Annual flu jab for children 'could prevent spread of virus'
Last updated 8/4/2008 10:05:30 AM
Latest research suggests that vaccinating children against flu would prevent the spread of the virus in the whole population.
The Health Protection Agency reports that an annual flu jab for the under fives could reduce some types of infection by up to 70% and it's thought that immunising children would particularly protect the elderly.
The findings have increased calls for a reassessment of government policy. Flu vaccination is offered to children aged from six months to five years in America.
Children are prolific spreaders of infection because they have lower immunity and come into close contact with their families and each other.
Elderly and people with high-risk conditions are offered a flu vaccine every year but the latest study estimated the effects of vaccination in the under-twos, under-fives and under-16s on two types of flu.
The investigation found that if an annual vaccination programme included everyone under the age of 16, the incidence of both influenza A and influenza B could drop by more than 90%.
Immunising those aged between six months and two years could reduce flu in the population by between 11% and 35%. But it's estimated that including those up to the age of five years could reduce influenza A by up to 38% and influenza B by up to 69%.