Parents urged to vaccinate young children against flu after spike in cases

There has also been a surge in cases of Strep A and RSV

Parents are being urged to get their young children vaccinated against flu following a sharp rise in hospitalisations.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), vaccine uptake among two- and three-year-olds has fallen by 11 per cent this year, while hospitalisations of patients under five had soared by 70 per cent in the week ending 30 November.

It comes after a sixth child died on Friday after developing a Strep A infection. Health officials have seen a rise in cases of Strep A, which can cause scarlet fever, though deaths and serious complications from the infection are rare.

The latest figures also suggest that figures for the respiratory infection RSV are far worse this year compared with 2021. In older children and adults, RSV can cause a cough or cold, but in young children it can cause bronchiolitis and is the main reason why children under five attend hospital.

Because of the pandemic restrictions that were in place during 2020 and 2021, most young children have never been exposed to flu and have built up no natural immunity to the virus.

The UKHSA said flu is now circulating at higher levels than in the past few years, and warned that young children are particularly vulnerable and can become seriously unwell.

The increase in risk has collided with sluggish vaccine uptake, at just 31 per cent among two-year-olds and 33 per cent among three-year-olds. The agency said these figures were down by around 11 per cent compared with the past two years.

Two doctors from Bristol described their son falling ill with flu as “every parent’s worst nightmare”. Anjali and Ben Wildblood said their son Rafa, two, became “very sick” with flu just days before he was due to have the vaccine.

The NHS consultants said their concerns prompted them to take him to A&E, where he was treated and sent home. “But his condition got worse again, with a soaring temperature and exhaustion – he had no strength whatsoever, and what was so extremely worrying was that he barely had the strength to breathe – every parent’s worst nightmare,” they said.

Anjali and Ben Wildblood with their two-year-old son Rafa (PA)

On his return to hospital, Rafa was admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit where he was put under general anaesthetic and intubated. Tests revealed he had influenza type A. After two days in the unit, his condition began to improve and he is now recovering at home.

“No parent wants this for their child, or to go through a similar terrible experience. We urge other parents of two- to three-year-olds to ensure your child gets their flu vaccine as soon as possible,” his parents said.

Rafa Wildblood, two, was admitted to hospital with flu (PA)

Dr Conall Watson, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: “Young children are particularly vulnerable to becoming very poorly from flu. For the third week running we have seen hospitalisation rates among children under five jump up, with a 70 per cent increase in just the last week.”

Parents are encouraged to contact their GP if they have not received an invitation for a nasal spray vaccination for a child aged two or three as of 31 August. All primary school children and some secondary school children are eligible for the flu nasal spray this year, which is usually given in school.