ALL pregnant women in the Isle of Man are being offered the seasonal flu vaccination which will also protect them against swine flu.

The Department of Health offers the seasonal flu vaccination every year to people aged 65 and over and to those over six months of age who have medical conditions such as heart, lung and kidney disease.

The department said just as in previous years the vaccine offered this year also affords protection against the three most common strains of the flu virus - including Swine Flu (H1N1).

The reason the vaccine is being offered to all pregnant women is because swine flu can cause complications to pregnant women, especially those in the third trimester.

There have been several deaths in the UK and elsewhere among pregnant women as a result of swine flu.

The Department of Health offers the following advice to the public:

*If you are in the eligible category for receiving a flu vaccination, please ensure that you get vaccinated.

*The vaccine is a new vaccine and is not left over from last year. The safety of H1N1 vaccine has been shown – more than 30 million doses of the vaccine have been administered across Europe.

*The vaccine is safe and effective and does not have any major side effects.

*The vaccine does not contain any live viruses and it cannot give you the flu.

*Please do not underestimate the seriousness of the flu if you are in high risk category.  For healthy people flu is just unpleasant for one to two weeks but for those with underlying medical problems and pregnant women it could be serious requiring hospital treatment.