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Parents pulling children out of school due to flu vaccine confusion

Misunderstandings about the flu vaccine nasal spray currently being piloted in England are leading some parents to pull their children out of school for days or even weeks, it has been warned.

Parents have also refused consent for their child to be vaccinated because of fears about the vaccine, Public Health England (PHE) has revealed.

It is the second year of a pilot programme of the new nasal spray flu vaccinations aimed at school-aged children, with schools being at the forefront of the delivery.

However, PHE has issued an information notice for headteachers this week warning about the misunderstandings.

It states: “PHE has been made aware of a number of instances where parents who have not given consent for their child to receive the … children’s flu vaccine nasal spray are also not allowing their child to be present in school – either on the day of immunisation or in some cases for days or weeks afterwards.”

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