We are once again approaching influenza (flu) season.

Flu spreads more easily in winter when we spend more time together indoors, and it can cause serious illness. It is important to get protected, even if you have had a vaccine or been ill with flu before, as immunity fades over time and these viruses change each year. If you are vaccinated and catch flu this winter, you are likely to have milder symptoms and recover faster, cutting your risk of being hospitalised. The flu vaccine programme focuses on those at greatest risk of getting seriously ill.

Those eligible for a flu vaccine include:

  • all children aged 2 and 3 years old on 31 August 2026
  • primary school aged children (from reception to year 6)
  • secondary school aged children (from year 7 to Year 11)
  • people aged 65 and over
  • people with certain long term health conditions, from 6 months to under 65s
  • pregnant women
  • care home residents
  • carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
  • close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
  • people experiencing homelessness
  • frontline health and social care workers
A nurse giving a flu vaccine to a patient

All those eligible are urged to have their free flu vaccine to help them stay strong this winter – don’t put it off, book your appointment today and help protect against the risk of severe illness. Last winter the flu vaccination programme prevented an estimated 100,000 hospital admissions and 7,000 deaths.

You will be able check your eligibility online at www.nhs.uk/wintervaccinations