More than 73,000 school aged children across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) were vaccinated against flu this winter, protecting them and their families from the virus.
Eight hundred and sixty more children had the flu vaccine this winter than in 2023, in part due to the relationships Sirona’s School Aged Immunisation Service has built with local communities to address inequalities in flu vaccine uptake.
The team delivers the free flu vaccination in schools and communities from September to December, with the vaccine usually given as a quick and painless nasal spray. Children who are unable to have the spray due to its gelatine content, or for medical reasons, are offered an alternative gelatine-free injectable vaccine.
This winter, the service offered the injectable vaccine, as well as the nasal spray, at all secondary schools and special schools in our area, increasing uptake of the injectable vaccine by 116 per cent.
Community vaccination clinics were held at mosques and a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller site and the team ran engagement events in schools with low uptake rates, which led to an increase in the number of children and young people receiving the vaccine. The team also filmed a video letter about the flu vaccine to make information as accessible as possible.
In total, 73,246 children and young people across BNSSG were vaccinated against flu this winter, compared to 72,386 the previous year.
Olivia Lee, Programme Manager for Sirona’s School Aged Immunisation Service said: “We are delighted to have increased the uptake of the flu vaccine this year, meaning more children, young people and their families are protected from the flu virus.
“Each year we work with schools and communities to look at ways we can make our service more accessible and help more children and young people receive the vaccination. This is the first year we’ve offered the injectable vaccine in special schools and secondary schools, which has resulted in us delivering more than double the number of injectable vaccines than the previous flu season.”
According to figures published by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the South West achieved the highest uptake rate for flu vaccinations in primary schools across the UK, with 62 per cent of pupils receiving the vaccine.
The region also ranked second in the country for vaccine uptake in secondary schools, with 51.4 per cent receiving the vaccine.
Sirona care & health delivers the national school-age immunisations programmes for childhood flu, Human papilloma virus (HPV), Meningococcal ACWY, and the Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio booster (Td/IPV) across BNSSG.
Karen Evans, Head of Specialist Services for Children and Sirona’s Integrated Immunisation Services, said: “Our School Aged Immunisation Service works closely with communities and schools to reduce health inequalities and increase vaccination rates every year to ensure children, young people and their families are protected against the virus, and to reduce the spread in our communities.”
