Walk-in flu vaccination centres for children open in Midlands

The HSE has announced that walk-in flu vaccination clinics for children aged 2-17 years will be set up from this week in community vaccination centres across the country, including in Tullamore.

This is in response to rising numbers of both flu cases in children as well as the significant number of children who have been hospitalised with flu this winter.

A number of community vaccination centres across the country are now offering walk in flu vaccination clinics for all children aged 2-17, including in Tullamore and Portlaoise. No appointment is necessary and the vaccine is free of charge. The full schedule of clinics is available on www.hse.ie. The vaccine is also available from participating GPs and pharmacists. Parents can find details on pharmacies offering vaccinations in their area using the pharmacy finder tool.

The children’s free nasal flu vaccine will be available up until January 23. After this date, only children with medical conditions which put them at risk of serious illness from flu will be able to get a vaccine. The HSE is encouraging parents to avail of this opportunity to vaccinate their children against flu as flu continues to spread and is likely to continue circulating further for a number of weeks.

Dr Aparna Keegan, Specialist in Public Health Medicine and Flu Lead, HSE National Immunisation Office said: “Flu is a serious illness that can be dangerous in children too. We are seeing rising cases of flu in the community so we are encouraging parents of children aged 2-17 to get their children vaccinated to protect them while there is still time.

“The nasal spray flu vaccine is a very safe and effective vaccine and helps your child’s immune system produce antibodies that fight infection. It cannot give your child the flu. If your child has had the flu vaccine and they come into contact with flu virus, these antibodies will help them fight the flu and reduce the risk of getting sick or needing to go to hospital.

“The vaccination process is a simple nasal spray and is given by spraying the vaccine once into each of the child’s nostrils. Getting the nasal spray flu vaccine is a safe, effective and a pain free way to protect your child from flu this winter.”

While most children who catch flu have mild symptoms, flu can sometimes lead to serious complications such as pneumonia or bronchitis in some children. Children, especially young children, are also more likely than adults to get severe complications of flu.

To date nearly 700 children under the age of 14 have been hospitalised with flu this winter.

In Ireland, between 2009 and 2019, the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) reported:

4,750 children needed hospital treatment because of complications of flu

183 of these were admitted to intensive care

41 children died