RENEWED efforts are being made in the North-East to encourage elderly and chronically ill people to have a free flu jab.

While take-up levels are already said to be high, there are concerns that some vulnerable people are still unprotected with a possible flu epidemic threatening.

The region has been lucky to escape a serious outbreak of flu for the past three years, but there are fears that its good fortune might not hold for another winter.

A spokeswoman for the Health Protection Agency said it was "very, very unusual" for three winters to pass without significant levels of influenza.

"We currently have more flu around than we have seen in the last few winters and it has come slightly earlier," said the spokeswoman.

Concerns had been voiced about a new, slightly different strain of the flu virus that is circulating, but the spokeswoman said the current vaccine should still give some protection.

A spokesman for the Newcastle-based Public Health Group North-East said: "Flu can be a nasty illness. We would encourage anyone in the at-risk group to go along and have their jab."

A vaccination campaign launched last month by Darlington Primary Care Trust (PCT) has been successful in reaching more than 60 per cent of people over the age of 65 and younger people living with chronic illnesses.

A campaign in the borough's nursing and care homes has seen a 90 per cent take up of the flu jab.

But with incidents of flu on the increase, more than 6,000 of Darlington's 16,000 eligible patients are being contacted again by the town's 11 GP surgeries, urging them to have the vaccination.

A spokeswoman for the Durham and Chester-le-Street, Sedgefield and Durham Dales PCTs said she wanted to echo the sentiments of her Darlington colleagues.

County Durham communicable disease specialist Dr Deb Wilson said: "You should have a flu jab if you are over 65 or if you have chronic heart or chest problems, kidney disease, diabetes or, problems with your immune system low immunity or any other serious medical condition.

"The jab is also recommended to people in residential and nursing homes. and those caring for older people.

"If you have not had the jab, you should contact your doctor's surgery."