Flu vaccine to be given to all UK children

In response to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's (JCVI) recommendation to extend the 'flu vaccination programme to all children, Dr Hilary Cass, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said:

'By offering the 'flu vaccine to all children, we should be able to significantly reduce the number of serious cases of 'flu - both amongst children and other members of their family.  'Flu is highly contagious and even though a healthy child is unlikely to develop complications, they could well pass on the virus to other members of the family, such as siblings or grandparents, who are more vulnerable.

'There is sometimes anxiety amongst parents when deciding whether or not have their children vaccinated - but we should reassure them that the decision to offer the 'flu vaccine widely has been made by weighing up the relative pros and cons. So we can be confident that today's proposal is in the best interest of children.'