Influenza Vaccination Strategies in Primary Care:
- Inform and proactively invite eligible children and adults during face-to-face interactions, whenever possible, about flu vaccination benefits and offer vaccination appointments tailored to their individual risk factors, such as pregnancy or clinical conditions.
- Use written reminders (texts, letters, emails), phone calls, digital media (including links to trusted information and online booking), and peer-led approaches to increase uptake, especially in underserved groups.
- Preschool children aged 2 and 3 years should receive the nasal flu vaccine in general practice, while older children are usually vaccinated through school programs.
- Health and social care staff in primary care should be educated about eligibility, benefits, and how to identify candidates for vaccination to maximise opportunities to vaccinate during routine contacts.
- Ensure adequate vaccine supply and audit vaccination uptake to inform and improve strategies continuously.
Preferred influenza vaccines by age group:
- People aged 65 years or over: adjuvanted quadrivalent influenza vaccine (aQIV) or high-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV-HD); quadrivalent cell-based vaccine (QIVc) as an alternative.
- People aged 60 to 64 years: QIVc or QIV-HD as preferred; QIV egg-based (QIVe) as alternative.
- People aged 18 to 59 years: QIVc preferred; QIVe alternative.
- Children 6 months to under 2 years in clinical risk groups: QIVc preferred; QIVe alternative.
- Children aged 2 years to under 18 years: live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) preferred; QIVc or QIVe alternative.
Vaccination should be postponed in individuals acutely unwell with febrile illness. Contraindications include a history of anaphylaxis to vaccine components or previous doses, with specialist advice sought if needed.
Pneumococcal Vaccination Strategies in Primary Care:
- Identify eligible groups such as older adults and people with chronic health conditions or immunosuppression and offer pneumococcal vaccination opportunistically during routine appointments.
- Utilise recall and invitation systems similar to influenza vaccination to improve uptake.
- Ensure adherence to national schedules as outlined in the UK immunisation Green Book and local commissioning guidance.
Overall, adopt a multicomponent approach combining awareness-raising, recall systems, opportunistic vaccination, and education of healthcare staff to achieve high uptake for both influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in primary care settings.
All these strategies promote annual influenza vaccination before the late November peak, with protective levels developing within 14 days.
References: NICE NG103, NICE CKS, NICE CKS