Woman, 63, forced to limit time outside amid 45-year high in flu cases

A woman living with a chronic illness says she has been forced to limit her time outside due to a rise in flu cases and a drop in vaccinations.

For the last ten years, Vivienne Gaynor has lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition that makes it hard to breathe.

The 63-year-old shared her story with STV News as new data showed a record number of people have died from flu in the first 14 weeks of the year – with 2025 set to reach the highest numbers of flu deaths since 1979.

Mrs Gaynor says the surge in cases has forced her to make difficult decisions about her lifestyle.

“I am more careful about where I go, what I do,” she said.

“My husband and I were just talking about it in the car because we actually cancelled our holiday, which we were going to go on in May.”

So far this year, 463 people have died of the flu in Scotland – almost double compared to the same period in 2024.

Scotland

Flu deaths in Scotland hit 45-year high as rate nearly doubles in year

Figures from Public Health Scotland revealed there were 463 deaths with flu as an underlying cause so far this year.

The number of people vaccinated this winter has dropped by a fifth, with more than 350,000 fewer jabs administered compared to last winter.

Mrs Gaynor, who is already fully vaccinated, said she’d like to see more done to ensure she can go back to enjoying her life with her loved ones.

“My husband says, ‘But you’re letting your condition ruin your life’, what I’ve got left, ‘why not live it and enjoy it?’ But it’s people not getting their jags that stops other people doing what they want,” she said.

Vivienne Gaynor and her husband cancelled their holiday amid fears over the increase in flu cases. STV News

Last year the Scottish Government removed the 50 to 65 age group from being eligible for the flu jab – something that was challenged by leading health charities.

The Government said its decision-making on the country’s vaccination programme continues to be guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

So far this year, 463 people have died of the flu in Scotland. STV News

“As noted, people with lung conditions are up to seven times more likely to die if they catch flu, so the Scottish Government would encourage them to come forward for vaccination in winter 2025,” a spokesperson for the Scottish Government said.

Joseph Carter, head of Asthma + Lung UK Scotland, said the latest statistics were “truly shocking”.

“With the worst flu seasons in recent years, we saw hospitals across Scotland at breaking point but now is the time for practical long-term solutions,” he said.

“We need to learn from this devastating winter and vaccinate far more people. Removing the 50 to 65-year-old group from being eligible for the flu jab removed almost half a million people from the list, and sent the wrong message that flu was less serious.

“We would urge the Scottish Government to offer free flu vaccines to 50 to 64-year-olds as happened in Northern Ireland this year.

“With the Respiratory Care Action Plan (RCAP) coming to an end, the Scottish Government needs to develop a new fully funded strategy to prevent, diagnose and treat people living with lung conditions like COPD and asthma.”

Public Health Scotland said: “Sadly, flu can cause serious illness and even death in some people and we are aware of the higher number of death registrations mentioning flu recorded by National Records of Scotland.

“Scotland has experienced a severe influenza season as demonstrated by a number of our surveillance metrics across 2024/2025.”

Public Health Scotland said comparing data on reported flu deaths over time is “challenging”.

This is in part because flu deaths have been underreported for many years and better testing and reporting has led to higher numbers.

“The implementation of more robust reporting systems has also contributed to current day figures being higher than has been the case in previous decades,” the health watchdog said.

“While this winter saw high levels of flu circulating, the numbers of cases infected with flu before the introduction of the national immunisation programme were much higher.

“This year’s winter vaccination programme focused on protecting those most vulnerable to flu, as well as Covid-19. We strongly urged all eligible people to take up the offer of vaccines this winter.”