Health leaders in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) are urging parents, carers and guardians to get their children protected against flu, as the virus is already circulating in our communities.
The free flu vaccine has been available to eligible children since 1 September 2026. It is offered to:
- Children who are aged 2 or 3 years by 31 August 2026
- School-aged children (from reception to school year 11)
- Children aged 6 months to 17 years with certain long-term health conditions.
Most eligible children will be offered the nasal spray flu vaccine. Children aged between 6 months and 2 years who are eligible because of a long-term health condition will be offered an injected flu vaccine. An injectable alternative is also available for children who cannot have the nasal spray vaccine, including for medical reasons or because of concerns about animal-derived ingredients used in its manufacture. Parents and carers can discuss the available options with their GP practice or vaccination service.
Babies under 6 months cannot have the flu vaccine. Vaccination during pregnancy therefore helps protect the mother and her baby during the first months of life. Pregnant women can have the flu vaccine at any stage of pregnancy and should speak to their maternity team, GP practice or participating community pharmacy. Pregnant women should also check that they are up to date with the whooping cough and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines offered during pregnancy.
Dr Nil Sanganee, Chief Medical Officer of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and Northamptonshire Integrated Care Boards, said: “The annual flu vaccination programme helps to prevent the spread of flu in our communities especially amongst those that are most vulnerable. Ensuring your children have their flu vaccine when offered either by your GP practice, your children’s school or if you’re pregnant your midwife is one of the best ways to protect them, your wider family and community from becoming seriously unwell from the effects of the virus. For the most vulnerable in our communities contracting flu can cause serious illness such as pneumonia which could require hospital admission for treatment.
“Winter is the busiest time of the year for every part of the NHS, and we urge everyone that is eligible especially children to get vaccinated, without delay so that we can protect our emergency services and A&E departments to have greater capacity to support life threatening emergencies.”
Parents of 2–3-year-old children may have already been contacted by their GP practice, but they can also get their flu vaccine at any mobile walk-in clinic and select family hub clinics and at some community pharmacies. School-aged children will be offered the vaccine through the school-aged immunisation service (SAIS). Parents and carers need to complete the simple online consent form so that their child can receive the vaccine when the service visits each school. Parents of home-educated children will be contacted directly by the service.
Rob Howard, Leicester City Council Director of Public health, said: “People in Leicester care deeply about protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities. When children have their flu vaccination, it not only helps protect them from what can be a serious illness, it also helps reduce the spread of flu to others around them, including babies, parents, grandparents and people with long-term health conditions.
“By taking up the offer of a free flu vaccination, families can play an important role in helping to keep their loved ones and the wider community healthy this winter. I would encourage all parents and carers of eligible children to make sure they receive their vaccine as soon as possible.”
It can take up to two weeks for the body to develop its immune response following vaccination, so parents and carers are encouraged to take up the flu vaccination offer as soon as possible and not wait for winter. Protection from flu vaccination reduces over time, and the vaccine is updated each year to protect against the strains of flu expected to circulate. Eligible children should therefore be vaccinated each year, even if they have had the vaccine previously.
Our local online vaccination hub provides full information about how to book an appointment or find a walk-in clinic across LLR, where people can attend with no appointment necessary. For a full list of all the ways to get vaccinated this autumn click here: www.leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/how-to-get-your-vaccine/
Dr Sanganee concludes: “Waiting until winter sets in to get vaccinated against flu will put those with weakened immune systems more at risk from developing preventable severe illness and requiring admission into hospitals for treatment. If you are unsure if you can get vaccinated visit our website or drop in to one of our walk-in vaccination clinics and speak to our clinical vaccination team. Our teams are here to help.”
To support parents and guardians to better understand why the flu vaccine is so important to help prevent the spread of flu in our communities, the ICB has developed a range of videos in different languages to support parents to learn about the benefits of the vaccine and how they can help to offer the best possible protection from becoming seriously unwell from the virus. The videos have been developed in, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Romanian and English and can be accessed and shared via the link: https://bit.ly/LNRchildrensflu.
