As children get set to head back to school after the summer holidays, staff are gearing up to administer flu vaccines to returning students.

A team of 30 school immunisation staff will visit nine primary schools each day from the beginning of October – a total of 343 – as they bid to inoculate 85,000 primary school pupils against flu.

The flu vaccine is given as a painless nasal spray, while those children who can’t have the nasal spray for medical or religious reasons can receive the vaccine as an injection in the upper arm. 

Linda de Caestecker, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s director of public health, said: “It may seem very early to be thinking about flu during the summer holidays, however we want to immunise as many children – one of the most vulnerable groups – as possible. 

“It is a massive operation for our teams, but it is hugely important as the vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus which causes severe illness and deaths each year.”

Schools will be sending out consent packs to parents and carers the week beginning August 20.