What can I do to avoid catching seasonal flu?

Seasonal flu is highly infectious and spreads rapidly through coughs and sneezes.

To help avoid spreading germs to others and avoid picking them up, cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue after one use. wash your hands as soon as you can.

The best protection against the virus is to get the seasonal flu vaccination if you are in an 'at risk' group and invited to do so by your GP.

Anyone who suffers from a health condition, who is pregnant or who is 65 or over, should get the flu vaccine.

If you have a health condition, flu can hit you hardest. The vaccine is the safest and most effective way of protecting yourself. For the rest of us, regular hand washing and eating a balanced diet is the best plan.

The Immunisation Scotland website has lots of useful information on flu vaccination and the child immunisation programme. See: www.immunisationscotland.org.uk

AM I allowed to pick up a prescription for my elderly neighbour when it is bad weather?

You can collect a repeat prescription for a friend, or relative, from the GP surgery. You will usually be asked to confirm the name and address of the person you are collecting the prescription for.

The GP surgery is not legally required to check your identity, but it is considered good practice to check to prevent the wrong prescription being given out to a patient.

Your local pharmacy may offer a prescription collection service, which means a pharmacist will collect the prescription from the GP surgery for you. They need to be able to confirm their identity and prove they are acting on your behalf.

You can take a prescription to the pharmacy to collect someone's medication for them. If the person is registered with a Scottish GP and you are taking it to a pharmacy in Scotland, then complete part B of the prescription form (GP 10). Sign and put a cross in the box to indicate you are the patient's representative.

WHAT IS... TENNIS ELBOW?

This is a condition that results in pain around the outside of the elbow. It often occurs after strenuous overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm, near the elbow joint. It is caused by small tears in the muscles of the forearm due to overuse of the muscles or minor injury. It can also happen due to a single, forceful injury. As well as tennis it can be caused by a number of other physical activities.

The main symptom is pain and tenderness on the outside of your elbow. You may also feel pain travelling down your forearm. The pain is often worse when you use your arm and elbow, particularly for twisting movements. Repetitive wrist movements, such as wrist extension and repeated gripping, can also make the pain worse.

You should rest the affected arm as much as possible and avoid doing any activities that put more stress on the tendons.