Dr. Colm Henry:

It is always a challenge. When the UK authorities introduced this in recognition that this age group is a large reservoir for flu infection, in the first few years they saw very sluggish uptake compared with the eligible group. In our experience, when we first introduced the childhood vaccination, uptake in the first year was of the order of 20%. It is difficult and challenging. Serious influenza is not common among children, so people's belief that accessing a vaccination prevents serious illness may not be so much there. Through our general practice colleagues and our communication campaign, we are encouraging parents to come forward for a vaccination not just to protect their children - thankfully it is a rare illness - but in recognition that this age group is a big reservoir of influenza for the larger population.