FEAR of the needle may be one reason why nearly half of Hampshire's pensioners may not have received the life-saving flu jab.

Figures released by the Department of Health show that just 57.3 per cent of over 65s living in the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority area had been given the free vaccine by December.

The region has the 11th best take-up rate of England's 28 strategic health authorities, but the figures mean that 41.1 per cent of senior citizens in the county had not been innoculated against the potentially fatal bug.

But the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health Authority said that the figures were only an early indication and it was more like one in three who had not received the jab.

Chris Perry, the director of Hampshire Age Concern said a combination of a fear of the needle and not knowing about the free jab may be responsible for the low take-up.

He said: "There are three issues here, a) can the health service cope? b) are people aware of the jab? and c) some people just don't want it.

"I suspect it's a combination of the last two. The reason the government makes this free is because older people are susceptible to flu. Obviously we would encourage older people to take advantage of this free jab."

Sir Liam Donaldson, England's chief medical officer, said it was vital pensioners received annual flu jabs, especially if they suffered from serious medical conditions such as bronchitis or asthma. Department of Health officials have stressed the vaccinations will save lives if Britain is hit by a spell of freezing weather during January and February.

The best take-up rate for the jabs was in Trent where 60 per cent of pensioners were vaccinated. Flu is estimated to cause thousands of deaths each year and government ministers are desperate to avoid a repeat of recent crises in the NHS when virulent strains of the illness claimed lives unnecessarily.

The latest vaccination figures were revealed by health minister Melanie Johnson in a parliamentary written answer, just weeks after the government launched a multi-million- pound advertising campaign publicising the benefits of the jab for elderly people.