Five great reasons to protect your toddler from flu

19th October 2017

With the half-term break coming up, parents are being urged to book their 2 & 3 year olds in with their GP for their nasal flu vaccination.

This year all 2 and 3-year-olds are being offered the free vaccination from their GP as part of a rolling programme that will eventually see all children protected against flu.

Here are five excellent reasons to vaccinate your child against the flu:
1. The nasal spray helps protect against flu, has been given to millions of children worldwide and has an excellent safety record
2. The nasal spray is painless and easy to have
3. Flu can be really serious, especially for children with medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes
4. If your child gets flu you may have to take time off to look after them
5. Protecting your child can stop flu spreading to other children and the family, especially babies and grandparents, who may be at higher risk from flu

Dr Ranjit Gill, a local GP and NHS Stockport CCG’s Chief Clinical Officer, urged parents to get their children vaccinated: “You really do not want your little one to catch flu. It can be an unpleasant enough illness for a healthy adult to get but remember children suffer all the same symptoms as us so it is particularly nasty for them.

“In some cases it also leads to serious complications that are life threatening, so it makes no sense not to protect them. Please book your child in now if you’ve not already done so.”

Councillor Tom McGee, Stockport Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, added: “The flu vaccine helps protect against the strains of flu that are likely to circulate this year and which could be different from last year.

“For this reason we urge you to ensure that your child gets the nasal flu vaccination even if they were vaccinated last year.”

Contact your GP today to book the vaccination for your 2 & 3 year olds.

For further info see https://www.nhs.uk/staywell/parent-of-a-2-or-3-year-old#sdCJssqkyJAHyy8p.97