Bassetlaw and North Lincolnshire school children to be offered free flu vaccinations

Around 6,800 children in Bassetlaw and 10,200 across North Lincolnshire are eligible for the free vaccination this winter in a bid to stamp out flu.

Administered via a nasal spray, the vaccinations are carried out by nurses who work for Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH), and will start in early October.

The initiative is part of the National Healthy Child Flu Vaccination Programme and the vaccine is being offered to healthy children as well as those with a health condition in reception class, Years 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Sarah Thompson, RDaSH’s vaccination team clinical lead, said: “Flu can be a very unpleasant illness in children and some children can develop serious complications. The nasal spray is painless and easy for the children to have

“By offering the flu vaccination to as many children as possible, we help to protect them in time for winter.

“As well as protecting those vaccinated children, the disease is less able to spread as easily and so they also help to protect younger brothers and sisters and other family members including parents and grandparents.”

Parents or guardians wanting further information should contact the team on 01302 566776.