Thousands of school children to be offered flu vaccination

Around 46,000 school children in Doncaster will be offered a vaccination this winter in a bid to stamp out flu.

Now parents are being urged to take up the offer of protecting their child in this way.

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 will start mid mid-September.

The initiative is part of the National Flu Vaccination Programme and the vaccine is being offered to healthy children as well as those with a health condition from reception to year 11.

Janette Paine, RDaSH’s programme lead for school-age immunisations, said: “We will start delivering flu vaccines in schools across Doncaster in the next few weeks. This year, we will be offering approximately 46,000 children from reception age through to Year 11 a flu vaccine. Flu can be a very unpleasant illness in children, causing fever, extreme tiredness, aching muscles and joints, stuffy nose, dry cough, and sore throat. Complications of flu include acute bronchitis, painful ear infections and pneumonia. Having a vaccine will not only protect your child it will also reduce the chance of vulnerable adults in families getting flu.”

The nurses will also be providing community clinic sessions across Doncaster using a Health Bus for those children who miss their school sessions and for those who do not attend mainstream education.

Any parents or guardians wanting further information about the flu immunisation programme for children in Doncaster should contact the School Age Immunisation Team on 03000 211841 or 03000 211840.