My kids are all senior school or above now but on the whole when they’ve been given the flu vaccinations at school, it’s been November or December. One academic year, it was even January.
I was pleasantly surprised this year when the senior school’s vaccination date was the middle of September. We were told they were trialing an earlier date but I’m not sure if that’s the school trialing it or the local health authority.
I book the jabs for my parents too and am aware that the first available when the slots opened was beginning of October. Some years it’s been a week or two sooner but on the whole, beginning of October.
The local primary schools did not have their vaccinations until last week and the week before.
One of those primary schools had over 40% of the school off about two weeks ago. The other had over 25% off at about the same time.
My question is, why don’t all schools offer the vaccinations in Sep/early October?
And who books it in? Is it the school requesting x date or the local health authority advising which date?
I realise there is a resource challenge but is their science behind it too? Are kids less likely to need it that early? (BTW, this isn’t about agreeing or not to vaccinations, I’m on board with anything scientists can throw at me or my family to keep us well so respectfully I’m not asking if kids need it or not.)
It seems there is such a push on attendance that any little thing could help. I realise it unlikely to increase the take up of vacations, but at least those who want it, get it earlier and surely that decreases the chances of them being ill.
I’m not sure about anywhere else in the UK, but for my area, a child of school age can’t be vaccinated earlier by the School Aged Immunisation Team, but can be seen by them if they miss the slot as absent from school.
Does anyone know work in these teams or know how they are booked? Or does anyone know why kids seem to be routinely vaccinated later in the season? (Especially given the hot bed of germs schools seems to have!)