Parents and carers of children aged 2-5 are being urged to get their child immunised against flu, particularly as immunity levels may be lower this year.
The letters will include details on where and when the vaccine will be given.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nicola Steedman, said: “Flu can be serious, even for healthy children and young people. That’s why we’re immunising all children aged 2 up to secondary school pupils in S6 against flu this year.
“With public health restrictions in place last year, everybody, including young children were not exposed to the flu virus and are likely to have lower immunity to flu than in previous years. I’d urge all parents and carers to take up the offer of getting the free flu vaccine for their child this year and help stop the spread of flu. The vaccine is safe and offers the best protection we have against flu.”
For more information about the flu vaccine, visit www.nhsinfrom.scot/childflu, call 0800 030 8013, or speak to a health or immunisation team, practice nurse, or GP.
If you have to reschedule your appointment, you can find information on doing this in your child’s vaccination letter.
All Muirhouse Medical Centre patients eligible for the Flu Injection are invited to attend a walk in or drive through clinic. These clinics are being held on Saturdays and Sundays in October and November.
You may attend any clinic, at the time allocated to your surname. Please be aware that the first clinics are likely to be very busy.
Walk-In clinics will be at Pennywell All Care Centre. They are on Saturday 10th, Sunday 11th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October. Please go to the clinic at the allocated time-slot for the first letter of your surname (listed below).
Drive Through Clinics will be held on Saturday 24th, Sunday 25th and Saturday 31st October and Sunday 1st, Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th November at Scottish Gas, 1 Waterfront Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1SG
You can attend on any of these dates. Please go to the clinic at the allocated time-slot for the first letter of your surname. If there is more than 1 person in the car, come at the time allocated by the surname of the driver.
The time slots are: A & B: 9.00am – 10.00am C & D: 10.00am – 11.00am E – H: 11.00am – 12 noon I – L: 12 noon – 1.00pm M – N: 1.00pm – 2:30pm O – R: 2.30pm – 3.30pm S – U: 3.30pm – 4.30pm V – Z: 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Children’s Flu Vaccine
Children from the age of 2 -5 on 01.09.20 will be offered the flu vaccine and it is strongly recommended that you get your child protected from the flu. You will be sent a leaflet telling you how to book an appointment for your child to get it. (It is a nasal spray, not an injection).
Children at Primary school will be given the injection at school between October and December. They will bring an information leaflet home from school and a permission slip for you to sign.
For more information visit www.nhsinform.scot/childflu or call 0800 22 44 88 .
Measles in India A newborn receives a routine vaccination at an immunization site, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh India.
COVID 19 is disrupting life-saving immunization services around the world, putting millions of children – in rich and poor countries alike – at risk of diseases like diphtheria, measles and polio.
This stark warning comes from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance ahead of the Global Vaccine Summit on 4 June, at which world leaders will come together to help maintain immunization programmes and mitigate the impact of the pandemic in lower-income countries.
According to data collected by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, provision of routine immunization services is substantially hindered in at least 68 countries and is likely to affect approximately 80 million children under the age of 1 living in these countries.
Since March 2020, routine childhood immunization services have been disrupted on a global scale that may be unprecedented since the inception of expanded programs on immunization (EPI) in the 1970s. More than half (53%) of the 129 countries where data were available reported moderate-to-severe disruptions, or a total suspension of vaccination services during March-April 2020.
“Immunization is one of the most powerful and fundamental disease prevention tools in the history of public health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Disruption to immunization programmes from the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to unwind decades of progress against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.
“At the 4 June Global Vaccine Summit in London, donors will pledge their support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to sustain and accelerate this lifesaving work in some of the most vulnerable countries. From the bottom of my heart, I urge donors to fully fund the Alliance. These countries, these children especially, need vaccines, and they need Gavi.”
The reasons for disrupted services vary. Some parents are reluctant to leave home because of restrictions on movement, lack of information or because they fear infection with the COVID-19 virus. And many health workers are unavailable because of restrictions on travel, or redeployment to COVID response duties, as well as a lack of protective equipment.
“More children in more countries are now protected against more vaccine-preventable diseases than at any point in history,” said Dr. Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO.
“Due to COVID-19 this immense progress is now under threat, risking the resurgence of diseases like measles and polio. Not only will maintaining immunization programmes prevent more outbreaks, it will also ensure we have the infrastructure we need to roll out an eventual COVID-19 vaccine on a global scale.”
Transport delays of vaccines are exacerbating the situation. UNICEF has reported a substantial delay in planned vaccine deliveries due to the lockdown measures and the ensuing decline in commercial flights and limited availability of charters.
To help mitigate this, UNICEF is appealing to governments, the private sector, the airline industry, and others, to free up freight space at an affordable cost for these life-saving vaccines. Gavi recently signed an agreement with UNICEF to provide advance funding to cover increased freight costs for delivery of vaccines, in light of the reduced number of commercial flights available for transport.
“We cannot let our fight against one disease come at the expense of long-term progress in our fight against other diseases,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
“We have effective vaccines against measles, polio and cholera. While circumstances may require us to temporarily pause some immunization efforts, these immunizations must restart as soon as possible, or we risk exchanging one deadly outbreak for another.”
Next week, WHO will issue new advice to countries on maintaining essential services during the pandemic, including recommendations on how to provide immunizations safely.
Mass immunization campaigns temporarily disrupted
Many countries have temporarily and justifiably suspended preventive mass vaccination campaigns against diseases like cholera, measles, meningitis, polio, tetanus, typhoid and yellow fever, due to risk of transmission and the need to maintain physical distancing during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Measles and polio vaccination campaigns, in particular, have been badly hit, with measles campaigns suspended in 27 countries and polio campaigns put on hold in 38 countries.
At least 24 million people in 21 Gavi-supported lower-income countries are at risk of missing out on vaccines against polio, measles, typhoid, yellow fever, cholera, rotavirus, HPV, meningitis A and rubella due to postponed campaigns and introductions of new vaccines.
In late March, concerned that mass gatherings for vaccination campaigns would enflame transmission of COVID-19 WHO recommended countries to temporarily suspend preventive campaigns while assessments of risk, and effective measures for reducing COVID virus transmission were established.
WHO has since monitored the situation and has now issued advice to help countries determine how and when to resume mass vaccination campaigns. The guidance notes that countries will need to make specific risk assessments based on the local dynamics of COVID-19 transmission, the health system capacities, and the public health benefit of conducting preventive and outbreak response vaccination campaigns.
Based on this guidance, and following growing concerns about increasing transmission of polio, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), is advising countries to start planning for the safe resumption of polio vaccination campaigns, especially in polio high-risk countries.
Despite the challenges, several countries are making special efforts to continue immunization. Uganda is ensuring that immunization services continue along with other essential health services, even funding transportation to ensure outreach activities. And in Lao PDR, despite a national lockdown imposed in March, routine immunization in fixed sites continued with physical distancing measures in place.
Immunisation appointments for children and pregnant women are continuing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, says NHS Lothian.
Scheduled immunisations are an important and legitimate medical reason to leave your house, and people who have an immunisation appointment should attend as planned.
If an individual with an upcoming immunisation appointment – or a member of their household – is showing symptoms of COVID-19, then they must NOT attend, but should call the number on their invitation to rearrange the appointment.
Professor Alison McCallum, Director of Public Health & Health Policy, NHS Lothian, said: “All scheduled immunisation appointments in Lothian are continuing and we would encourage all children and pregnant women to attend.
“If you cannot attend because you or your family are showing symptoms of coronavirus, please call the phone number on your appointment letter or contact your health care practitioner to rearrange.”
Dr Gregor Smith, Interim Chief Medical Officer, said: “We’re grateful to everyone for heeding our Stay Home Save Lives message during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the NHS is still open, and the routine vaccination programme is an important way to protect you and your family’s health.
“It is important we continue to protect children and other vulnerable groups against serious vaccine-preventable diseases. Routine immunisations for children and pregnant women are a crucial way we can help keep people safe and healthy at this time.
“We know members of the public will have protecting their family’s health from coronavirus, by following guidance on social distancing and not travelling unnecessarily, at the forefront of their minds. But receiving an immunisation is one of the important medical reasons for which you should leave your house, and it will help protect you or your child from other serious diseases.”
Autumn has arrived and carersorganisation VOCAL is urging carers to visit their GP for a free flu jab, which all unpaid adult and young carers in Scotland are entitled to though the NHS.Continue reading Free flu jabs for carers
Vaccine to be part of Scottish childhood immunisation programme
All infants in the UK are to be offered a vaccination against meningitis B following a deal struck between the Westminster government and drug manufacturing giant GlaxoSmithKline. The agreement was also reached on behalf of the Scottish Government and Scotland’s health secretary Shona Robison said the vaccine will be offered here ‘as quickly as possible’.
The NHS will now introduce the vaccine, Bexsero, to the immunisation programme for infants. Vaccination will prevent the life-threatening strain of meningitis to all infants – around 1,200 people, mainly babies and children, get meningitis caused by the meningococcal group B bacteria each year in the UK, with around one in 10 dying from the infection.
The vaccination will be given in three doses at two, four and 12 months, with all babies in Scotland aged two months at the point of introduction being eligible. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has also advised that when the programme starts there should be a one-off, catch-up programme for babies aged three and four months of age.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “The Scottish Government has been consistent in its support for the introduction of the Meningitis B vaccine, Bexsero. We will now work to roll out the vaccination programme as quickly as possible.
“The Meningitis B vaccine will now form part of the routine childhood immunisation programme in Scotland, underlining our commitment to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our children.
“Meningitis B is life-threatening and can affect people of any age, but is most common in babies and young children. By offering this vaccine as part of the routine programme we will be able prevent this and save lives. This disease can be devastating for children and their families and I’m very pleased we can now take the necessary steps to tackle its effects.”
