As we head into autumn, this is the time to start booking your flu jab to protect yourself against one of the nastiest seasonal illnesses.

Some people are eligible for a free flu vaccination, but even if you have to get a private jab at your local pharmacy, many people think it is worth it to reduce the risk of contracting the nasty infection.

Here are some of the reasons why you should get a flu vaccination, if you can.

You are eligible for a free jab

Those who are over the age of 65, have some long-term health conditions, live in a care home, live with someone who has a weakened immune system, is a frontline health and social care worker, is the main carer for an older or disabled person, is pregnant, or between the ages of two and 16 will be able to receive the flu jab for free.

This is because they are more at risk of becoming seriously ill from getting the flu. Among the complications that can occur, particularly among vulnerable people, are pneumonia; inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle tissues; and failure of multiple organs at once.

It can even lead to sepsis, which is an extreme reaction to an infection and can be life-threatening. In trying to respond to the infection, the body begins to damage itself, with symptoms including severe breathlessness, disorientation, a high or very low temperature, loss of consciousness or fast breathing.

Gives milder symptoms of the flu

Whether you are eligible or not for a free jab, people opt for the flu vaccination as it reduces their chance of becoming ill or, at least, gives them milder symptoms if they do get it.

Though flu does not always make patients seriously ill, it does have some unpleasant symptoms. These include fever, an aching body, exhaustion, headaches, cough, sore throat, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, tummy pain, nausea or vomiting, and difficulty sleeping.

The difference between a common cold and the flu is it affects more parts of the body than simply the nose and throat, and you do not feel well enough to carry on with your daily activities.

Many people, particularly those who are busy or have family to look after, are not able to take time to recover when they get ill, so want to avoid feeling really poorly if they can help it.

Even if they do contract the flu, vaccinations can reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor for help by up to 60 per cent, as the symptoms can be managed at home.

Indeed, vaccinated patients who had been hospitalised had a 26 per cent lower risk of being admitted into an intensive care unit and a 31 per cent reduced risk of death than those who had not received the jab.

The vaccination is so effective that in 2019-2020, it is thought to have prevented 7,000 deaths and 100,000 hospitalisations around the world.

Slows down the spread of the flu

Not only does the vaccination protect the patient and those closest to them from getting ill, it also helps to slow down the spread of the flu.

Subsequently, the more people who are immunised against the virus, the fewer people will come into contact with it and become ill. Without vaccinations, however, it can spread rapidly, putting those particularly at risk of complications in danger.

Protects newborn babies

If there are lower incidences of the flu in public, this means there is lower risk to newborn babies, who would, otherwise, be extremely vulnerable to the illness.

Pregnant mothers are also encouraged to get the vaccination as this protects their babies during the first few months of their life, at a time when they are too young to be vaccinated themselves.

In fact, a recent study showed it can reduce the risk of flu in babies younger than three months’ old by as much as a half.