Guidance

Flu vaccines for children and young people

Updated 9 August 2023

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/which-flu-vaccine-should-children-have/flu-vaccines-for-children-and-young-people

Flu vaccines

There are 3 types of flu vaccine available for children in 2023 to 2024:

  1. Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) nasal spray suspension. Available to order from ImmForm.

  2. Injected inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine, cell grown (QIVc). Available to order from ImmForm.

  3. Injected inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine, egg grown (QIVe). Not supplied by ImmForm.

Vaccine type by age group is shown below.

Under 6 months of age

Infants under 6 months of age are too young to have the flu vaccine. This is why it is important that expectant mothers have a flu vaccination; pregnant women can have the flu vaccine at any stage of their pregnancy.

Aged 6 months to under 2 years of age

Are they in a clinical risk group [footnote 1]?

If no - they are not eligible for the flu vaccine.

If yes - they should have the injected QIVc ‘off label’. If QIVc is not availabl give QIVe [footnote 2].

Children in this age group who have never had a flu vaccination will need 2 doses at least 4 weeks apart.

Aged from 2 years [footnote 3] to less than 18 years of age in eligible year groups or in a clinical risk group [footnote 1]

Is the LAIV nasal spray contraindicated or otherwise unsuitable? [footnote 4]

If no contraindications to LAIV nasal spray they should have the LAIV nasal spray vaccine.

Children under 9 years of age in a clinical risk group [footnote 1] who have never had a flu vaccination will need 2 doses 4 weeks apart.

If LAIV contraindicated or otherwise unsuitable they should have the injected QIVc ‘off label’. If QIVc is not available give QIVe [footnote 2].

Children under 9 years of age in a clinical risk group [footnote 1] who have never had a flu vaccination will need 2 doses 4 weeks apart.

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 is available download.

  1. Or a child who is a household contact of an immunocompromised individual. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

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

  3. Aged 2 years on 31 August 2023, unless in a clinical risk group. ↩

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

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