The Clays Practice - The clinics and other services offered by our doctors surgery

Children’s flu vaccine
The children’s nasal spray flu vaccine is safe and effective. It’s offered every year to children to help protect them against flu.

Flu is caused by the influenza virus. It can be a very unpleasant illness for children. It can also lead to serious problems, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Children can catch and spread flu easily. Vaccinating them also protects others who are

vulnerable to flu, such as babies and older people.

Who should have the nasal spray flu vaccine

The nasal spray flu vaccine is free on the NHS for:

children aged 2 or 3 years
all primary school children (reception to year 6)
all year 7 to year 11 children in secondary school
children aged 2 to 17 years with long-term health conditions

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.

This is because the nasal spray is not licensed for children under 2 years.

The nasal spray vaccine offers the best protection for children aged 2 to 17 years. They will be offered the flu vaccine injection if the nasal spray vaccine is not suitable for them.

Children who should have the flu vaccine injection

Children with long-term health conditions

Children with long-term health conditions, such as diabetes or heart problems, are at higher risk from flu.

It’s important they’re vaccinated.

Where to have the flu vaccine

Child’s age	Where to have the flu vaccine
From 6 months until 2 years (with long-term condition)	GP surgery
From 2 and 3 years of age (but not aged 4 on 31 August 2024)	GP surgery
All children at primary school	School
Year 7 to year 11 secondary school children	School
Children in reception to year 11 (with long-term condition)	School (or GP surgery if they have missed both the original and the catch up clinics at school)
Home-schooled children (same ages as reception to year 11)	Community clinic

Home-schooled children should be invited for vaccination by the local healthcare team. If you do not hear from them, ask your child’s GP where they should go for vaccination.

Schoolchildren with a long-term health condition

You can ask the GP surgery to give the vaccine instead of having it at school if you prefer.

If your child is not in reception to year 11, ask the GP surgery to give the vaccine.

Important: What if my child is unwell on the day?

You may be asked to wait until your child is better before having the nasal spray flu vaccine if they have:

a very blocked or runny nose – these might stop the vaccine getting into their system
a high temperature

How the nasal spray flu vaccine is given

The vaccine is given as a spray squirted up each nostril. It’s quick and painless.

The vaccine will still work even if your child gets a runny nose, sneezes or blows their nose.

Your child will be given 2 doses if they’re under 9 years old and have:

a long-term health condition that means they’re more at risk from flu
never had a flu vaccine before

These doses are given 4 weeks apart.

How effective is the nasal spray flu vaccine?

The nasal spray flu vaccine gives children the best protection against flu.

It may take around 2 weeks for the flu vaccine to work.

Any children who catch flu after vaccination are less likely to be seriously ill or be admitted to hospital.

Side effects of the children’s flu vaccine

The nasal spray flu vaccine for children is very safe. Most side effects are mild and do not last long, such as:

a runny or blocked nose
a headache
tiredness
loss of appetite

If your child has the injected flu vaccine, side effects include:

a sore arm (or thigh) where the injection was given
a slightly raised temperature
aching muscles

These side effects usually last for a day or 2.

What’s in the nasal spray flu vaccine?

The nasal spray flu vaccine contains small amounts of weakened flu viruses. They do not cause flu in children.

As the main flu viruses can change each year, a new nasal spray vaccine has to be given each year.

The brand of nasal spray flu vaccine available in the UK is called Fluenz Tetra.

The nasal spray vaccine contains small traces of pork gelatine. If this is not suitable, speak to your child’s nurse or doctor about your options.

Your child may be able to have an injected vaccine instead.

You can find a full list of ingredients:

Fluenz Tetra nasal spray patient information leaflet – emc website

Information:

Find out more about the injected flu vaccine

More information and other formats

GOV.UK: flu vaccination for children: leaflets and posters (including information in alternative languages and formats)
YouTube: protecting your child from flu British Sign Language (BSL) video

If you would like to book an appointment please contact us on 01726 890370 after 11am to avoid the early morning rush.

The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to adults who:

are 65 and over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2024) will be the first patients to receive invitations
have certain health conditions
are pregnant
are in long-stay residential care
receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
live with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
are frontline health workers
are social care workers who cannot get the vaccine through an occupational health scheme at work
Starting from mid-October, people aged 50 years old or over (including those who will be 50 years old by 31 March 2024) can have a free NHS flu vaccine. This is so at-risk groups can be offered vaccination first. If you’re in this age group and have a long-term health condition that puts you at risk from flu, you do not have to wait until mid-October.

If you do not come into any of the above categories, then unfortunately you are not in any of the high risk groups so you are not immediately eligible for the flu vaccine.

Having the vaccine every flu season

If you had the flu vaccination last year, you need another one this year.

The flu viruses can change from one winter to the next. Flu vaccines are updated for each winter to give protection against the strains of flu that are most likely to be going around. For this reason, we strongly recommend that even if you were vaccinated last year, you should be vaccinated again this year.

Also, protection from flu vaccination goes down with time so even if some of the strains are the same you should have a flu vaccine again each flu season.

The vaccine should provide protection throughout the current flu season.

The causes of flu

Flu is caused by influenza viruses that infect the windpipe and lungs. And because it’s caused by viruses and not bacteria, antibiotics won’t treat it. However, if there are complications from getting flu, antibiotics may be needed.

How you catch flu

When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the flu viruses can be breathed in by other people or they can be picked up by touching surfaces where the viruses have landed. You can prevent the spread of the virus by covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze (ideally with a tissue, or else into the bend of your elbow), and you can wash your hands frequently or use hand gels to reduce the risk of picking up the virus.

But the best way to avoid catching and spreading flu is by having the vaccination before the flu season starts.

How we protect against flu

Flu is unpredictable. Flu vaccination provides the best protection. There are different strains of flu virus. The strains that are most likely to cause illness are identified in advance of the flu season. Vaccines are then made to match them as closely as possible. Even if the vaccine doesn’t perfectly match a strain it usually provides some protection against it.

The vaccines are given in the autumn ideally before flu starts circulating.

The harm flu can do

People sometimes think a bad cold is flu, but having flu can often be much worse than a cold and you may need to stay in bed for a few days. In the worst cases, flu can result in a stay in hospital, or even death.

Some people are more susceptible to the effects of flu. For them, it can increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia, or can make existing conditions worse.

Being vaccinated after having flu

If you think you’ve already had flu, you will need a vaccination as it will still help protect you. Other viruses can give you flu-like symptoms, or you may have had flu but because there is more than one type of flu virus you should still have the vaccine even if you think you’ve had flu.

People who shouldn’t have the vaccination

Almost everybody can have the vaccine, but you should not be vaccinated if you have ever had a serious allergy to the vaccine, or any of its ingredients. If you are allergic to eggs or have a condition that weakens your immune system, you may not be able to have certain types of flu vaccine – check with your GP. If you have a fever, the vaccination may be delayed until you are better.