The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has accepted recommendations from UK immunisation experts to extend the flu vaccination programme to all children. Children in at-risk groups – such as those with asthma, heart conditions or cerebral palsy – are already eligible to receive the flu vaccine on the NHS.
Once the programme is up and running, the vaccine will be offered to all children aged two to around 17 years on the NHS. The decision comes after Andrew Lansley asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a body of independent experts who advise the Government, to look at the evidence around extending the programme. The experts have concluded that while there are significant challenges involved in extending the programme, they are outweighed by the health benefits that a comprehensive immunisation programme could bring. A number of key aspects now need to be looked at. The most significant challenge will be in sourcing enough new vaccine as there is only one manufacturer and they will not have the capacity to deliver enough new vaccine until 2014 at the very earliest. Once established the new flu vaccination programme will cost more than £100 m each year and will be offered to up to nine million children. Due to the nature of the flu season the vaccine will need to be given to the children during a six to eight week period. Even with moderate vaccination uptake, it is estimated that there could be a 40% drop in the number of people affected – that would mean at least 11,000 fewer hospitalisations as a result of flu and around 2,000 fewer deaths per year.
