'I've never felt so ill in my life': man urges vulnerable people to get flu jab ahead of winter
ITV Wales' Katie Fenton reports from Cowbridge.
A 26-year-old man who spent 24 hours in hospital last Christmas is urging people to take their flu jabs this autumn.
Joseph Sullivan, from Cowbridge, who has type 1 diabetes and auto-immune liver disease was hospitalised with the flu in 2023 and said: "I've never felt so ill in my entire life. I would not wish it upon anyone."
Public Health Wales has launched a campaign to encourage eligible adults to come forward as soon as they have been contacted to receive their vaccination.
Over 467,000 people in Wales are said to be classed as clinically at risk and are therefore more vulnerable and more likely to be significantly impacted by the flu, according to the campaign.
Speaking to ITV Wales, Joseph recounted how he began to experience "typical" symptoms in the run up to Christmas last year, describing how he felt "too hot, too cold", "uncomfortable" and had "headaches".
Because of his fever, Joseph took a few days off from work.
He said: "By the Thursday I thought I was on the mend, but by Friday I had gone down hill massively. Because I'm type one diabetic, my blood sugars get quite tricky to manage when I'm ill, so that didn't help either. I ended up going into A&E because of how rough I was. I spent 24 hours there and received fluids. I returned home on the Saturday afternoon and then on Christmas day itself I barely left my bed.
"It took me a couple of weeks to properly recover, I think it was the start of February when I was properly over it."
Health officials are urging people like Joseph to take their flu jabs ahead of this winter to protect them from secondary infections.
He was one of nearly 2,000 people in Wales who were admitted to hospital with flu in 2023.
Last year's figures show that nearly 75% of the over 65s got the jab, however, only 39% of those younger people from vulnerable groups had a flu vaccine.
Getting the vaccine can reduce the chances of people with long-term conditions being hospitalised from flu by up to a third according to Public Health Wales.
For an individual with liver disease, the flu is 48 times more likely to be fatal, which causes concern for the 12,000 people in Wales living with the condition.
There are over 99,000 people living with diabetes in Wales. They are 6 times more likely to die from flu.
This year, all school children will be offered the flu vaccine, as well as two and three year olds, those clinically at risk, those over 65 and frontline health and social care workers.
GPs and Health Boards will contact those who are eligible with details of when and where they can be vaccinated.
Dr Christopher Johnson, Head of Public Health Wales’ Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme said: "Many people with common conditions like asthma or diabetes may not consider themselves to be clinically at risk, but flu can be serious for people with existing health conditions.
"It is well known that having a flu vaccine every year is one of the most effective ways to protect against flu. Any side effects from the vaccinations are normally mild and don’t last long."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…