Flo and Faisal the Flu Fighters – who ‘shoo the flu away’ with their protective shields.
A little one with a snotty cold isn’t nice… but Flu can make them really poorly for much longer.
The best protection is the quick and painless nasal spray #FluVaccine available from your GP.
For more information visit: https://bit.ly/48DWdzM
#FluSnotFunny
Child flu vaccine
The children’s flu vaccine is usually given as a quick and painless spray up the nose.
If your child is aged between 6 months and 2 years and has a long-term health condition that makes them at higher risk from flu, they’ll be offered a flu vaccine injection instead of the nasal spray.
The nasal spray flu vaccine is free on the NHS for:
- children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2023 (born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2021)
- all primary school children (Reception to Year 6)
- some secondary school aged children (Year 7 to Year 11)
- children aged 2 to 17 years with certain long-term health conditions
Introduction
Flu can be an unpleasant illness for children and in some cases, they can be very unwell.
Children aged under 5 have one of the highest hospitalisation rates for flu with, last year alone, more than 6,000 under-5s in England were hospitalised and many more needed care in accident and emergency.
The NHS has provided a nasal flu vaccine to young children for some years now, but uptake has been falling. This has deteriorated further in recent years, together with other childhood vaccines, potentially due to the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic and more widespread vaccine hesitancy. Lower levels of immunity among children make flu outbreaks more likely and place vulnerable groups at greater risk.
The child flu vaccine reduces a child’s chance of needing hospital care for flu by around two-thirds and helps prevent it spreading among vulnerable family and friends.
Nationally, 2 and 3 year olds have been identified as a target group (along with clinical risk groups and pregnant women), with the aim of equalling or exceeding last year’s uptake (36% of 2 year olds and 41% of 3 year olds received the vaccine in Greater Manchester).
Last year uptake in our city region was the lowest for 5 years, falling from around half (51.5% of 2 year olds and 54.6% of 3 year olds) in 2020/21.
The proportion of children to have the vaccine is consistently lower in Greater Manchester, and the North West as a whole, than the national average. GP practices are beginning to vaccinate children to provide early protection and reduce transmission to the wider population.
A national winter vaccines campaign will launch in November. In the meantime, vaccination of children in GP practices, early years settings and schools in Greater Manchester is already underway. A campaign has been developed that will support this activity and help to increase uptake, targeting parents/carers and children.
Key messages
- Flu is a serious illness, caused by a virus, that is easily spread.
- Flu can cause a temperature, sore throat, stuffy nose, dry cough, aching muscles and extreme tiredness – no one wants to see their child so poorly. It can even result in hospital admission and cause serious problems, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
- Last year 6,000 under 5s ended up in hospital because of flu.
- The child flu vaccine reduces your child’s chance of needing hospital care for flu by around two-thirds.
- The children’s nasal spray flu vaccine is safe and effective – it offers the best defence against the flu virus for your child. It’s offered every year to children to help protect them against flu.
- No injection needed – the nasal spray is quick, painless and has an excellent safety record.
- A happy, healthy child means less disruption to everyday life – If your child gets flu, you may have to take time off work or arrange alternative childcare.
- Children can catch and spread flu easily. Vaccinating them also protects loved ones who are more vulnerable to flu, such as older relatives.
- Children aged 2-3 years can have their flu vaccine at their GP practice. Look out for a message from your GP practice inviting you to book an appointment, or call your GP Practice.
- Older children will be offered the vaccine at school. Look out for the consent form – they can only have the vaccine if you fill this in.
- Children that can’t have the nasal spray for medical or faith reasons are entitled to an injected flu vaccine, also provided free by the NHS.
