31st August flu vaccine cut off

[Ariadne08]

Does anyone know why it’s 2 year olds who turned 2 by 31st August who are eligible for the flu vaccination? Why not all 2 year olds?

I’ve searched online but couldn’t find much.

I have an October born and when he turned 2 I phoned up some vaccination line to see if I could get him the flu vaccine, but it was a hard cut off of 31st August. The reason I was given was that it wasn’t tested on younger kids but I pointed out that if he had it say in the December he would be at least as old as some kids getting it in the October. But there didn’t seem to be any way around it. I’m guessing it’s just an administrative thing.

Thanks for your response @TimSamandLulu. I imagine you’re right about it being administrative thing. My little one turned 2 at the beginning of October so I’d like to get him vaccinated, considering how bad the flu seems to be this year.

That’s understandable. No harm in seeing if you can contact someone to enquire. This was 6 years ago for me.

We paid privately for the injectable version untill they were eligible for the nasal spray on the NHS. It was a but more expensive than it is for an adult because we had to find a private doctors surgery to do it as pharmacies didn't vaccinate kids.

Under 2s can have the injectable flu jab, but it is not routinely available on the NHS. However we got it for our 21 month old before I started chemo. You can probably pay for it privately.

I suspect NHS England are using 31 August as it is line with school years, as then when they come to school/nursery then they know which kids to target rather tham more kids becoming eligible for it each day. Administravely, that would be massive headache.

There has to be a cut off somewhere. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I would imagine it’s because the vaccine drive starts in September, so someone has to prepare the roster by the 31st of August. For safety reasons, they don’t add children to it after that date (what if someone ended up on there twice or another child got deleted).

It’s just administrative/funding issues. You can get the nasal spray vaccine privately if your child is 2 but it costs quite a bit more than the adult ones and isn’t available widely. Like PP said it is often offered at private GPs.

For anyone who is interested, I took my son just before Christmas to see our practice nurse who gave him the vaccination no problem. She hadn’t heard of the 31st August cut off, and said he was eligible as a 2 year old. He did have to have the jab rather than the nasal spray, due to an allergy. So definitely worth asking your GP!

In partnership with NHS

The flu programme runs every year and is planned nationally to protect those at highest risk before flu starts circulating widely.

Why do eligibility rules use dates like “31 August”?
This often causes confusion, but it’s mainly for administrative consistency, not because something magically changes on that date.

• The NHS defines eligibility based on age on 31 August of the flu season year
• This makes planning easier for GP practices, pharmacies, and school programmes
• For example, if a child is 2 years old on 31 August, they’re eligible for a free NHS flu vaccine that season - even if they turn 3 soon after
• Similarly, adults turning 65 during the season are included
• It’s about standardising eligibility, not denying protection.

When is the flu jab usually offered?

• The main flu campaign usually starts in September for children and pregnant women and October for other adult groups (it can vary slightly year on year)
• It is best to have a flu vaccination in the autumn or early winter, before flu rates increase. Flu typically starts to circulate in December so it's best to get the vaccine by the end of Novemeber, as it takes up to 14 days to work.
• This timing allows immunity to build before flu peaks (often December– January).
• But even if its later than November, if you or your child are eligible for a free flu vaccine, it is still worth asking whether you can have a vaccine
• You can still benefit from the flu jab later in the season for example, getting vaccinated in December will still benefit you – just remember it takes up to 2 weeks to develop full protection so the soon you can get vaccinated the better.

Is there really a hard “cut-off”?
The Flu season runs until 31st March, so after this date you will no longer be able to get the vaccine for that season and will have to wait until the following September or October. As the flu viruses can change each year, vaccination is required on an annual basis. The strains of virus used in flu vaccines changes from one season to the next.

Some GP surgeries, pharmacies, school immunisation teams will stop offering the vaccine sooner due to a number of reasons:

• The NHS orders vaccines based on expected demand
• Once the main campaign ends and stocks run down, GPs and pharmacies may stop offering it routinely
• That doesn’t mean the vaccine wouldn’t work — just that some organised NHS programme has finished

Flu season usually runs from September/October through to 31 March, with cases often peaking in winter. Getting the flu vaccine sooner rather than later helps ensure you’re protected before flu starts circulating widely, giving your immune system time to build protection when you need it most.
For further information, you can look here:

• https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/
• https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/why-vaccination-is-important-and-the-safest-way-to-protect-yourself/
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-vaccination-leaflets-and-posters/protect-your-child-against-flu-information-for-parents-and-carers