MORE people who are eligible for flu vaccinations in Darlington are getting themselves immunised, figures show.

More than two in three pensioners and two in five health care workers have had flu jabs as part of an NHS immunisation programme.

Ken Ross, public health specialist for NHS County Durham and Darlington, told Darlington Borough Council’s health scrutiny committee that both were a significant improvement on previous levels.

He said the number of flu cases in the town so far this year was still low although they were expected to rise during the next few weeks. He said there did not seem to be any cases of swine flu.

Mr Ross said: “The uptake of flu vaccinations is encouraging because it gives flu less chance to circulate.”

Councillors at the meeting were concerned that more pensioners and more health workers had not taken up vaccinations.

Mr Ross said people could not be forced to take up the offer of jabs.

He added that the majority of people who were vaccinated had been done so by the start of December. GPs also made “every reasonable effort”

to contact their patients to remind them of the opportunity.

He also said rates among nursing staff were improving significantly, with many of those who work in accident and emergency the first to have jabs.

Mr Ross added: “Flu tended to affect the hidden population and the elderly and disabled.

What we have seen over the past ten years is young people coming into hospital with the effects of flu and going into intensive care.

“It has spurred nurses on and increased the perception of flu. We are set to double the uptake among staff.”

Councillor Heather Scott, Conservative spokeswoman on health in Darlington, welcomed the figures and hoped that councillors could continue to remind their voters of the flu jabs.

The figures were part of a report on the NHS Trust’s winter surge plans. Mr Ross said as a result of bad weather in recent years, the trust had come up with a number of solutions. It included buying new 4x4 vehicles which could reach patients in rural areas.

Coun Scott also urged people to carry on clearing paths of snow and said it was unlikely that doing so could result in litigation if anyone slipped.