Information about the flu and getting vaccinated
Most eligible adults will be able to get their flu vaccine from 1 October. This may be later than you’ve had the vaccine before, but it means you’ll have the best protection when flu is most likely to be circulating widely (December to February). Pregnant women and children will be able to get the flu vaccine from September as protection from vaccination lasts much longer in children than in adults (especially older adults).
It is important to get protected, even if you have had a vaccine or been ill with flu before, as immunity fades over time and these viruses change each year.
If you are vaccinated and catch flu this winter, you are likely to have milder symptoms and recover faster, cutting your risk of being hospitalised.
Find out more on the NHS England website
The flu vaccine programme focuses on those at greatest risk of getting seriously ill.
Flu often peaks over the festive and New Year period. Nobody wants to miss out on the festive celebrations with their friends and family this winter and the vaccines provide the best possible protection.
Those eligible for a flu vaccine include:
- People with certain long term health conditions, from 6 months to under 65s
- People aged 65 and over
- Pregnant women
- All children aged 2 or 3 years old on 31 August 2025
- Primary school aged children (from Reception to year 6)
- Secondary school aged children (from year 7 to Year 11)
- Care home residents
- 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 health and social care workers
First published by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on their Flu Awareness page.