Dear Parent / Carer,

Annual seasonal flu vaccination is now due

All children from reception to year 11 are being offered a free flu vaccination in school, as part of the national vaccination programme. Flu can be an unpleasant illness and make some people seriously ill. The flu vaccination is safe and effective. It helps to protect against seasonal flu and serious related complications, such as bronchitis, ear infections and pneumonia. It will also help to prevent the spread of flu and protect others who are vulnerable. There are two different types of vaccine available:

Nasal spray flu vaccine

Offers the best protection against flu. It is given as a spray squirted up each nostril. It's quick and painless.

For some children the nasal spray is not suitable for medical reasons. Our team will review the medical information submitted before offering the flu vaccine injection.

The nasal vaccine contains traces of a highly processed form of porcine gelatine.

 

Flu vaccine injection

The injection is given into the muscle in the upper arm, which may cause soreness.

This vaccine is offered as an alternative if the nasal spray is not suitable due to medical reasons.

This vaccine does not contain porcine gelatine.

To find out more, visit: tiny.cc/fluvaccination

For primary school age children, we will only give your child the flu vaccination if we have your consent. Please do this as soon as possible, using the instructions below. You only need to submit your decision once.

How to give consent for your child to get the flu vaccination

§ Make a note of the code for your school and visit www.leicsandrutlandimms.co.uk

§ Select Seasonal Flu and enter the school code. On the consent declaration page you can consent for either the nasal flu vaccine or the injectable flu vaccine.

§ You will receive a confirmation email when the form is submitted.

 

If you are unable to complete the form online, please call us on 0300 300 0007 or e-mail lpt.sais@nhs.net with your contact details. If you change your mind about your consent decision, please call us on the number above to change it.

Your school will let you know when the flu vaccination session will take place. The consent system will close two working day before the vaccination session. You will not be able to submit a consent form on the day.

Yours sincerely,

School Aged Immunisation Service

 

Frequently asked questions about the flu vaccine

 

My child has a health condition and normally has the vaccine from the GP.

They are also able to have the vaccination at school.

What are the side effects?

Children may develop a runny or blocked nose, headache, general tiredness and some loss of appetite.

These symptoms are much milder than developing fu or complications associated with flu. Serious side-effects are uncommon.

Why is there is new flu injection every year?

Flu viruses change every year, so flu vaccines are updated to protect against the latest strains.

Where can I read the vaccine product leaflet?

For the nasal flu vaccine, visit: www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.3296.pdf

For the injectable flu vaccine, visit: www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.12882.pdf

How can I prepare my child for the vaccination?

Watch our animation: www.healthforkids.co.uk/staying-healthy/stopping-flu

My child is scared of needles, is there any support available?

You can include this information on your consent form and our team will do the best to support.

Also, this video may help reassure young people about their vaccination experience visit: http://tiny.cc/reassurance

It says the email addresses don’t match or it doesn’t recognise the school code.

Make sure there are no spaces or punctuation before or after the email address and the school code.

What if my child is absent or unwell on the session day?

Details of any additional opportunity for a vaccination will be sent via email.

What’s the national vaccination programme?

Visit: www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations to find out more

 

 

If you would like to read the flu vaccination leaflet in another language, visit: www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-vaccination-leaflets-and-posters

English, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional, Cantonese),

Estonian, Farsi, French, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Latvian, Lithuanian, Panjabi, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese,

Romanian, Romany, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu and Yiddish.

An English large print version is available to order.

A Braille version of this leaflet is available to order.

A British Sign Language video of this leaflet is available to download.

An audio version is available to download.

 

 

 

 

Kind regards

 

School Aged Immunisation Service

Families, Young People and Children's Services and Learning Disabilities and Autism

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

Tel: 0300 3000 007

E-mail: lpt.sais@nhs.net

Website: www.leicspart.nhs.uk/service/schoolagedimms