PARENTS should vaccinate their kids and watch out for a back-to-school virus wave, health chiefs say.
The UK Health Security Agency warns the new school term will be a breeding ground for cough and stomach bugs.
GettyCoughing and stomach bugs are rife at schools in the winter, top doctors warn[/caption]
Mums and dads are urged to check young ones are up to date with flu jabs as well as routine vaccines like measles and whooping cough, which are all free on the NHS.
They should also keep children home from school if they are ill and teach them good hygiene.
Dr Catherine Falconer, a director at the UKHSA, said: “As children head back to school, there are steps parents and families can take to keep the household healthy.
“The winter period can see an increase in common viruses which disrupt children’s education and cause more serious illnesses.
“By following this guidance, parents are also protecting the wider community.”
It comes as the NHS last week warned winter is “hitting hard” with Covid and flu patient numbers surging and ambulances the busiest they have been in months.
A new Covid variant, JN.1, is also driving up infections to near-record levels.
The UKHSA warned it is also seeing a lot of stomach bugs norovirus and E.coli, while scarlet fever and chickenpox are also more common in winter.
Medics also fear a return of measles, which was once eliminated in England, because not enough parents are vaccinating their children.
Around one in seven children are not fully protected by the time they start school, leaving them at risk from the super-contagious virus.