ePulse V12 number 12 - Special Edition

Friday 5 March 2010

Extension of eligibility criteria for free seasonal influenza vaccine for children in 2010

The Ministry of Health is using a targeted rather than universal approach to free influenza vaccination for preschoolers. The Minister of Health has decided to extend the targeting to ensure that high risk children in all practices are eligible to receive free vaccination. This is in addition to the existing eligibility criteria for free seasonal flu vaccination for 2010. College President Dr Harry Pert has welcomed this decision, “This demonstrates the Minister’s commitment to working closely with clinical leaders to deliver positive health outcomes.”

You should by now have received the Ministry fax which states:

Extension of the 2010 eligibility criteria to children (under 5) for free seasonal influenza vaccine  

The Ministry of Health is extending free flu vaccination to more children aged 6 months to under 5 years, for 2010 only. General Practices can use their discretion to offer free flu immunisation to children from high deprivation backgrounds who are aged between 6 months and 5 years.

Children with certain chronic conditions are already eligible – which is the case every year.

Evidence from 2009 suggests that children with chronic medical conditions, particularly respiratory and neurological; children from high areas of deprivation (quintile 5); and Maori and Pacific children are more at risk of hospitalisation from swine flu.

General practices are now responsible for using clinical judgement to offer free vaccination to children who they consider are likely to get sicker than others if they get the flu. PHOs will provide advice to practices. Meanwhile the factors that the College recommends you use in identifying such children include: Maori or Pacific ethnicity, being from areas of deprivation (quintile 5), living in crowded housing, requiring high use of primary and secondary care for recurrent illness, having respiratory conditions, being poorly nourished, or being exposed to passive smoking in the home. It is recommended that the parents of high risk children be contacted and the offer of free vaccination made.

While all children would benefit from the seasonal influenza vaccination, free vaccination is not universally available to all children. Only vaccination for children in high-risk groups is funded. Vaccination can be made available on request to children who are not high risk, but will need to be funded by parents or caregivers.