Stop taking risks with flu, urges doctor

WORKERS in Newcastle need to “stop playing Russian roulette with flu”, TV’s Dr Hilary Jones has said, after nearly seven in 10 employees in the city said they would clock on even if they were still ill.

Guilt, fear of being judged and not having enough paid sick days mean 69% of Newcastle’s employees would still turn up for work even if they had the flu.

As a result, three in five (62%) workers in Newcastle say they have caught a cold at work, while 29% say they have caught the flu from colleagues who have turned up sick.

And four in ten (42%) parents in the city with kids under 16 say their children have not yet been vaccinated, according to a survey for ASDA Pharmacy by Atomik Research.

Dr Hilary Jones, a familiar face on breakfast television, said: “Brits need to stop playing Russian roulette with flu – it is an extremely serious illness and, as such needs to be taken extremely seriously.

“Going to work while still ill may seem like the noble thing to do but all it does is delay your recovery and infect those around you.

“And parents should think seriously about getting their children vaccinated – it is easy for kids to pass on flu to their grandparents, who are particularly vulnerable to the disease.”

Twenty-nine per cent of people surveyed in Newcastle said they would not have the flu jab this winter.