People are being urged to get their flu jabs now to give them the best chance of avoiding the illness over Christmas.

Rona Daniels, screening and immunisation lead for NHS England, West Yorkshire, said: “It takes roughly two weeks to build immunity to the flu virus after the vaccination, so to give yourself the best chance of avoiding flu at Christmas you need to be vaccinated by mid-December at the latest.

“The ‘flu jab’ is offered free of charge to individuals who have a high risk of catching flu, such as those aged 65 years or over, pregnant women and those with long term health problems.”