Swine Flu Vaccinations for under fives to start before Christmas

Children between the ages of six months and five years will start to be vaccinated against swine flu in the run up to Christmas, Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced today.

This age group has been identified as the next priority group for the vaccine because they are more likely to be hospitalised if they fall ill with swine flu. They also have high rates of admission to critical care and, sadly, there have also been some deaths.

The decision to vaccinate this group is supported by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation – the UK's independent advisory board on vaccines.

NHS Employers has been in discussion with the British Medical Association's General Practitioners' Committee to seek a national agreement on the vaccination of this group of children through GP practices.

This has unfortunately not proved possible. Ministers have today therefore asked Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to put local plans into place to vaccinate this group.

We hope many GPs will still decide to vaccinate under fives. But where GP practices do not wish to vaccinate this group, PCTs will determine whether vaccinations will be offered through other local GP practices, their directly managed staff (e.g. health visitors, district nurses etc) or by arranging with alternative providers (e.g. community or hospital paediatric services, pharmacies etc).

Parents of children in the priority group will receive information about swine flu vaccinations as soon as these plans have been finalised.

Andy Burnham said:

“It is disappointing that we have not been able to come to a national agreement with GPs to vaccinate children from six months to five years old. But we are now getting on with the job and asking local health trusts to put local plans in place so that vaccination of these children can begin seamlessly.

“The supply of vaccine is increasing and we should therefore be able to meet the demand for vaccine and begin vaccinating children before Christmas.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank NHS staff for their exemplary efforts to put in place this vaccination programme swiftly and remind people in the priority groups for vaccination to ensure they are protected.”

Details about a communications campaign to inform the public about this next phase of vaccinations will be announced shortly.

Posted Tuesday December 8^th 2009
By Department of Health