4 million toddlers in Britain to be offered flu vaccine

The biggest ever flu vaccine program for children in England was announced Wednesday.

Public Health England (PHE) is to extend its annual flu program to include children in year 3, helping to protect millions of people most at risk.

To coincide with the extended program PHE and NHS England are mounting a major campaign to help children and the vulnerable stay well over the winter months.

PHE said the Stay Well This Winter campaign launches Wednesday with the biggest ever flu vaccination program in England for children. This year the program is being extended to those in school year 3, offering more than 4 million children protection against flu, around 600,000 more than last year.

As well as offering protection to children aged 2 to 7 years, PHE say it will help reduce the spread of flu to the most vulnerable in the community, particularly younger children, the elderly and those with long-term conditions.

Building on the success of last year, children aged 2, 3 and 4 can now get the vaccination from their GP. The school vaccination program gets underway later this week, with parents of younger children in primary schools, asked permission for their child to get the free nasal spray vaccination at school. The program will be extended gradually to older age groups in primary school in future years.

A PHE spokesman said: "Children are most likely to spread flu to others, so targeting them helps protect the wider community too. "

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: "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."

(APD)