Parents are being urged to book their children the flu vaccine
Doctors have issued a stark warning that “previously very fit and well children” are becoming “very, very poorly” due to a new dangerous strain of flu. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is urging parents to ensure their children receive the flu vaccine nasal spray. This comes in response to an “urgent SOS” from the NHS, warning of a rising virus threat.
Forecasts suggest that Britain is on the brink of experiencing the worst flu season on record, given the virulence of the current strain, reports the Mirror.
Dr Helen Stewart, RCPCH officer for health improvement, warned: “This year it’s looking like a particularly bad season – rates of flu are much higher at this point than they were at this point last year. And we know that there’s been some changes to the flu virus circulating, which means that people might be more susceptible to infection. So it’s just really important that everyone gets vaccinated, because it’s looking like it’s going to be a bad year.”
Dr Stewart continued: “Unfortunately, it’s not just the elderly and people with chronic, long-term health conditions that get flu, it can make previously very fit and well children very, very poorly. Unfortunately, it can kill. Children do die every year from flu, so it is definitely not just a bad cold. The main complications that we see are pneumonia, so a severe chest infection needing breathing support, and that can tip over into sepsis and very extreme cases. I’ve seen some very, very sick children going to intensive care with flu.”
Estimates from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reveal that flu-related deaths in England rose to 7,757 last winter, a significant increase from the 3,555 recorded the previous year. The number of child deaths involving flu also saw an uptick, rising from 34 to 53.
This comes in the wake of warnings from the head of the NHS that Britain could be on the brink of its worst flu season on record this winter. Data from Australia, which is six months ahead of the UK in terms of its flu season, indicates that infections have reached their highest levels since records began in 2001. Meanwhile, schools in Japan have been forced to close due to a flu epidemic.
Both Australia and Japan have been severely impacted by the flu due to the emergence of a new strain, H3N2, which has mutated to better evade immunity provided by previous vaccines. This strain has proven to be particularly aggressive. While vaccinations still offer significant protection and often prevent serious illness, their effectiveness is less than in previous years.
Last week, Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, warned: “Australia has just endured its worst flu season on record – over 410,000 cases – and all the signs suggest the NHS will face similar challenges in the months ahead. From December through to March, our hospitals will be at capacity.”
So far this autumn, some 13.3 million flu vaccines have been administered in England. However, a significant proportion of eligible groups, such as those over 65, remain unprotected. The latest data reveals that two out of five care home residents are yet to be vaccinated.
Parents are being urged to complete their child’s vaccination consent forms to schools, or to book an appointment for 2 to 3 year olds, to ensure their child gets protected against flu ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Dr Stewart, who is one of the country’s leading emergency care doctors, said it is easy for parents to not consent to the flu spray without realising it. She said: “Embarrassingly, that happened to me last year. I missed the email [from school]. As someone who is extremely pro-vaccination, I missed the email. So it’s really easy to do for busy parents to miss that consent.”
She added: “Thousands of kids need to go to hospital because they have flu every year. We’re really keen that everybody gets flu vaccines. It’s not just it’s protecting them as well, protecting those around them – so a young child getting vaccinated could protect their elderly relatives that they come into contact with.”
Dr Stewart continued: “No parent wants to have to take their child to hospital and be sat in a busy waiting room for ages, and the more young people that we can protect and prevent from having to do that, the better.”
Looking for more from MyLondon? Subscribe to our daily newsletters here for the latest and greatest updates from across London.
