BROMSGROVE residents who suffer from neurological conditions are being urged to pick up free flu jabs this winter ahead of the cold snap.

For anyone with a neurological condition, such as Parkinson's or motor neurone disease, catching the flu can cause serious problems to your health.

And with coughs, colds and flus common this time of the year, NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is advising patients to get their jabs.

Dr Richard Davies, Chair and Clinical Lead for NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG, said: "Some neurological diseases can affect your lungs, making it difficult to breath.

"If you catch flu, it can make breathing even harder and it could develop into a serious condition, such as pneumonia.

"It could mean spending time in hospital and taking a long time to recover from the effects of the treatment and the virus.

"Many people think having flu is like having a bad cold, but in reality flu is a nasty respiratory virus which can make you feel very unwell.

"Flu can cause you to develop a high temperature, so if you have a neurological condition it can make it difficult to regulate your body temperature making symptoms worse. "It can even become life threatening.

"The best protection from flu is to have a free vaccination every year before the flu season starts. It takes up to three weeks for the vaccine to develop so the sooner the better."

Anyone who suppers from stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), cerebal palsy, learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, hereditary and degenerative disease of the nervous system or muscles, or severe neurological disability is eligible for a flu vaccination.

Residents need to be vaccinated every year because the virus can change, and the previous year’s vaccine may not offer the right protection against the virus in circulation this year.

For more information contact your GP, local pharmacy or visit nhs.uk/staywell.