Six more people with flu have died in the last week, bringing the total flu deaths across Scotland this winter to 10.
At the same time last year there had been 62 deaths.
Latest figures on seasonal flu published on Thursday by Health Protection Scotland showed that in the last week 38 people with laboratory-confirmed influenza were managed in intensive care as a result of severe infection. Six of these patients died.
Across the UK a total of 50 people have now died from flu according to the Health Protection Agency.
Of these, 45 died with swine flu and five with another strain, flu type B.
The deaths are mostly among children and young adults, with five cases in the under-fives and eight cases among those aged five to 14.
Another 33 cases are in people aged 15 to 64.
The HPS report showed that there had been a decrease in the number of people attending their GP complaining of flu-like symptoms, compared to the previous week.
However, there is no let-up in the drive to encourage those at risk from flu to get themselves vaccinated.Plea to pregnant womenIn particular pregnant women are being urged to come forward for the jab, as mothers-to-be are at risk from swine flu.
The chief nursing officer and the Royal College of Midwives have written a joint letter to all midwives across Scotland, urging them to encourage pregnant women to come forward and accept the flu vaccine.
NHS Fife’s deputy director of public health, Dr Margaret Hannah, said that around 16,000 people across the region had already been vaccinated against seasonal flu, which includes protection against swine flu.
The figure represents a little under half of the region’s over-65s and younger people who have a medical condition that puts them at risk from flu.
“In Scotland as a whole, 49% of everybody at risk from flu has been vaccinated,” said Dr Hannah. “In Fife the figure is 47%.”
More than half of the pregnant women in Fife who also have a medical condition that places them at risk from flu have been vaccinated, and the region’s figure of 54% is not far below the national figure of 56%.
However, the percentage of all pregnant women vaccinated in Fife falls well below the national figure, just 21% compared to 32%.
Dr Hannah said all pregnant women had been written to and offered the seasonal flu jab, and they were given advice when attending antenatal appointments.
Overall, the number of people with flu symptoms was what could be expected during the flu season.Government ‘vigilant’In Tayside the number of eligible people in the over-65 age group is around 73,200 and around 38,400 people under 65 are in one or more of the clinical risk groups for flu.
Asked how many people had been vaccinated, an NHS Tayside spokeswoman said, “The latest uptake figures we have are as of 26 December, 2010, and show a rate of 71.4% among over-65s and 45.9% for those in clinical at-risk groups.”
Both NHS Fife and NHS Tayside reported that the health boards’ flu plans are being reviewed continually and adapted to the emerging needs of the local populations.
In addition there was close working with colleagues in schools and education departments.
The spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said, “NHS Tayside is urging parents with children in high risk groups and indeed all those who are in one of the identified risk groups to take up the offer of vaccination as soon as possible if they haven’t already done so.
“It’s not too late to call your GP and arrange a flu jab. We would particularly urge those people with respiratory conditions, pregnant women and carers to come forward for vaccination to ensure they are protected against the virus.”
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said, “The number of people consulting their GP with a flu-like illness in the last week has decreased slightly.
“These figures are consistent with what we would normally expect at this time of year and remain lower than in other parts of the UK.
“However, we remain vigilant of the possibility of an increase in the coming weeks.”