Flu Vaccination
Winter Flu Campaign 2025
The following information relates to the 2025-26 flu season.
CTMUHB employees: please visit our dedicated vaccination page for staff.
Last updated: 4 December 2025
Each year in Wales, around a million people have their flu vaccine. That’s more than one in every four people.
Flu is more likely to be serious if you have a long-term health condition, are pregnant, or are older.
Flu can also be serious for young children.
About the flu vaccine
Flu can be very serious. It is caused by a virus, which is spread by coughs and sneezes. Symptoms of flu can be mild but can also lead to more serious illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia (lung infections), which may need treatment in hospital.
Flu is very infectious, and symptoms can come on very quickly. Symptoms of flu include a high temperature, tiredness and weakness, headache, aches and pains and a cough. More information about flu is available from the NHS 111 Wales website.
There are outbreaks of flu most winters, especially in hospitals and care homes.
In a normal winter, thousands of people will die from flu-related illnesses in the UK. Having a flu vaccine every year is one of the best ways to protect against flu. It is very important to get your flu vaccine every year if you are eligible.
Flu vaccines are quick and very safe and could prevent weeks of serious illness.
Listen to Rhianydd Davey, Immunisation Coordinator, on GTFM radio sharing expert insights on the importance of the flu vaccine and how it helps protect our communities this winter. (25:15 onwards). You can also hear information on the COVID-19 and RSV vaccinations and who is eligible to receive them.
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Who should have the flu vaccine?
You should have the flu vaccine if you are:
- pregnant
- aged 65 or over (or turn 65 before the end of the flu vaccination programme – usually March each year), or
- aged six months to 64 years with a long-term health condition, including:
- problems with your chest or breathing, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma, that need regular steroid inhalers or tablets
- a heart problem
- kidney disease (from stage 3)
- liver disease
- nerve conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease or motor neurone disease
- a learning disability
- severe mental illness
- diabetes
- epilepsy
- a weak immune system due to illness or treatment
- a missing spleen or a problem with your spleen, or
- being very overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more and aged 16 or over).
Even if you feel well, you are at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu if any of the above apply to you.
The following people should also have the flu vaccine to help protect themselves and those around them.
- People living in a care home
- People working directly with patients or clients in health or social care
- People who are homeless
- Poultry workers who are at high risk
- Children aged two and three years (age on 31 August 2025)
- School-age children and young people from reception to year 11
- Carers
- First responders and members of voluntary organisations providing planned emergency first aid
- Those who live with someone who has a weak immune system
Most children and young people will have their vaccine as a quick and painless nasal spray, where a fine mist is sprayed up the nose from the tip of each nostril. The nasal spray vaccine is the recommend flu vaccine for most children and young people from the age of two.
If your child is eligible for a flu vaccine, you should be contacted by their GP surgery or school nurse. If you think your child might have missed their vaccine, contact the school nurse if they are school age or GP surgery if they are not in school.
If you think you might have missed your invitation for a flu vaccine, contact your GP or your local pharmacy.
How to get your flu vaccine
The table below shows who can have the flu vaccine and where to get it.
| Children aged two or three (age on 31 August 2025) | GP surgery. (In some areas, three-year-olds were offered the vaccine at nursery.) Keep an eye out for any additional vaccination sessions running at our Community Vaccination Centres. |
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| Primary and secondary school children | At school. Please note, as of 1 December 2025 the school nursing flu vaccination programme has now ended. GP surgeries are able to offer vaccinations to school-aged children. Also, keep an eye out for any catch-up programmes running at our Community Vaccination Centres. |
| Children aged four or older who are not in school |
GP surgery (you will need to make an appointment). Also, keep an eye out for any additional vaccination sessions running at our Community Vaccination Centres. |
| Children aged six months to 17 years with a long-term health condition |
GP surgery (school-age children were offered the flu vaccine at school). Keep an eye out for any catch-up programmes running at our Community Vaccination Centres. |
| Pregnant women | GP surgery, some local pharmacies, or from your midwife (in some areas of Wales) |
| Adults with a long-term health condition | GP surgery or your local pharmacy |
| People aged 65 or over | GP surgery or your local pharmacy |
| Unpaid carers | GP surgery or your local pharmacy |
| Domiciliary carers (those who provide care in people’s homes) | Local pharmacy (in some areas there are other arrangements) |
| Care home staff | Local pharmacy (in some areas there are other arrangements) |
| Health and social care workers | Through your employer or from your GP surgery |
| Poultry workers at highest risk | Local pharmacy |
As of 1 December 2025, the school nursing flu vaccination programme has now ended. Keep an eye out for any additional vaccination sessions running at our Community Vaccination Centres.
The flu vaccine was delivered across CTM by school nurses and GPs as follows:
| Local Authority Area | 2 year olds | 3 year olds in a state nursery | 3 year olds not in a state nursery | 4 to 15 year olds | 4 to 15 year olds not in school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merthyr Tydfil | GP | School nurses | GP | School nurses | GP |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | GP | School nurses | GP | School nurses | GP |
| Bridgend | GP | GP | GP | School nurses | GP |
Ideally, the flu vaccine should be given before flu starts to spread. However, it can still be given at a later date.