Around 57,000 school children across Doncaster, North Lincolnshire and Bassetlaw will be offered a free vaccination this winter in school or community clinics in a bid to reduce the incidence of flu in our communities.
The National Healthy Child Flu Vaccination programme is now in its 6th year and the vaccine is being offered to all children from reception to Year 7. Evidence indicates that the flu vaccine has been effective at reducing flu within these age groups, which then reduces the spread of infection across the community.
Parents are once again being urged to take up the offer of protecting their child.
The vaccinations, which are given via a nasal spray, will be carried out by nurses who work for Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH), and have just started (October).
Sarah Thompson, RDaSH’s vaccination team clinical lead, said: “Flu is often a very unpleasant illness in children and some can develop serious complications. The nasal spray is painless and easy for children to have. It is proving to be very effective at reducing the incidence of flu in our community. By offering the flu vaccination to as many children as possible, we help to protect both children and their families in time for winter. It is particularly important this year with Covid-19 still circulating as people who are most at risk from flu infection are also at higher risk of complications from Covid-19”
Any parents or guardians wanting further information about the flu immunisation programme for children in these areas should contact the team on 01302 566776.