Cambridgeshire tops list of
Data on the number of school aged children vaccinated against flu this winter in England has revealed that Cambridgeshire was top of the list in England.
Over 78% of school aged children in Cambridgeshire received their flu vaccination between October 2024 and January 2025, with over 58% of school children in Peterborough also vaccinated. The flu vaccination programme is aimed at all school aged children from Reception year to Year 11, with vaccinations delivered by teams from Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust.
Cali Makewell, integrated services lead at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICB said, “We are delighted our vaccination rates for school aged children in Cambridgeshire are the best in England. Vaccinating children against flu is really important, it not only protects them from this extremely unpleasant illness but also it helps stop the spread to other people who are more vulnerable such as older relatives.
“We wouldn’t be top in the country without our dedicated teams out vaccinating children at school, and I also want to thank all the parents who filled in the consent forms to enable their children to get vaccinated as part of the schools vaccination programme.”
Sally Cartwright, Director of Public Health at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see such a high uptake of the flu vaccine in school aged children in Cambridgeshire. This is testament to the dedication of our local healthcare and public health teams, schools and families who have worked closely together to make this happen.
“Of course, there is still work needed to reach those children who have not yet been vaccinated against flu, as well as other childhood illnesses like measles, rubella, tetanus and meningitis. Immunisation is the simplest and most effective way of protecting our whole community, and for that reason I would strongly urge parents in Cambridgeshire to keep up the great work and continue vaccinating their children against flu when invited by their school or GP surgery.”
In September 2025, the flu vaccination programme will begin for winter 2025 with school aged children in the first group to receive their vaccinations. For more information on the children’s flu vaccine visit https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/child-flu-vaccine/