Mum's flu jab plea to protect vulnerable children

A mum has urged parents to vaccinate their children against flu after her young son was left vulnerable following a life-threatening illness.

Jess said her son Finley was born prematurely, weighing just 1.98kg (4lb 6oz), and suffered severe complications shortly after birth.

He developed a respiratory infection, which led to him being intubated, with a collapsed lung, and he suffered an 11-minute cardiac arrest.

Jess, 28, from Tibshelf in Derbyshire, said she wanted to raise awareness to encourage other parents to vaccinate their children, to help protect children like Finley.

Finley, four, now lives with tracheomalacia - a condition where the windpipe can collapse during breathing - as well as asthma, leaving him particularly vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.

Jess said: "When Finley gets even slightly unwell with a respiratory infection, his body really struggles.

"He usually needs hospital admission, nebulisers, steroids and oxygen. The flu would be catastrophic for him."

She said she now took extra steps to protect Finley from germs during the colder months.

"I know if I take Finley to a soft play over the winter, the following week we will end up in hospital," Jess said.

"It's not nice to see that as a parent, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

Jess has encouraged parents to find "a spare few minutes" to get their children vaccinated.

She added: "I know it's time-consuming, I know parents work full-time, but if you can just find a spare few minutes to take your child to get that vaccination or let them have it through school, you can prevent a lot of children and your child from getting really poorly."

The NHS says children are eligible for a free flu vaccine if they are aged two or three, are in Reception to Year 11, or have certain long-term health conditions.

For children, the vaccine is given as a nasal spray.

Vaccinating children also helps reduce the spread of flu to more vulnerable people, including babies, older adults and those with underlying health conditions.

Pregnant women are also routinely offered a flu jab, which helps protect babies until they are old enough to be vaccinated.

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