More than a quarter of Scots unsure if they need flu vaccination

● Charity wants to bust vaccine myths being spread on social media

Over a quarter of Scots are unsure if they need to get a flu vaccination and one in ten believe the flu vaccination will give them flu, a poll has found.

The poll, which was commissioned by the British Lung Foundation and carried out by Censuswide, surveyed 1,165 people across Scotland on their attitudes towards the flu vaccination.

The survey found that 28 per cent of respondents said they were unsure whether they needed to get the flu vaccine and 25 per cent of respondents said they were unsure if they were entitled to a free flu vaccination.

The survey also asked respondents to indicate which common myths around the flu vaccination they believed to be true.

While the survey found that almost 40 per cent of respondents did not believe any of the myths presented to them, 10 per cent believed that having the flu vaccination would give them flu and 8 per cent believed that you only needed to get the flu vaccination once to get protection from flu.

The British Lung Foundation is encouraging more people with long-term medical conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), to get vaccinated for flu. Health Protection Scotland figures show that only 45 per cent of people with chronic lung conditions took up the offer of a free flu vaccination – well below the EU target of 75 per cent vaccination coverage.

Joseph Carter, head of the British Lung Foundation Scotland, said: “These figures show that we have to work even harder to bust some of the myths around the flu vaccination. Anti-vaccine myths, especially when amplified across social media, are highly damaging to public health and we need to do everything we can to stop them spreading. We have a lot of work to do to ensure that those most at risk, but especially those with lung conditions, take up the offer of a free flu vaccination at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Nuala Healy, organisational lead for screening and immunisation at NHS Health Scotland, added: “Getting the flu vaccine only takes a few minutes, but helps to provide protection from flu for those living with health conditions like lung, heart or breathing problems who are especially at risk – even if they seem fit and well.

“The vaccine doesn’t give you flu – in fact, it’s the safest, most effective way to help protect yourself.”