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25/07/2012
All UK Children To Receive Free Flu Vaccine
A new universal nasal flu vaccine will be given to all children from 2014, after experts said it could save up to 2,000 lives a year.
The scheme will see all children aged two to 17 given the vaccination through a nasal spray.
Younger children will be given the spray by their GP and schoolchildren will receive it at school.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, who advises the government on vaccination policy, argued that the flu programme should be extended to children as it could reduce the rate of infection by 40%.
Health secretary, Andrew Lansley, accepted the recommendation a Department of Health spokesman said.
The chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: "Severe winter flu and its complications can make people really ill and can kill, particularly those who are weak and frail, which is why we already offer vaccinations to the most at risk groups.
"We accept the advice of our expert committee that rolling out a wider programme could further protect children, with even a modest takeup helping to protect our most vulnerable.
"There are significant challenges to delivering a programme that requires up to 9 million children to be vaccinated during a six-week period and we will look at the recommendations in detail to decide how best to develop and deliver the programme."
(H)
The scheme will see all children aged two to 17 given the vaccination through a nasal spray.
Younger children will be given the spray by their GP and schoolchildren will receive it at school.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, who advises the government on vaccination policy, argued that the flu programme should be extended to children as it could reduce the rate of infection by 40%.
Health secretary, Andrew Lansley, accepted the recommendation a Department of Health spokesman said.
The chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: "Severe winter flu and its complications can make people really ill and can kill, particularly those who are weak and frail, which is why we already offer vaccinations to the most at risk groups.
"We accept the advice of our expert committee that rolling out a wider programme could further protect children, with even a modest takeup helping to protect our most vulnerable.
"There are significant challenges to delivering a programme that requires up to 9 million children to be vaccinated during a six-week period and we will look at the recommendations in detail to decide how best to develop and deliver the programme."
(H)
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