This post was last checked and updated in November 2025.
It’s time for those who are eligible for the national flu vaccination programme to book their free flu vaccine.
Flu can be particularly dangerous for certain groups, which is why they are eligible for the vaccination programme. This includes pregnant women, young children, those with certain long-term health conditions, and older adults aged 65 years and over. A list of who is eligible is given below.
Babies under 6 months have one of the highest hospitalisation rates from flu every season, but there aren’t any flu vaccines licensed for babies under 6 months. This is one of the reasons why it is so important that pregnant women have the vaccination. Women will pass on some immunity to their baby, helping to protect their baby during the pregnancy and also during the early months of their life. The vaccine also helps to protect the pregnant woman and her unborn baby during the pregnancy. The flu vaccine can be given at any stage of pregnancy, but it’s best to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Who is eligible for the flu vaccine this year?
The NHS recommends flu vaccination for several groups:
From 1 September 2025
- pregnant women
- all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025
- children with certain long-term health conditions (aged 6 months to less than 18 years)
- primary school aged children (from reception to Year 6)
- secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
- all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to under 18 years
From 1 October 2025
- everyone aged 65 years and over
- individuals aged 18 to under 65 with certain long-term health conditions
- care home residents
- carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- those living with people who are immunocompromised
- frontline health and social care workers
The NHS website contains further information on eligibility, but if you’re unsure whether you’re able to have a free vaccination you can consult your GP, practice nurse, or pharmacist. If you’re pregnant you can also consult your midwife.
If you’re eligible, you need to know why it matters that you take up the offer.
What harm can flu do?
Flu is far more than just a bad cold. For some, it can increase the risk of developing serious lung and airway infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia or can make existing conditions worse. Flu spreads easily and can lead to hospitalisation – in some cases, even death. The flu virus is constantly changing, which is why getting vaccinated each year is vital.
How and when can I get a flu vaccination?
If you are eligible for a flu vaccination, the NHS will usually let you know when you can book an appointment. Speak to your GP practice if you have not been contacted, but think you are eligible.
The best time to get your flu jab is in the autumn or early winter, before flu starts circulating widely. However, if you miss this window, it’s still beneficial to get vaccinated later in the season as we can see late flu activity. This is because there are different strains of flu virus and they can circulate at different times over the winter period. The vaccine protects against different strains of flu virus.
How is the flu vaccine given?
For adults, the flu vaccine is administered as an injection. Children are typically offered a nasal spray, which is quick and painless. The vaccine is updated each year to combat the most prevalent strains of the virus, and protection from the vaccine also goes down with time, so even if you were vaccinated last year, it’s essential to get a new jab for the 2025 season.
Can the flu vaccine make you feel ill?
Like all medicines, the flu vaccine can cause side effects, though not everyone experiences them. If you do feel a bit under the weather after your vaccine, this is a consequence of your body’s immune system responding to the vaccine and learning how to protect itself from flu, although not everyone experiences these side effects.
The most common side effects are mild and typically clear up within 1 to 2 days. These can include pain or soreness where you received the injection, a slightly raised temperature, an aching body, or generally feeling unwell. It’s important to remember that these potential side effects are much less serious than flu itself or the complications that flu can cause, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. More serious side effects, such as severe allergic reactions, are very rare, and healthcare professionals are trained to deal with them immediately.
One common concern is whether the vaccine can actually give you flu – it cannot. The injected flu vaccines used in the UK do not contain live flu viruses, so you won’t catch flu from having the vaccine.
Can the children’s nasal flu vaccine cause flu?
Most children receive a nasal spray vaccine rather than an injection. It’s offered to children because it works well, has an excellent safety record, and is much easier to administer than an injection. This contains a live attenuated (weakened) influenza virus that helps protect against flu. Parents sometimes worry this ‘live’ vaccine might cause flu in their child. The weakened virus does not cause clinical flu in children who receive it. Only the tiny number of children who are severely immunosuppressed (such as those who have just had a bone marrow transplant) may be advised by a doctor to avoid live vaccines. Millions of doses have now been given in the UK with an excellent safety profile.
Unvaccinated contacts are not at risk from being near a recently vaccinated child, whether in the same room during vaccination or afterwards. There’s no need for any child or staff member to be excluded from school during vaccination sessions or in the following weeks. The tiny number of children who live with very immunosuppressed people, may be offered an alternative flu vaccine.
