More than 40,000 people across Bradford will receive invitations from health bosses urging them to book in for flu jabs.

Dr Suzanna Matthew, Bradford and Airedale's consultant in communicable disease control, is writing to the over-65s on behalf of their family doctor.

The letter asks them to book an appointment with their doctor to have a flu jab.

A further 35,000 people throughout the district will receive information directly from their own family doctor.

The plea comes as elderly and vulnerable people will have to wait longer for their flu jab because stocks of the vaccine have been delayed. The jab is usually given to high-risk groups first, including over-65s, people with respiratory problems and those with chronic conditions like diabetes.

Earlier this year, manufacturers were forced to grow a new flu strain for the vaccine after the initial strain failed to grow.

This has resulted in delayed deliveries to GPs, and the Department of Health has warned some surgeries will have to share their stocks.

A spokesman for Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust said: "While the overall national picture is more positive than we had first thought, the initial delay in production means that delivery of the vaccine to GPs will be spread over a longer period.

"So that clinics can be planned and run effectively, we have ensured GPs in Bradford and Airedale have worked closely with their suppliers so they know when stocks of the flu jab will be available and when they can expect delivery. The lessons we have learned while planning the flu campaign over the last five years are also informing our plans. As a result, clinic sessions are being planned around the availability of the vaccine."

The Department of Health has said there should be enough doses in the long-term but some patients will have to wait until December.

Dr Lorna Layward, research manager at Help the Aged, said: "If an older person develops flu before they get their jab, the consequences could be life-threatening.

"The Government needs to act urgently to ensure that the most vulnerable people get their vaccinations early."

This is the sixth time the flu campaign has run in Bradford and last year more than 70 per cent of people over 65 came forward for the jab.

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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