Public Health Scotland – Page 6 – The NEN

Flu: get your child vaccinated

The flu vaccine is given to children as a nasal (nose) spray. It’s quick and painless and will just feel like a tickle in their nose.

Visit http://nhsinform.scot/childflu

Why should I have my child vaccinated?

Flu is very infectious and can be serious. Flu can lead to complications that may result in hospitalisation or even death.

The flu vaccine will reduce the risk of your child getting or spreading flu to friends and family who are at greater risk from flu and coronavirus, such as grandparents or people with health conditions.

The flu vaccine provides both individual protection for the child and reduces transmission across all age groups.

Getting the flu vaccine will help prevent the flu virus putting extra strain on our NHS services this winter.

Every year in Scotland, children are hospitalised for the treatment of flu or its complications.

In some cases flu can lead to complications. These can include:

bronchitis
pneumonia
painful middle-ear infection
vomiting
diarrhoea

For children with health conditions getting flu can be even more serious. Health conditions that make children more vulnerable include:

asthma
bronchitis
heart disease
kidney disease
liver disease
neurological disease
diabetes
immunosuppression
asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen

Childhood vaccinations are very important. Please bring your child to their vaccination appointment to protect them and others against flu.

If you think you or your child are showing symptoms of coronavirus call the number on your invitation to rearrange your appointment.

Who’s being offered the vaccine?

The flu vaccine’s offered to all:

children aged 6 months or older with eligible health conditions
children in Scotland aged 2-5 years and not yet at school (children must be aged two years or above on 1 September 2021 to be eligible)
primary school children (primary 1 to primary 7)
secondary school pupils (years 1 to 6)

From September 2021 all primary and secondary school pupils in Scotland will be offered the flu vaccine.

How will my child get the vaccine?

The child flu vaccine is normally given at school between September and December.

If your child misses their vaccination in school, please contact your local NHS Board to find out about local arrangements for getting their vaccine at another time.

Home-schooled children are also eligible for the flu vaccine. Your local health board will contact you directly to offer vaccination.

Children aged 6 months to less than 2 years of age with an eligible health condition will also be offered the flu vaccine. Your local health board or GP practice will invite you by letter to get your child’s flu vaccine.

Primary and secondary school-aged children (including those with eligible health conditions) will be offered the vaccine at school.

If a young person has left secondary school, they are not eligible to get a flu vaccine at school. 16 and 17 year olds with an eligible health condition who have left school can phone 0800 030 8013 to receive an appointment for the flu vaccine.

If you don’t know the phone number for your local health board, you can phone 0800 030 8013.

What vaccine is used?

Children aged 2 years and older are given the flu vaccine as a nasal (nose) spray into each nostril. It is quick and painless and is the best available protection against flu.

Your child does not have to sniff or inhale the vaccine and will just feel a tickle in their nose.

The Fluenz Tetra nasal spray suspension Influenza vaccine (live attenuated, nasal) is routinely used in Scotland.

Children aged 6 months to less than 2 years with an eligible health condition will be offered the injectable vaccine.

Vaccine side effects

As with all medicines, side effects of the nasal spray flu vaccine are possible, but usually mild.

More about child flu vaccine side effects

Vaccine safety

The flu vaccine is the safest, most effective protection against flu.

All medicines, including vaccines, are tested for safety and efficacy before they’re allowed to be used.

Once they’re in use, the safety of vaccines continues to be monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The nasal spray flu vaccine has been used safely since 2014 and millions of doses of the vaccine have been given to children in the UK

The virus in the vaccine has been weakened so it doesn’t cause flu. It helps your child build up immunity to flu.

Children who don’t get the vaccine are not at risk of catching flu from children who have had the vaccine. The only exception to this would be children who are extremely immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system).

How effective is the vaccine?

The annual vaccine offers protection against the most common types of flu virus that are around each winter. The flu vaccine should start to protect most children about 10 to 14 days after they receive their vaccination.

Over the last few years the flu vaccine has worked very well, providing protection against flu. It has also reduced the chance of spreading flu into the wider community.

There is still a chance that your child could get flu after having the vaccine. If they do get flu after vaccination, it is likely to be milder and not last as long.

Children who can’t have the nasal spray vaccine

An alternative injectable form of the vaccine is available for children who cannot have the nasal spray vaccine.

This includes children who:

have their immune system suppressed because they’re getting treatment for serious conditions, such as cancer, or if they’ve had a transplant
have a serious condition which affects the immune system, such as severe primary immunodeficiency
live with or are in close regular contact with very severely immunocompromised people who require isolation
are taking regular high doses of oral steroids
have had a severe reaction to a previous dose of the vaccine
are undergoing salicylate treatment (for example, taking aspirin)

Children with egg allergies

Children with an egg allergy can safely have the nasal spray vaccine, unless they’ve had a life-threatening reaction to eggs that required intensive care.

An egg-free injectable vaccine which can be used in those from 2 years of age is available. If you’re affected, please speak to your immunisation nurse for advice.

Children with severe asthma

The nasal spray vaccine may not be suitable for some children with severe asthma who regularly need oral steroids for asthma control. If you’re affected, please speak to your health professional for advice.

Children on medications

If your child is at school, please make sure you list all of your child’s medications on the consent form. All consent forms will be checked by a health or immunisation team member before the immunisation session to make sure your child can have the nasal spray.

Pork gelatine

The nasal spray vaccine contains a highly processed form of gelatine (pork gelatine) which is used in many essential medicines.

The gelatine helps keep the vaccine viruses stable so the vaccine provides the best protection against flu.

Many faith groups, including Muslim and Jewish communities, have approved the use of vaccines containing gelatine.

However, it’s your choice whether or not you want your child to get the nasal spray vaccine.

The nasal spray vaccine is a much more effective vaccine than the injected flu vaccine and is the preferred option.

If you do not want your child to get the nasal spray vaccine for religious reasons, you may request the injectable alternative by ticking the box on the consent form (your child won’t automatically be offered the injectable alternative, you’ll need to tick the box every year).

Over three and a half MILLION lost dental appointments: new figures point to perversity of Scottish Government plans

The British Dental Association Scotland has warned new data underlining the scale of the backlogs facing practices demonstrates the absurdity of government plans to return to pre-COVID models of care.

The new figures from Public Health Scotland indicate that the number of treatments delivered in the year to March 2021 was less than 25% of those delivered in previous 12-month period, corresponding to over 3.5 million appointments lost as a result of the pandemic.

Last week Cabinet Secretary Humza Yousaf wrote to all NHS dental teams in Scotland that all emergency support will be withdrawn by 1 April 2022. Since the first lockdown NHS practices have operated under a COVID support package, reflecting pandemic pressures and tight infection control restrictions that continue to limit capacity across the service.

Owing to ongoing disruption dentist leaders stress patients are now presenting with higher levels of need, requiring additional time. BDA Scotland have warned that the return to a ‘business as usual model’ – low margin and high volume – will put practices under unsustainable financial pressure and will likely lead to closures or movement to the private sector.

In light of the SNP’s centrepiece policy of providing free NHS dental care for all, BDA Scotland have stressed the need to develop a new, sustainable model for delivering care. In the interim, a workable interim funding model is needed to support dentists and their teams to care for their patients.

David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “Dentists are facing an unprecedented backlog, as we continue to work to restrictions designed in the first lockdown.

“This new data underlines the sheer perversity of government plans to pretend COVID is yesterday’s news.

“Withdrawing emergency funding will pull away the life support from hundreds of dedicated NHS practices serving communities across Scotland.”

Colds and flu symptoms in babies and children: NHS Inform advice

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common virus that causes cold and flu symptoms in babies and children – and moderate levels have been detected in Scotland.

Most children will make a full recovery in 2 – 3 weeks if infected.

Visit NHS Inform for more: https://bit.ly/3BIP6Ft

Survey: Are the kids alright?

A 3 year old starting nursery in 2021 will have spent half their life under pandemic restrictions.

Public Health Scotland @P_H_S_Official would like to know what that means for families’ wellbeing.

A new survey aims to find out, extended to represent children aged 0-11:

https://surveys.publichealthscotland.scot/838276?lang=en

Named visitors now permitted to visit care home residents during Covid-19 outbreaks

New guidance will allow care home residents to choose a friend or relative as a ‘named visitor’ who will be able to visit them, even during a managed Covid-19 outbreak.

This is a change to current practice where most homes suspend routine visiting until outbreaks are over. It will allow those living in care homes to continue to have meaningful contact with loved ones, and balance the need for continuing infection prevention and control measures in care homes with the wider wellbeing of residents.

The change will apply to one named visitor when a care home is in a controlled Covid-19 outbreak, and a guidance note has been issued to support care homes to plan for this in consultation with their local Health Protection team.

Revised guidance from Public Health Scotland issued last week has already set out that residents should be able to receive visits from a nominated person even while they are self-isolating as a precaution (i.e. after hospital stays; after being close contacts of a COVID-19 case if fully vaccinated).

Meanwhile Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to introducing ‘Anne’s Law’, to enable people who live in care homes to choose a person or persons to support them in their health and wellbeing, as called for by Care Home Relatives Scotland. A consultation on how best to implement this will be published shortly.

Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care Kevin Stewart said: “Throughout the pandemic, our overriding priority in care homes has been to safeguard and protect staff and residents from infection – but at times that meant that residents were cut off from their loved ones, which we know has caused anguish and distress for many.

“The proposal for a named visitor will provide continuity of meaningful contact for care home residents in managed COVID-19 outbreak situations, helping to protect residents’ wellbeing in parallel by allowing visiting in a safer way, rather than automatically suspending routine visiting during an outbreak.

“We will further strengthen residents’ rights in adult residential settings through the introduction of ‘Anne’s Law’ and a consultation setting out our aspirations for Anne’s Law and seeking views on how best we might make it work in practice will be published shortly.”

Public Health Scotland supports retaining uplift to Universal credit

Public Health Scotland supports retaining the £20 a week uplift to universal credit and working tax credits, brought in by the UK Government in April 2020, to help create a Scotland where everybody thrives.

The social security top-up payment was introduced in April 2020 to help low-income households deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is due to expire in October.

The evidence is becoming stronger that increasing the incomes of the poorest, including by increasing means-tested benefits, can help narrow the gap in life expectancy and improve mental health and wellbeing.

All of those families affected claiming working tax credits are already in employment, as are 35% of people claiming universal credit. Another 31% of people claiming universal credit have health problems or caring responsibilities which compromise their ability to secure and retain jobs. Therefore, focusing on getting people into work, in itself, will not be sufficient.

Martin Taulbut, Public Health Intelligence Adviser at Public Health Scotland said: “People with higher incomes are healthier and live longer. Experiencing material hardship can have a profound direct impact on health by affecting our ability to buy the goods and services that support good health and underpin healthy life expectancy.

“The increase in value of universal credit and tax credits has reduced poverty, protecting the physical and mental health of low-income families and supporting working-age adults’ ability to find and keep good work. Decreasing the value of means-tested benefits is likely to result in a decline in the (already poor) health of the unemployed and low-income families, particularly after the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As well as enabling families to live healthier lives now, action taken to improve and protect the health of children from early in life pays dividends for decades. By embedding health and wellbeing into policy decisions across areas of economy, employment and mental health, Scotland has an opportunity to make real progress on national outcomes.”

Missed appointment? Rebook or attend any drop-in clinic

If you can’t make your COVID-19 vaccination appointment due to self-isolation, you can rebook your appointment at http://invitations.vacs.nhs.scot or attend any of the drop-in locations listed here: http://nhsinform.scot/vaccinedropinclinics….

Stroke Association responds to Improvent Programme report

The Stroke Association has responded to Public Health Scotland’s Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme report 2021 which was published this week.

John Watson, Director Scotland of the Stroke Association said: “Two things leapt out to me in reading “The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme annual report 2021″ launched today.

“First of all I am struck by how well stroke care teams around Scotland have managed to maintain specialist care and treatment to patients, in the face of unprecedented challenges. Those teams deserve our thanks and respect.

“Of more concern was the reduction in the number of people coming into hospital with the signs of stroke. Although we are not fully sure why this is the case, it is presumed in this report that it has been due to a fear of hospital admission – likely due to hesitancy and fear of contracting COVID-19.

“This is a concern to us because stroke is a medical emergency and it’s essential to call 999 straight away if you suspect you or someone around you is having a stroke.

“We continue to urge the public to use the world-famous stroke acronym, “FAST”, to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of a stroke: Face, Arms, Speech and Time (to call an ambulance) – Act FAST.

“FAST remains an important message that both we and others continue to promote.

“The Scottish Government recognised pre-pandemic that stroke needed significant improvement and made welcome commitments towards that. We are pleased to see increasing awareness of the signs of a stroke is included, alongside commitments relating to improved hospital care. We look forward to seeing further progress on those commitments in the coming months.”

For more information on FAST, go to: https://www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-stroke/what-are-the-symptoms-of-stroke

A link to the summary and full report:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme-2021-national-report/

NHS Lothian appeal to students changing address

Students changing address should register for their vaccination at http://nhsinform.scot/under30register by 4 June.

You can change the date, time and location of your appointment online if still in the same health board area, or by calling the helpline if in a different health board area.

Student writings show what life is really like living in poverty

A new, powerful collection of writing has highlighted the lived experiences of people living with, and tackling, poverty in their communities.

Disturbing yet timely, this collection of writing from students of the Health Issues in the Community course (HIIC) reveals the corrosive effect that poverty and inequality are having on a day-to-day basis in modern Scotland.

As a society that believes in compassion and justice, the writings act as a call to action to address inequalities and the increasing number of people being swept up in the wake of crushing poverty.

Public health specialists have drawn attention to the serious impact inequalities have – made even worse by the global health crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amidst the grim picture that is so minutely described, the writings are also witness to the power of community, of kindness, of the sense of ‘the commonweal’ that is alive in our communities.

Broadcaster and journalist Lesley Riddoch, who provided the publication’s foreword, said: “From all the grimness of lockdown and the staleness of news comes this wee gem of a collection – words from folk who live at the sharp end of life in Scotland.

“I’ve no doubt that the folk involved in this HIIC course will use the insights and comradeship they’ve gained to start moving mountains – while taking care of one another.”

Health Issues in the Community is an SQA-accredited course for adults and young people that helps students understand what affects their health and the health of their communities.

Running for more than 20 years, HIIC brings a community development approach to tackling health inequalities and reaches more than 300 participants each year.

HIIC is managed by the Community Health Exchange (CHEX) and funded by Public Health Scotland. You can learn more about HIIC here.

While the HIIC course encourages participants to widen and deepen awareness of health issues in their communities and their involvement, we cannot solve this issue alone. Political action is required by governments to ensure Scotland is no longer defined by poverty and inequality in the 21st century.

These writings provide the voices of lived experience to help make that a reality.

Fiona Garven, Director of the Scottish Community Development Centre, said: “These students’ writings are a stark reminder of the impact of poverty in communities across Scotland – and the power of people coming together to take action on the things that are important to them.

“With a firm foundation in community development practice, HIIC has been tackling health and social issues for more than 20 years. These writings act as further evidence for community-led responses to health inequalities, enabling students to explore and take action to address their own health issues and the health of their communities.”

Bill Gray, Organisational Lead, Public Health Scotland said: “Public Health Scotland is proud to have supported the development of the HIIC course and recognises the need to listen to voices from our communities has never been more important.

“Our Strategic Plan sets out a clear ambition to embed engagement with communities across all of our programmes of work and the experiences of HIIC participants, set out in this powerful new publication is an invaluable resource for anyone working to address health inequalities in Scotland.”

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