Wandsworths elderly population are being urged to take up offers of free flu vaccinations as winter approaches, in order to avoid the epidemics of previous years.
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth (MSW) Health Authority is warning flu can have serious consequences in those over the age of 65.
And it says this winter could be the worst, because of a slight reprieve last year.
The authority will be keen to avoid a repeat of past winters, where resources were stretched to breaking point with a deluge of patients putting pressure on services.
GPs are offering the free jabs in a bid to keep the population on its feet before the onset of flu season.
It takes between 10 and 21 days for the body to produce enough antibodies to fight a bout of flu.
MSW public health consultant Dr Emma Robinson said: It is vital people in these vulnerable groups come forward and get their jabs.
It is the best protection we have against an illness that delivers a huge blow to the NHS as a whole.
Professor John Oxford, Britains leading flu expert and virologist at Queen Marys School of Medicine, said Britain is most likely to be affected this year by the more serious types of flu, called New Caledonia or Moscow strains.
Other groups considered most at risk from flu are those who have suffered from chronic heart or chest disease, including asthma, those with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, a lowered immune system or those in long-stay residential care.
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