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Nasal flu vaccination spray offered to Wolverhampton youngsters

Thousands of youngsters in Wolverhampton will be among the first in the UK to be given nasal anti-flu spray as part of a pioneering NHS pilot scheme.

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Year 7 and 8 youngsters in Wolverhampton will receive the Fluenz immunisation, which is not yet available at GP practices.

All parents across the city will be contacted about Fluenz, which has been used in the US for more than 10 years.

Vacinnations, being run in conjunction with NHS England, will take place from September onwards, in time for winter.

The childhood flu immunisation scheme is expected to be introduced nationally in a few years but youngsters in Wolverhampton will be among the first in the country to benefit.

The painless nasal spray protect youngsters against several strains of the flu virus.

It was introduced in the UK last year as a way of protecting healthy two and three-year-olds against the virus.

Health bosses hope immunising school pupils in years 7 and 8 will help stop the spread of the virus through the city's schools and from being passed on to friends and family members, some of who may be more vulnerable to its effects.

School nurses from the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital, will administer the nasal spray at schools across Wolverhampton.

Councillor Sandra Samuels, Wolverhampton City Council's health chief, said the local authority was happy to be taking part in the scheme.

She said: "I'm pleased that Wolverhampton is taking part in this pilot programme which will give young people the best possible protection against flu.

"The nasal spray has been used safely in America for many years and also in the UK for the first time last year, when hundreds of thousands of younger children were successfully vaccinated."

Ros Jervis, Wolverhampton's director of Public Health, added: "Having the vaccine will help protect children from what can be a very nasty illness and reduce the chance of others in their family getting it.

"It can also help parents avoid having to take time out to look after a sick child or because they have contracted flu themselves."

Bosses from Public Health England said it was important that youngsters took up the offer of immunisation.

Dr Paul Cosford, director for Health Protection and medical director at Public Health England, said: "It's important that children take up the offer of a vaccination if offered to them later in the year.

"Every year, hundreds of thousands of people may see their GP and tens of thousands may be hospitalised because of flu each winter."

Secondary schools in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Worcestershire and Birmingham are also taking part in the pilot scheme.

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