Parents and carers of children aged two and three years, and of children in a high-risk group, can make an appointment through their GP surgery.
Parents of any reception and primary school-aged children up to year 6 who missed their flu vaccination should contact their local school-aged vaccination service.
This winter the flu vaccine is also being offered to secondary school children from years 7, 8 and 9, so parents should make sure they have sent back the consent form to allow their child to get the vaccine. Young children who can get a flu vaccination also include those aged six months to 17 years with long-term health conditions.
The NHS is continuing to see the impact of viruses circulating again post-pandemic. It comes as the latest winter data shows nationally the number of flu cases in hospital has risen seven-fold in just a month.
There were 3,746 patients a day in hospital with flu at the end of December, up from 520 a day one month earlier; by comparison, at the end of December 2021 there were only 34 patients in hospital with flu. Flu admissions were highest in the 85 years-and-over and under-five-year-olds age groups by mid-December.
Dr Kev Smith, Regional Director of Public Health Commissioning at NHS North East and Yorkshire, says it’s not too late for children to get the flu vaccine.
He said: “The flu vaccine can protect young children from getting seriously ill and ending up in hospital. For most children aged two to three, it is a quick and painless spray up the nose which is administered in a GP surgery. If the nasal spray vaccine is not suitable for them, they will be offered a flu vaccine injection instead. More information can be found on the NHS website.”
