Flu

From 1 September 2025:

• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025
• primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
• secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years

From 1 October 2025:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined in the Influenza chapter of the Green Book)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• 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
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

Health and social care staff will also be offered a flu vaccine from their organisation from 1 October 2025, with multiple convenient options to get vaccinated based around working and shift patterns.

The flu vaccine is an effective way to protect yourself from the flu virus and has a good safety record.

While flu can be unpleasant, for some it can be very dangerous and even life threatening, particularly people with certain health conditions, older people and pregnant women. For them, it can increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia or can make existing conditions worse. Every winter, thousands die from flu.

Children aged under 5 have one of the highest hospitalisation rates for flu. The vaccine reduces a child’s chance of needing hospital care for flu by around two-thirds.

Having your flu vaccination will reduce your risk of serious illness and help you recover more quickly if you catch the viruses.

It's recommended that all pregnant women have the flu vaccine, whatever stage of pregnancy they're at. It's free for pregnant women.

A flu jab will help protect both you and your baby.

Pregnancy changes how the body responds to infections such as flu. There is good evidence that pregnant women have a higher chance of developing complications if they get flu, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy.

Young babies also have a higher risk of getting seriously ill if they get flu. Having flu increases the chances of pregnant women and their babies needing intensive care.

Studies have shown that it's safe to have a flu vaccine during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up until you go into labour.

Women who have had a flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies. This lasts for the first few months after they're born, when they're particularly at risk from flu.

It's safe to breastfeed if you had the flu vaccine while pregnant.

Further information can be found on the NHS website.

The vaccines have kept tens of thousands of people out of hospital and helped to save countless lives and they give you better protection than any immunity gained from previous infections. They also help protect your family and other people in your community, by helping to stop diseases spreading.

The flu vaccine has a good safety record, and the side effects are generally mild and do not last for more than a few days. Your safety will always come first and there are rigorous safety standards that have to be met through the approval process.

As with any medicine, vaccines are highly regulated products. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the official UK regulator are globally recognised for requiring the highest standards of safety, quality and effectiveness for medicines and vaccines.

There are checks at every stage in the development and manufacturing process. Vaccines are tested on tens of thousands of people across the world. They are tested on both men and women, on people from different ethnic backgrounds, and of all age groups.

If you think you’ve already had flu once you’ve recovered, you should still get the vaccines as they will still help protect you. The flu virus can change every year and the vaccine is updated every year to try to protect you better. 

Yes.

You can have the flu vaccine at the same time as other vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine and shingles vaccine. Ask your GP or pharmacist if you have any questions about this.

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Most people who are eligible for the flu vaccine can have it.

You only cannot have the vaccine if you've had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a previous dose of the vaccine or an ingredient in the vaccine.

Some of the flu vaccines used in the UK contain egg protein. Tell the person vaccinating you if you have an egg allergy.

If you are eligible for the flu or COVID-19 vaccine based on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommendations, it is important to top up your protection, even if you have had a vaccine or been ill with flu before, as immunity fades over time and flu viruses change each year.

The vaccines give you additional protection to that gained from previous infections.

The flu vaccine programmes aim to reduce the number of people that get seriously ill and reduce the spread of the virus. The government decide which groups will be eligible for free vaccines on the NHS. Their decision is based on the independent advice of clinical experts in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) who review the latest clinical evidence and data.

There are several types of flu vaccine given in the UK. If you're eligible for the flu vaccine on the NHS, you'll be offered one of the types that's most appropriate for you.

You can check the ingredients in the patient leaflets on the NHS website.

No.

Stomach flu, also known as gastroenteritis, is a condition that causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The main symptoms of gastroenteritis are:

• sudden, watery diarrhoea
• feeling sick
• vomiting, which can be projectile
• a mild fever
• loss of appetite

In most cases, people with stomach flu, or viral gastroenteritis, get better on their own without medical treatment. You can treat stomach flu by replacing lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. In some cases, over-the-counter medicines may help relieve your symptoms, check with your pharmacist or GP.

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