Will kids (without underlying health conditions) get the Swine Flu Vaccination?

[jumpingjules]

Way back in the summer they said that children 5 and under would be vaccinated against swine flu. What is happening now?

They are in the queue behind pregnant women, health workers and people with underlying health conditions, then school children. So pretty much next year then.

I was told a couple weeks ago that all children under 5 will be offered the vaccine in the net few weeks but not sure if that has changed.

This was the original programme but I think it has since changed to be pregnant women first.

Can't find the page I was reading last night and deleted my history duh! Sorry!

Very interesting read here about the vaccine programme.

To summarise:

First deliveries to acute cares hosps: frontline nhs staff and at risk hosp patients first.

Second deliveries: 500 doses to each gp surgery for at risk patients. Earliest start date for that 26th Oct. (could take 3-4 weeks for those deliveries to be complete - am a bit shocked by that, they keep trumpeting that the vaccine is almost here...) Plus a stock for people with proven egg anaphylaxis will start that week.

After that pcts and acute trusts will be able to order more (supply allowing)

wmmc - according to the letter I've linked to, the program dated 21st Sept still stands.
So it is still:

i. individuals aged six months and up to 65 years in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups
ii. all pregnant women, subject to licensing considerations on trimesters
iii. household contacts of immunocompromised individuals
iv. people aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups

Er yes, (OhYouBad) - number i) "individuals aged six mths - 65 in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups". Only when I took my asthmatic daughter for her free seasonal flu vaccine on Saturday and asked about the swine flu vaccine (see my thread do GP's get to choose between priority patients?) - the receptionist said oh we will decide whether she gets it, it's not guaranteed (!), thus seeming to directly contradict the official programme priorities. Well, others have explained that this might just be the receptionist getting it wrong. I sincerely hope that they are right.

(Also sincerely hope all children get it in the not too distant future as I have another child whom I recognise is not a priority case).

dd is booked in to see the asthma nurse this week. I'll talk to her about it.
With an initial 500 doses per practice I guess they may well have to order the severity of priority patients. I have no idea how many are in the at risk goups in an average practice.

That, of course, is a point (500 initial doses per surgery). Only thing I would say though is that when I take DD for her annual seasonal flu jab the vast majority of recipients in the waiting room seem to be over 65 (ie not in priority group for swine flu vaccination) - there's generally only perhaps one or two other children/younger adults. But that obviously doesn't take account of pregnant women and patients too ill to come into the surgery.

Or, on the other hand, of those who will be offered the vaccine and say no thanks.

I'll see what the GP says on Wednesday.

the asthmatic ones in our household have never been offered any flu jab. If we want it we have to ask which makes me wonder how many at risk people miss out from not asking tbh!