Primary school children in Bury will be among the first in the country to be offered the new nasal flu vaccine.
As just one of just seven areas to take part in a national pilot scheme which is targeted at healthy children aged 4-11 in primary schools, Bury will offer a vaccine called Fluenz.
Children who are eligible for the vaccination will receive the nasal spray instead of a traditional needle vaccination, a scheme that has been running in the US successfully for 10 years.
In the hope that the vaccine will protect children but also reduce the spread of the virus to others, 18,500 students across all primary schools in Bury will be offered Fluenz from October to January.
Councillor Rishi Shori, Bury Council’s cabinet member for health, said: “We all want to keep our children safe and this is a quick and pain-free way of protecting our families and those we love from potentially serious illness. Children get a lot of flu and they are also big transmitters of the flu virus. We estimate that this could prevent 30 deaths a year.”
The pilot scheme will test the practicalities of giving the vaccine to a large number of children in a school setting and the results will inform a planned roll-out to all children aged 2-16 next year as part of the national seasonal flu programme.
The new vaccine was approved by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
A needle-free flu vaccination is a factor the NHS thinks is beneficial to children. However the injectable flu vaccine will continue to be offered to those over the age of 65, pregnant women, adults and babies aged six months to two years with long-term medical conditions.
Diane Halton, public health service manager, praised the benefits of the pilot scheme.
She said: “Flu is highly contagious and can have serious and sometimes life-threatening consequences. This vaccine offers the best way to protect children from flu, as well as reducing the risk of spreading the virus to others.”
Bury’s campaign is being delivered to schools in Bury by IntraHealth.
Sue Daws, lead immunisation nurse at IntraHealth, said: “We are delighted to be working in Bury with the primary schools on this pilot. It gives a great opportunity to be working on the practicalities of delivering such a large and comprehensive programme.”
Parents and guardians of eligible children will receive a letter and a consent form to complete and return via schools.
Picture courtesy of USACE Europe District, with thanks.
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