RESIDENTS of the Western NSW Local Health District appear to be keeping flu at arm's length, despite it starting to find its feet in NSW.
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The health district thinks the people within its boundaries are heeding advice to prevent illness through vaccination.
Carol George, clinical nurse consultant immunisations and communicable disease control, yesterday told of electronic receipt of laboratory notifications of flu.
"Although we are starting to see a rise across the state, we haven't actually seen a rise within our local health district on flu," she said.
"It's extremely encouraging... but we need to keep pushing the message that it's better to be vaccinated and prevent the flu than it is to get the illness."
Ms George said "everybody was important" when it came to vaccinations.
"But for people with medical risk factors it's more important, and for pregnant women it's extremely important to have flu vaccinations as it is for the people around them," she said.
Ms George said newborn babies were "very vulnerable" to flu and its serious side-effects.
"If you protect the pregnant mother, her antibodies will protect the baby while it's in the womb and then in the first period when it's out of the womb and extremely vulnerable," she said.
The clinical nurse consultant was spreading the vaccination message at a meeting of health district executives at Dubbo's Macquarie Inn on Friday.
She also helped out in a corner set aside for vaccinating them.