Five reasons to protect your toddler from flu

20th September 2018

With flu season approaching, your local NHS and Stockport Council want to encourage parents to book their 2 and 3 year olds in with their GP for their nasal flu vaccination.

This year all 2 and 3-year-olds in Stockport are being offered the free nasal flu spray vaccination from their GP.

There are five very good reasons to vaccinate your children against the flu

• The nasal spray helps protect against flu, has been given to millions of children worldwide and has an excellent safety record
• The nasal spray is painless and easy to have
• Flu can be really serious, especially for children with medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes
• If your child gets flu you may have to take time off to look after them
• 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 Cath Briggs, Stockport’s lead GP said: “It’s really important that your child is protected against flu. This is primarily because children are quite vulnerable to flu. They suffer all the same unpleasant symptoms that we as adults do so it’s really quite nasty for them.

“But also small children are what we call super-spreaders of flu. If they catch it, they pass it on very easily to all other family members – that’s brothers and sisters, grandparents, everyone. By protecting your young children, you’re also protecting the rest of your family. 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 nasal flu vaccination for your 2 & 3 Year olds. Children in school years Reception and Years 1 to 5 will receive their vaccine at school.