Parents urged to book two and three-year-olds in for nasal flu vaccine

Parents and carers of children aged two and three are being urged to book them for a flu vaccine.

From Tuesday, NHS England will contact over a million parents to inform them that the nasal spray flu vaccine is available for their children.

Ahead of winter when flu cases rise, school children, pregnant women, older people, and those with health conditions will be able to receive the vaccine.

The flu vaccine is usually given to children as a quick and painless spray up the nose, without the need for injection.

Those who cannot have porcine gelatine in medical products will be offered an injection instead.

Flu, which can be serious and has led to hospitalisations, including in young children, usually peaks in December and January. People are being urged to get vaccinated before then.

In the current rollout, pregnant women, children aged two and three as of August 31, all schoolchildren, and any child in a clinical risk group are eligible for a flu vaccine.

From next month, vaccines will be rolled out to anyone aged 65 and over, those aged 18 to 65 in clinical risk groups, and those in care homes. Online bookings will open on September 23.

Others such as carers in receipt of a carer’s allowance and those who are the main carers of an elderly or disabled person can get a vaccine on the NHS, as can those who are close contacts of immunocompromised people.

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Further eligible groups include NHS workers and carers working in care homes.

Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening, described the flu vaccine as "our best defence against these winter viruses", and a measure that helps reduce pressure in hospitals over the winter period as demand increases.“The flu virus puts thousands of people in hospital each year and vaccinations help us to keep more people well so I would urge everyone eligible to book their jabs when they become available, to protect themselves and people around them,” he added.Last year, during the peak of winter flu cases, around 2,478 patients were in hospital with flu each day – 2.5 times higher than the previous year, NHS England said.

It is said Australia’s flu season – which is normally a good predictor of how seasonal viruses will play out in the English winter – has seen a big wave of Covid-19 infections alongside a rise in flu and other winter illnesses.

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