Guidance

Flu vaccines for the 2025 to 2026 season

Updated 21 August 2025

Applies to England

Flu vaccines

Table 1. Flu vaccines available for the 2025 to 2026 season

Vaccine	Manufacturer	Licensed from age
Cell-based trivalent influenza vaccine (IIVc), egg free	CSL Seqirus	6 months of age
Vaxigrip, (IIVe)	Sanofi	6 months of age
Influenza vaccine TIV MYL, (IIVe)	Viatris	6 months of age
Fluenz (LAIV)	AstraZeneca	2 years to less than 18 years of age
Supemtek TIVr (IIVr), egg free	Sanofi	18 years of age
Adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine (aIIV)	CSL Seqirus	50 years of age
Efluelda TIV-HD (IIV-HD)	Sanofi	60 years of age

Eligible groups

Eligible groups for the 2025 to 2026 season:

• aged 2 and 3 years on 31 August 2025
• eligible school-aged children (Reception to Year 11)
• those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
• pregnant women
• all those aged 65 years and over
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance or main carer of an older or disabled person
• household contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline health and social care staff

See the Green Book Influenza chapter 19 for full details on eligible groups.

Age group and vaccine type

6 months to less than 2 years in a clinical risk group or household contact of an immunocompromised individual

Give IIVc (Cell-cultured inactivated influenza vaccine) ^{[footnote 1]}. Community pharmacies should see arrangements in the flu letter amendment.

If IIVc is not available give IIVe (egg-cultured inactivated influenza vaccine) ^{[footnote 2]}.

2 years to less than 18 years in eligible year groups or in a clinical risk group or household contact of an immunocompromised individual

If there are no contraindications to LAIV (live attenuated influenza vaccine, nasal spray suspension) ^{[footnote 1]}, give LAIV nasal spray suspension. Community pharmacies should see arrangements in the flu letter amendment.

If LAIV is contraindicated or otherwise unsuitable ^{[footnote 3]}, give IIVc ^{[footnote 1]}. If IIVc is not available give IIVe ^{[footnote 2]}.

18 years to 64 years in a clinical risk group or household contact of an immunocompromised individual, and pregnant women ^{[footnote 4]}

Give the following vaccines:

• IIVc
• IIVr (recombinant inactivated influenza vaccine)
• aIIV (adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine) if aged 50 years and above ^{[footnote 4]}
• IIV-HD (high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine) if aged 60 years and above

If the above vaccines are not available give IIVe.

65 years and over

Give aIIV, IIV-HD and IIVr

If aIIV, IIV-HD and IIVr are not available give IIVc.

Resources

Further information is available in the Green Book Influenza chapter 19.

Resources for the current flu vaccination programme are available to download or order.

A PDF poster version of this guide, showing the packaging of the different types of flu vaccines, is available download.

Note that IIVx is used on this resource to denote all inactivated influenza vaccines, regardless of how many virus strain antigens are included in the vaccine this season. In the boxes denoting the images of the vaccine packaging, the manufactures name of the vaccine is given, which in some cases includes ‘TIV’ or ‘trivalent’. All vaccines used for the 2025 to 2026 season are trivalent.

1. IIVc and LAIV for eligible children (under 18 years of age) available to order from ImmForm. ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. IIVe is not supplied by ImmForm. ↩ ↩²

3. If the parent of an eligible child declines LAIV because of its porcine gelatine content they can request an alternative injectable vaccine. IIVc is available to order from ImmForm for these children ↩

4. aIIV is not to be used in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding ↩ ↩²