Flu Vaccination Programme Begins

More than two million people in Scotland will be offered the flu vaccination.

Over two million people in Scotland will be offered the vaccine, and for the first time, all parents of pre-school children will be contacted to make an appointment with their GP to get their child vaccinated in a bid to increase overall vaccine uptake.

The free vaccination will be offered to people with underlying health conditions, those who are pregnant or are older than 65, as flu can lead to serious complications which may need hospital treatment.

Over 550,000 children aged between 2-11 years old will be offered the nasal spray vaccination, following the extension of the flu vaccination programme in 2014. Children aged 5-11 will be vaccinated at school, with those aged 2-5 offered the vaccination at their GP practice.

Healthcare workers will also be urged to get the vaccine to help protect themselves, their families, and patients who are potentially vulnerable to flu.

Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said:

“As the national flu immunisation programme gets underway, I want to encourage all those who are eligible to join with us in being ready for flu.

“I will be getting the vaccine this year, as I have every year, as I have asthma and know that getting flu could have a serious impact on my health. I’d rather make sure I’m covered and not have to worry about the consequences.

“The flu vaccine offers the best defence against the most common strains of the virus circulating this year and has an excellent safety record. It takes ten to 14 days to work so I urge eligible groups to make an appointment with your GP practice today.

“This year will see us targeting all parents of children aged 2-5 to encourage them to make an appointment with their GP if they want their child vaccinated, and we’re hoping this will lead to more people being vaccinated than ever before.”