Schools closing for flu

[Busydoingsomething]

A school near me has partially closed due to staff shortages. Another has cancelled all performances. Some of the children will have been vaccinated but I suspect, lots of the staff won’t have been. I was listening to 2 people today, on the train, discussing whether school staff should be vaccinated, to prevent the staff being off and impacting on education. Wondering if this would be a good move.

We were always offered it in my old school, but not in my current one. I pay for the vaccination myself.

How come? I got mine in September. Plenty of appointments…

Bit late now.

In my small town (and the nearest large towns) the large Boots and Tesco pharmacies have no more appointments available.

There is a small independent pharmacy near me offering NHS flu vaccinations to eligible people, and private ones at £40.

(Edit: I got mine in October at the GP.)

That’s what I was saying. That months ago at the start of the flu season there were loads of appointments. Of course there are fewer now.

I'm wondering if the doctors you spoke to may have been oversimplifying things as you're not a medical person, or just been being a bit hyperbolic in casual conversation, in saying that the vaccine is 'almost useless' or 'doesn't do anything' for the current strain? They might well be a bit more nuanced if they were talking to fellow medics.

It's very clear from what a large number of professionals are saying that the vaccine isn't 'almost useless'. I can't really see why your conversations as a patient with random doctors (who could well have been oversimplifying things for a non-medic or just having a bit of a hyperbolic vent) should automatically be treated as more reliable than other sources.

"almost useless' or 'doesn't do anything'

Sounds unlikely.

Reducing hospital admissions in children by 70% is far from useless.

I didn’t try and be a reliable source. Just gave my opinion (five year cancer patient with 18 years of parenting a rare medical disorder, not exactly a medical professional no, but not medically naive).

I just gave my experience. And I’ve been pulled apart for something that factually happened to me, and in conversations with more than one person.

im bowing out. Mumsnet is a strange place.

How am I "pick pick picking" at you? You posted information that was inaccurate. I asked you not to post misinformation as it could mislead others.

You replied that oncologists said that. I work as part of a clinical trials team in oncology and have done for years as I did my PhD in cancer research.

Whilst I am aware there are people in the NHS against vaccines in general, best practice would advise anyone who was vulnerable to be vaccinated with the exceptions of certain live vaccines. Any clinican should base their advise on this. It could have negative consequences for their patients if they did not.

I am not engaging in a debate. I struggle to believe you fully if I am honest, and if it is true then I hope another patient reports it and I pray your daughter does not fall ill as a consequence.

But I shall wish you a happy Christmas and leave it at that.

I don't know how come. I just keep checking online in my area and it says no appointments available.

None of the people I have spoken to are against “vaccines in general”.

it is indisputable that hospitals swabbed patients as they arrived for covid and flu. The result I had was flu a (as I was told much of the overloaded waiting room had). Flu a, as you will know, includes the bigger flus. Flu b is the one that the recent vaccine was created to impact.

none of what I said was untrue. Multiple exhausted medical people talked of it, my unit receptionist spoke of it, how so many people were vaccinated and it hadn’t helped because the a strain had taken hold when the vaccine was for the b strain.

i hope my daughter doesn’t get it too. Another Xmas in hospital is not something we want. But she had the same vaccine as me (non live because we are both immunocompromised), and therefore is unlikely to have any protection from flu a.

"Flu b is the one that the recent vaccine was created to impact."

This isn't correct. The recent vaccine also targets flu a. It isn't 100% effective but it still reduces hospitalisations significantly.

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/11/how-well-will-i-be-protected-from-flu-this-year-with-the-current-uk-influenza-vaccines/
This is a good general overview of what is happening.

Also from gov.uk

"all the vaccines recommended for use in 2025 to 2026 flu vaccination season will be trivalent influenza vaccines, containing 2 influenza A strains and one influenza B strain"

I don't understand why the misinformation is left on here. Discouraging people from taking the jab, telling them it's useless is surely dangerous.

Reducing hospitalisations is clearly important for the individual but also for the NHS as being overwhelmed by flu sufferers is going to affect the wider population.

The vaccine covers both a and b viruses. It will not stop you getting flu, but it will reduce its impact, for example making what would have been a severe illness a manageable illness.

Unfortunately flu season came earlier than planned this year meaning many if the vaccines were not fully effective as they take a few weeks to fully work, and many were not vaccinated yet / have decided not to.

I am exiting the chat now as I don't think anything anyone says will be believed by you regardless of evidence.

The vaccine categorically does not cover flu A according to the a&e dr, oncologist and the triage team. Oncology have not seen so may of their patients seriously ill. I was taken into hospital with suspected sepsis, not suspected flu.

Vaccine didn’t reduce any impact because it had no impact on it at all.

I really couldn’t care less whether you have decided I am unbelievable. I know what happened to me and I stand by it.

@FighterMumTigerMum has posted this inaccurate information 6 times, doesn't make it true
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/flu-vaccine-providing-important-protection-despite-new-subclade

It categorically does. Look at what @EducatingArti has posted above.
Edit: here’s the link she posted to stop you having to bother. What you have taken from the words of a few individual medics is inaccurate. https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/11/how-well-will-i-be-protected-from-flu-this-year-with-the-current-uk-influenza-vaccines/

So thanks @GabriellaFaith for spelling it out for those who cannot be bothered to look at the stats which are gleaned from doctors and pathologists who receive the facts

Epidemiologists

Yes

I’m in Lancashire and Morrisons had flu vaccines available if it helps anyone

Just for the record - I’ve been having flu jabs every year for the past 20 years . Never got flu, except one year I forgot the jab (2009) and got flu. Before the jabs, I had flu 3 times, dreadfully ill, plus a couple of times I wasn’t sure if it was flu but had fever etc.

I read recently that if you have been having the jabs over many years, immunity to all the different strains builds up, so I’d advise anyone to start doing it every year as a matter of routine.

The problem this year is that take up of the vaccine has been low, flu has arrived early, and the strain has mutated. But still definitely worth getting jabbed if you can, the vaccine is not ‘useless’ as some have said.

Incidentally I was in hospital yesterday - in a big waiting room full of cancer patients, no ventilation, many obviously elderly, there were just three of us wearing masks. Weird. I waited outside.

There's been numerous school studies proving that HEPAS do work in schools, not only to reduce infections but also by improving air quality it improved cognitive function. They were also proven to work in covid wards in hospital. But, they do need to have sufficient ACH which is perfectly achievable, used in conjunction with good ventilation and they do need to actually be switched on! Hence them about to be installed in a number of London schools. Unfortunately Education can't even fund basic needs so no doubt have no interest in wider HEPA installation.

I remember the Scottish Government report on face coverings in schools in covid - which showed they increased infection - but the Scottish government determined they should be imposed on children anyway to increase compliance in the community. (That report didn’t say whether they were effective in the community either). The masks and face coverings used by children where taken on and off constantly, placed on surfaces/pockets, shared, used for days, constantly touched… it was quite clear they were a vector for transmission then and would be for flu now.