Thousands more children eligible to get the flu vaccine this winter

Public Health England (PHE) in the West Midlands is urging parents in the region whose children have not yet been vaccinated against flu to do so before the winter flu season begins.

For the first time children in school year 4, along with children aged four and over in school years reception, 1, 2 and 3, can get their free flu vaccination, in the form of a nasal spray, in school.

The added school year means that an extra 170,000 children can benefit from protection against the flu virus this coming winter.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to flu and are most likely to spread flu to others. Vaccinating them is one of the best ways to protect them and the wider community against flu.

Children aged 2-3 are also offered the nasal spray vaccine. While it is early in the season, currently only around 14% of children in this age group have received their vaccination.

Last year, an estimated 62% of 2-4 year olds and 45% of school age children missed out on getting the vaccine. This year our ambitions are for 65% of all 2-8 year old to receive the vaccination.

Flu and complications associated with it cause 8,000 deaths on average a year in England. Around 6,000 of these are people with heart and lung disease.

Professor Paul Cosford, Director for Health Protection and Medical Director at Public Health England, said: “Vaccinating those who are most likely to get flu both protects them and offers indirect protection to the rest of the population by reducing the amount of virus circulating.

“Flu can be much more dangerous for children than many parents realise and when children get flu they tend to spread it around the whole family. The child vaccination programme is really beneficial in reducing the spread of flu to other more vulnerable family members for whom flu can be very serious.”

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: “Any child can catch flu, thousands do every year and some end up in hospital as a result. Parents should not be complacent - the single most effective way to protect your children against flu this winter is to get them vaccinated with the simple nasal spray.

"Children can be super spreaders so getting them vaccinated not only protects them but also those around them.”

The national drive to encourage eligible people to get their flu vaccination is part of Stay Well This Winter, a joint initiative Public Health England and NHS England to help the most vulnerable people prepare for winter and avoid having to visit hospital due to common winter illnesses.

The drive also aims to encourage eligible people with long term health conditions to get the vaccine. People with respiratory diseases like COPD, emphysema or asthma are seven times more likely to die if they catch flu, and people with cardiovascular problems like chronic heart disease or angina, or who have had a stroke, are 11 times more likely compared to those who don’t. The risk is far worse for those with chronic liver disease, who are 48 times more likely to die if they get flu.

Around 6.3 million people under 65 in England have a long-term health condition and are more at risk of suffering potentially fatal complications from flu. Last year, uptake amongst high risk groups increased by 3.5% amongst eligible people. This year, more people than ever (around 21 million) will be offered the vaccination.

Reducing flu transmission by children in the community can has been found to help cut the number of GP appointments and unplanned admissions for children and adults, reducing winter pressures on the NHS.

Last year, over 1,000 people were admitted to Intensive Care or High Dependency Units with confirmed flu last winter, with 133 of these cases being fatal.