Bright Futures Health · Health news
Children’s health news, read by a paediatrician
Guidance for parents changes more often than most families have time to follow. Each week we read what UKHSA, the NHS, the RCPCH and the journals have published, keep the handful of things that actually change what you should do for your child, and say plainly what we think it means. Every item links to the original source.
Last reviewed 12 September 2026 by Dr Martin Gray, Consultant Paediatrician
Primary school flu uptake, England
55.5%
of eligible primary school children vaccinated in 2025–26 — about 2.5 million of 4.5 million.
Selected years, not consecutive. Chart: Bright Futures Health. Data: UK Health Security Agency, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Only half of primary school children had a flu vaccine last year
Uptake in primary schools reached 55.5% in 2025–26 — up marginally on the year before but still below the 60%-plus seen before the pandemic. School sessions for this autumn began in the week of the announcement, and UKHSA is asking parents to return consent forms promptly.
Our take
The commonest reason a child misses the school flu vaccine is not refusal — it is a consent form still in a school bag. If you want your child vaccinated, sign and return it now rather than at the reminder. Children who miss the school session can still be caught up, and from December pharmacies are being asked to help with exactly that.
Illustration: BFH
Who can have the autumn 2026 flu vaccine
The programme opened on 1 September. Eligible children are those aged 2 or 3 on 31 August 2026, every child from Reception to Year 11, and any child from 6 months to under 18 in a clinical risk group. Most are offered the nasal spray rather than an injection. From 1 October some community pharmacies can vaccinate at-risk children aged 2–17.
Our take
Two questions come up every autumn. The nasal spray contains a weakened virus: it cannot give your child flu, and a vaccinated child is not a risk to an immunosuppressed sibling or grandparent. And a two- or three-year-old is vaccinated at the GP surgery, not at nursery — that appointment has to be booked by you.
Illustration: BFH
Recognising measles, and why two doses matter
UKHSA has re-issued its guidance on spotting measles in children: cold-like symptoms and fever first, sore red eyes, small white spots inside the cheeks, then a blotchy rash starting at the face and spreading down. Two doses of an MMR-containing vaccine give around 99% protection.
Our take
Measles is far more serious than the rash suggests, and it spreads before the rash appears. If you think your child may have it, phone ahead rather than sitting in a waiting room — we can see them without exposing other children, and that call matters more than the appointment itself.
Illustration: BFH
The childhood schedule changed in January — MMRV and a new 18-month visit
MMR has been replaced by MMRV, which adds chickenpox. Children born on or after 1 September 2022 are offered it routinely; those born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022 are offered a single catch-up dose. Hib/MenC has gone from the one-year appointment, with Hib protection now carried by a fourth 6-in-1 dose at a new 18-month visit for children born on or after 1 July 2024. The second MenB dose moved earlier, to 12 weeks; the first pneumococcal dose moved later, to 16 weeks.
Our take
This is the biggest change to the schedule in years and the catch-up cohorts are easy to miss, particularly for families who moved to the UK mid-schedule or whose child was born abroad. If you are not certain your child is up to date, bring the red book to your next appointment and we will map it against the current schedule properly.
Earlier items
Items move here once they are more than a few months old.
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We send the items that matter to London families, with the clinical reasoning left in. No more than monthly.
About this page
These are summaries of guidance and research published elsewhere, with our clinical interpretation added. They are general information, not advice about your own child, and guidance changes — always check the linked source for the current position. If you are worried about your child now, contact us, speak to your GP, or call NHS 111. If a child is seriously unwell, call 999.
Curated and reviewed by Dr Martin Gray, Consultant Paediatrician, Bright Futures Health.
Sources and credits
Headlines and figures are summarised from the linked publications and remain the copyright of their publishers. Charts on this page are drawn by Bright Futures Health from data published by the UK Health Security Agency and other public bodies, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. All illustrations are original artwork by Bright Futures Health. No photographs, logos or emblems belonging to UKHSA, the NHS, the RCPCH or any publisher are reproduced on this page.