NHS South West call for infants to get flu jabs - after Bristol boy sent to intensive care
Two parents from Bristol have been sharing their story - after their two-year-old became sick from contracting the flu
In the South West, there are concerns not enough 2 to 3-year-olds have yet been given the flu vaccine.
According to the latest data (between 14 and 20 November) by the UKHSA, hospitalisation rates for the flu are the highest in the under-5s, with flu vaccine uptake for those eligible among the lowest between 2 and 3 years old.
Across this age group, that means hospitals have seen a 70% increase in admissions - rising to 7.34 per 100,000, up from 4.31 in the previous week.
That's the third week running rates across the under 5s have gone up, with well over 200 now in hospital with the flu virus - based on confirmed cases in NHS acute hospitals with serious cases caused by the infection.
Now, UKHSA South West is warning parents of the importance of ensuring their young children are vaccinated.
The uptake of the flu vaccine among 2- and 3-year-olds (30.9% and 32.9% respectively between 14 and 20 November) has dropped considerably when compared with the last two years, by around 11%.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions in the past couple of years, most young children will not have ever encountered flu, which inevitably means they will not have built up any natural immunity to this virus, unlike their peers in previous cohorts.
This has led to the UKHSA here in the South West, reminding parents and carers that is 'particularly important' for them to take up the flu vaccine this year - and to contact the GP if they haven't yet been offered an appointment for the nasal spray vaccination.
All primary school children and some secondary school children are also eligible for the flu nasal spray this year, which is usually given at school.
Dr Conall Watson, Consultant Epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, said: "Young children are particularly vulnerable to becoming very poorly from flu. For the third week running we have seen hospitalisation rates among children under 5 jump up, with a 70% increase in just the last week. Over 200 children were hospitalised because of flu in one week.
“Flu is now circulating at higher levels than recent years and because of the pandemic restrictions most young children will not have encountered flu before. This means they will have no natural immunity and are therefore at even greater risk this year.
“Two and three-year-olds can get protection with a free nasal spray vaccine from the NHS. Nobody wants their child to get sick so I strongly urge parents to book the vaccine at their GP surgery as soon as possible.”
Anjali and Ben's 2-year-old son
Flu can lead to infants in intensive care
Anjali and Ben Wildblood from Bristol, parents of a two-year-old boy, wanted to share their story to encourage other parents of 2- to 3-year-olds to ensure their child receives the flu vaccine.
Both work as NHS consultants and had every intention of getting their son vaccinated as soon as possible but could not attend the appointment they were offered, and before they could reschedule, their son became very sick.
Anjali and Ben said: “Before we were able to get him booked in for a flu vaccine, over the course of a weekend our 2-year-old son became very sick, with a high temperature and breathing difficulties. He had previously suffered with croup and had been treated with steroids, but this was clearly some other very concerning respiratory problem.
“We took him into A&E where he was treated and we returned home. But his condition got worse again, with a soaring temperature and exhaustion – he had no strength whatsoever and what was so extremely worrying was that he barely had the strength to breathe, every parent’s worst nightmare.
“We returned to A&E and he was admitted to the paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Even as NHS consultants, seeing your child in ICU is a terribly frightening experience. He was put under general anaesthetic and intubated, which involved inserting a tube into his throat so he was able to breathe.
“His swab results came back showing he had Influenza type A. After two long agonising days of intubation in ICU his condition improved and he began to recover. He is now home and doing well.
“No parent wants this for their child or to go through a similar terrible experience. We urge other parents of 2- to 3-year-olds to ensure your child gets their flu vaccine as soon as possible. Our son has now been vaccinated as we wanted to be sure he was protected against other strains of flu that may be circulating.”
Dr Julie Yates, Lead Consultant for Screening and Immunisation for NHS England South West added: “We are seeing a significant rise in flu cases across the South West, particularly in young children and with some needing hospital admission.
"Flu can be a very serious illness for young children and those who have other conditions that make them vulnerable to the complications of flu. We are encouraging parents to be aware of symptoms of flu which can appear very quickly.
“These include a high temperature, often above 38oC, an aching body, feeling exhausted, sore throat and runny nose and loss of appetite. Children may also become less active and get ear pain.
“Even if your child had a flu vaccination last year, the type of flu virus can vary each winter, and this is why it is important that they have the flu vaccine each year to boost their immunity and protect them against this nasty infection.”
Those eligible for antivirals if they have flu include patients in clinical at-risk groups as well as any who are at risk of severe illness and complications from flu if not treated.
Around 33 million people are eligible for the flu this year, with all primary school children and some secondary school children are being given the option to have it at school.
If you’ve missed the school vaccination appointment then there are NHS Community clinics available.
This year it’s easier than ever to get your flu vaccination via your GP, a pharmacy and some maternity services for those that are pregnant.
Find out more about the flu vaccine here.