All primary and secondary school-aged children in England will be offered a free flu vaccine from September for the 2023 to 2024 season, alongside younger children aged two and three years old.
Earlier this year the Government announced that all primary school children and infants aged two and three years old will be offered the flu vaccine. Now it has been confirmed that the programme will expand to pupils in secondary school years 7 to 11, who will be offered the vaccine as a nasal spray through their school’s vaccination programme from Friday 1 September.
It means that pupils receiving the vaccine will have direct protection from the flu. More vulnerable groups will also be indirectly protected by reducing the spread of the virus.
Anyone eligible for the flu vaccine is encouraged to take up the offer from September before the flu season begins, to give themselves the best possible protection in winter and reduce the spread of the virus.