Every child in Lanarkshire offered flu vaccination

Every child in Lanarkshire aged 2-11 will be offered the flu vaccine from this autumn as part of a new Scottish Government immunisation programme.
Children are given the flu vaccination nasallyChildren are given the flu vaccination nasally
Children are given the flu vaccination nasally

With children two to three times more likely to be ill with flu than adults, the programme will help protect children this winter, and reduce the risk of flu being spread to others.

In Lanarkshire 16,937 children aged 2-5 and 45,964 primary school children are eligible for the vaccination in 2014/2015.

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Parents of children not yet in school should make an appointment with their GP surgery, while primary school children will have content forms sent home with them in order to be vaccinated at school.

The vaccine will be given as a nasal spray, following last year’s successful pilot where the same vaccine was safely administered to around 130,000 children in Scotland.

A small number of children whom the nasal spray is contraindicated would be given an alternative flu vaccine.

Children get the same flu symptoms as adults.

These are worse than a normal cold and include fever, chills, aching muscles, headaches and extreme tiredness.

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Complications arising from flu can include bronchitis, pneumonia, painful middle ear infection, vomiting and diarrhoea.

For children with certain medical conditions, getting flu can be even more serious as it’s likely to make their medical condition much worse.

Dr David Cromie, immunisation co-ordinator for Lanarkshire, said: “Flu can be very unpleasant for children, and in some cases it can develop into more serious health complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia and middle ear infection.

“The vaccination programme being rolled out in Lanarkshire will help protect children and stop the spread of flu viruses, which can lead to serious health problems.

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“It is a simple, pain free process which involves a small amount of the vaccine being sprayed into each nostril, which is then quickly absorbed.

“It really is the best way to protect children from flu.”

Find out more about the flu vaccine for children at immunisationscotland.org.uk/childflu or call NHS inform on 0800 22 44 88.