Flu can be a serious illness and the vaccine is important for all 2 to 3 year-olds to protect their health – and to reduce the spread of the virus.
A quick and painless nasal spray is available free for all pre-school children aged 2 or 3 years old (on 31st August) at their GP surgery. Parents should receive an invitation to book an appointment on their child’s behalf. Alternatively, you can contact your surgery directly.
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) is also offering the nasal flu vaccine to pre-school children at its community clinics. Parents can book online.
Children aged between 6 months and 2 years with a long-term health condition, such as diabetes, that puts them at higher risk from flu are also eligible. This includes any child that has ever been admitted overnight to hospital for a lung infection.
“Flu vaccine is the best protection we have against this unpredictable virus, so I urge parents to get any pre-school aged children protected”
KCC Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr Ellen Schwartz, said: “Flu can be a very unpleasant illness in children causing fever, extreme tiredness, aching muscles and joints, stuffy nose, dry cough, and sore throat.
“Most children are well enough to go back to nursery or school a week after getting sick with flu. However, for some it can be life-threatening.
“Flu vaccine is the best protection we have against this unpredictable virus, so I urge parents to get any pre-school aged children protected.”
Primary and secondary school students also qualify for the free nasal spray vaccine. Vaccination sessions are being held at schools during the current Autumn term. Parents will be contacted by KCHFT’s Schools Immunisation Team via schools and are urged to sign the consent form giving permission for their child to get protected.
“Protecting your child from flu also reduces the risk of them losing valuable days at school”
Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care, Dan Watkins, said: “Vaccinating not only safeguards your child’s health; it also protects vulnerable family and friends who could get very ill if they picked up the virus.
“Protecting your child from flu also reduces the risk of them losing valuable days at school and you needing to take time off to care for them.”
5 reasons for children under 5 to be protected
Here are 5 reasons from the UK Health Security Agency for why children under 5 should be protected against flu:
1. Protect your child
Children under the age of 5 years have the highest rate of hospital admissions due to flu. There were 6000 hospital admissions for flu in under 5s last winter. Vaccination cuts the risk of being hospitalised by the virus by around two-thirds. Having the nasal spray or vaccine will also help protect your child against complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and painful ear infections.
The nasal spray helps protect against flu, has been given to millions of children in the UK and worldwide and has an excellent safety record
2. Protect you, your family, and friends
We all know how quickly preschoolers can spread their germs! Vaccination will help reduce the chance of family and friends, who could be at greater risk from flu, such as grandparents or those with long term health conditions, getting flu from your child.
3. No injection needed
The nasal spray is quick, easy to administer and painless. It contains viruses that have been weakened to prevent them from causing flu but will help your child to build up immunity so they are better able to fight off flu. The vaccine is absorbed really quickly in the nose, so even if your child sneezes immediately after having had the spray, there’s no need to worry that it hasn’t worked.
4. It’s better than having flu
The nasal spray helps protect against flu, has been given to millions of children in the UK and worldwide and has an excellent safety record. In the last few years, the protection that children get from vaccination has been consistently higher than for adults. The vaccine is updated each year to match the strain of the flu virus. For this reason, we recommend that your child is vaccinated against flu again this year, even if vaccinated last year.
5. Avoid costs and time off work
Juggling a sick child and work is never fun. If your child gets flu, you may have to take time off work, or arrange alternative childcare. But when your child stays protected from preventable diseases, it means fewer missed workdays for you. The nasal spray vaccine is free on the NHS.
- Visit NHS website for more information.
- You can also talk to your practice nurse, GP, your child’s school nurse or your health visitor if you have any further questions.
