Flu vaccinations reminder – especially for toddlers
As seasonal pressures continue to impact local NHS services people are being urged to get their flu jabs.
Steve Clapton is Head of Immunisation and Screen with the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board and said despite falling hospital admissions for flu the service was still keen to vaccinate everyone who is eligible.
“The decrease in flu cases across the region, including in Lincolnshire, is encouraging. However, there is still a significant number of cases circulating. Flu spreads particularly well indoors, and many of us spent much of the Christmas break inside, which has contributed to the ongoing transmission,” said Steve, pictured below.
Alongside simple steps like washing your hands properly and keeping rooms well ventilated, getting vaccinated is still the best way to give yourself the strongest possible protection against flu.
“In Lincolnshire, uptake of the flu vaccine continues to be strong among people aged 65 and over, but we are eager to ensure that other eligible groups—especially children and those aged over 85—are protected too.”
Children aged two or three on August 31, 2025, can get the vaccine through a nasal spray – it is quick, painless and highly effective, taking around 14 days to work according to Kerrie Linger, Assistant Locality Lead on the Vaccination Programme Team.
“One group where the numbers of vaccinations could do with being a little higher is 2-3 year-olds.
“Fortunately, as well as being easy to give, even to very young children, it is also easy to arrange for your two or three year-old to have their nasal flu vaccination. You can contact their GP surgery to book an appointment, book a free vaccination at a pharmacy online or via the NHS App or find a pharmacy that offers free NHS flu vaccinations where your child can get vaccinated without an appointment.”
“Flu can make young children and toddlers seriously unwell and getting them vaccinated is the best way to protect them. Even though we’re within the last two months of the current flu campaign and numbers of cases are steadily coming down, it is still worth getting your child vaccinated,” added Kerrie.
