THOUSANDS of children are to be offered flu vaccinations as doctors try to halt the seasonal bug.
The Stay Well This Winter campaign run by Public Health England will reach out to 600,000 children.
This is the first year school children in Year Three will be offered the free vaccination.
This week parents will be asked to give permission for their children aged two to seven to be immunised.
This latest push to vaccinate children by PHE is part of a wider strategy to maximise national coverage.
Young children are one of the chief transmitters of the virus.
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said: "Flu can be much more dangerous for children than many parents realise, when children get flu, they tend to spread it around the whole family.
"Every year, thousands of children have flu and it is not uncommon for them to be admitted to hospital. The single best way to help protect your children, and the rest of the family, is to get them vaccinated. For most, it is just a quick, easy and painless nasal spray."
PHE have released figures showing four in 10 parents don't know their child is eligible for the free spray.
In Cumbria the number of children eligible for the free vaccine stands at 30,680. An extra 5,000 will be eligible because of extension to Year Three school children.
During flu season, there are on average 2,000 admissions to hospital, and thousands more GP appointments.
By vaccinating children, the potential risk of spreading the virus is lessened, reducing winter pressure on the NHS.
According to PHE there are virtually no other solutions to avoiding flu other than vaccination.
While living a healthier lifestyle, not being overweight and not smoking will potentially ease flu symptoms, they will not reduce your chance of catching the virus.
A spokesman for PHE said: "Protection is key. It's a fairly indiscriminate virus."
Read more about keeping your children safe:
The number of children being immunised against MMR plunges
Learn the early signs of meningitis
Hospitals advised to cut operations to combat the winter crisis
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