23 Oct 2018
Children aged 2 and 3 are being encouraged to be ‘Flu Superheroes’ this winter and ‘fight those Flu Monsters away’ by having a FREE nasal spray to protect them against flu.
Your local NHS and St Helens 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 St Helens are being offered the free nasal flu spray vaccination from their GP.
There are five very good reasons to vaccinate your child against 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 Mike Ejuoneastse, NHS St Helens CCG Lead GP, said, “It’s really important that your child is protected against flu. Children are vulnerable to flu; they suffer all the same unpleasant symptoms as adults, so it can be really quite nasty for them.
Councillor Gill Neal, St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Better Health said, “It’s great that we’ve been able to involve local children in our flu campaign. They’re telling a story through their creativity of how the flu nasal spray can help protect against flu. We hope that this reaches out to all parents and carers of 2 and 3 year olds and encourages them to be Flu Superheroes and get their children vaccinated.”
“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.”
Contact your GP to book the FREE flu nasal spray for your 2 and 3 year olds. Children in reception and school years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 will also be offered the free flu nasal spray at school.