The Department of Health said young children would be offered the vaccine once GPs had completed the vaccination of priority groups, including pregnant women. It said parents should wait to be contacted by their GP.
Children under five are more likely than other groups to be hospitalised if they become ill with swine flu.
Chief medical officer Liam Donaldson said: "Our first priority is to ensure that people with clinical risk factors, and frontline health and social care staff are vaccinated. Protecting those most at risk from the disease will reduce the levels of serious illness, and deaths. That's why we will shortly offer the vaccine to young children."
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here