Free nasal spray vaccination for children aged 2 to 3

Date: 23 October 2018

Nasal spray

A mum is urging parents to ensure their young children have the nasal spray vaccine to protect them against flu. Lizzie Moore’s two year old daughter, Sif, was given the nasal spray vaccine at her GP practice in Cowley, Oxford in October.

Lizzie said: “I was pleased at how quick and painless the nasal spray vaccination was for Sif. The practice nurse was very reassuring and the actual procedure was over in seconds.  Sif was very proud to have had her ‘tickle medicine’, and told all her friends about it.”

Lizzie added: “The vaccine will help protect Sif against flu this winter, as I know flu can make young children very unwell. I’d really encourage other parents of two and three year olds to take them for their nasal spray flu vaccination when their GP offers it.”

This year, the vaccination is given as a nasal spray for children aged two and three at GP practices and for children aged four to nine at schools by health nurses.   

Ed Capo-Bianco, Clinical Locality Director at Oxfordshire CCG, said; “Flu can be serious for young children, so help protect them from the illness with one simple nasal spray. It is free, fast and painless. Children are also super-spreaders of the flu; by vaccinating them we can reduce the risk of transmission to older frail people and those in ‘at risk’ groups.”

Ed said: “Parents who are notified by their GP practice should take their child to the surgery to receive a free nasal spray vaccine.”

See a short video of Ed reminding ‘at risk’ people to have the flu vaccine this year below:

Notes to Editors
Other ‘at risk’ patients can have a free NHS flu vaccination – these include:
• Patients aged from six months to 65 years in clinical ‘at risk’ groups (see below)
• People aged 65 years and over
• Pregnant women
• All children aged two to nine (but not 10 years or older) on 31 August 2018 
• All other children with a health condition that puts them at greater risk from flu
• People in long-stay residential care homes
• Carers

At risk conditions:
The free flu vaccine is available to patients who have one of the following  conditions: a heart problem, a chest complaint or breathing difficulties, including bronchitis, emphysema or severe asthma, kidney disease, lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as steroid medication or cancer treatment), liver disease, had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), diabetes, neurological condition e.g. multiple sclerosis (MS), morbid obesity (BMI over 40), cerebral palsy or learning disability.

  • Summary:

    Parents told to get young children vaccinated against flu. 

  • Transformation:
  • Date:
    23 October 2018