of Public Health Paul Corben said it was too early to tell what kind of a flu season was in store for the Northern Rivers but said 585 cases of the virus were reported on the North Coast last year, which was well above average. He said it was possible the North Coast could see similar numbers this year and urged people to be proactive and get vaccinated.

"It's a good idea, particularly if you've got an underlying chronic illness or if you work in a high-risk setting where you're exposed to a lot of people who are coughing and spluttering," Mr Corben said.

Mr Corben said the vaccine targeting the strains of influenza virus likely to be prevalent this season would be available from local GPs in March.

Mr Corben said there were also extra benefits to be vaccinated apart from being individually protected - he said if enough people in the community were immunised it resulted in a "herd immunity", where the virus lacked enough potential hosts to effectively spread around a local population.

According to the NSW Ministry of Health, influenza was usually marked by symptoms similar to the common cold like coughing, sore throat and a runny nose but also usually included fever and chills, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue and occasionally nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Mr Corben said anyone infected with the virus should limit their contact with other people and practise good personal hygiene including hand-washing, covering their mouth when coughing and using tissues to help stop the spread of the virus.