Seasonal influenza vaccination surveillance in Northern Ireland Autumn/Winter 2024/25

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Surveillance in Northern Ireland 2024/25

1 Summary
2 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2024/25
3 Vaccine uptake in eligible adults
4 Vaccine uptake in eligible children
5 Vaccine uptake in eligible health and social care workers
6 Eligibility for vaccinations
7 Methods
8 Supplementary tables

1 Summary

A total of 593,318 influenza vaccinations were administered during the 2024/25 seasonal influenza vaccination programme which commenced on 07 October 2024 and ended on 31 March 2025.
Uptake of influenza vaccination was highest in individuals aged 65 years and over and care home residents.
Vaccine uptake was highest in Lisburn and Castlereagh Local Government District (LGD) in eligible adult cohorts reported by LGD; 65 years and over, 50-64 years and 18-49 years ‘at risk’. Vaccine uptake was lowest in Mid Ulster for the same eligible groups.
Vaccine uptake in eligible children was highest in primary school children.
Vaccine uptake was lower compared to the previous programme in 2023/24 in most eligible groups. Vaccine uptake improved in those aged 18-49 years ‘at risk’ and post primary school children in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24.

2 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2024/25

The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2024/25 commenced in Northern Ireland on 07 October 2024 and ended on 31 March 2025. The vaccination programme was delivered by a number of providers including GP, community pharmacy, Health and Social Care Trusts and Trust school nursing teams. The total number of vaccinations administered during the programme was 593,318. Influenza vaccine uptake in eligible adults in 2024/25 was highest in care home residents (80%) and those aged 65 years and over (73.7%). Uptake of influenza vaccine uptake in eligible children was highest in primary school children at (64.9%) (Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake by eligible group in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

3 Vaccine uptake in eligible adults

Influenza vaccination recording was introduced into the Northern Ireland Vaccine Management System (VMS) in 2021/22. Vaccine uptake in most eligible adult groups has decreased since 2022/23. Vaccine uptake has improved in individuals aged 18-49 years ‘at risk’, increasing from 11.9% in 2023/24 to 28.6% in 2024/25. Recording of ‘at risk’ eligibility criteria improved in 2024/25. Vaccine uptake remains highest in care home residents since 2022/23, however uptake has declined during this time from 82.5% in 2022/23 to 80% in 2024/25 (Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in eligible adults in Northern Ireland, 2021/22 to 2024/25.

3.1 65 years and over

3.1.1 65 years and over by Local Government District

Vaccine uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over varied by LGD. Vaccine uptake was highest in Lisburn and Castlereagh (81.6%) and lowest in Mid Ulster (60.6%) (Figure 3.2).

Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Figure 3.2: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

3.1.2 65 years and over by age band

Vaccine uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over improved with increasing age. Vaccine uptake increased from 64.6% in those aged 65-69 years to 85.3% in those aged 80 years and over (Figure 3.3).

Figure 3.3: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by age band in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

3.2 50-64 years

3.2.1 50-64 years by Local Government District

Vaccine uptake in individuals aged 50-64 years varied by LGD. Vaccine uptake was highest in Lisburn and Castlereagh (32.9%) and lowest in Mid-Ulster (18%) (Figure 3.4).

Figure 3.4: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 50 to 64 years by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

3.2.2 50-64 years by age band

Vaccine uptake in individuals aged 50-64 years improved with increasing age. Vaccine uptake increased from 17.1% in those aged 50-54 years to 37.1% in those aged 60-64 years (Figure 3.5).

Figure 3.5: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 50 to 64 years by age band in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

3.3 18-49 years ‘at risk’

3.3.1 18-49 years ‘at risk’ by Local Government District

Vaccine uptake in individuals aged 18-49 years ‘at risk’ varied by LGD. Vaccine uptake was highest in Lisburn and Castlereagh (37.5%) and lowest in Mid-Ulster (20%) (Figure 3.6).

Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 to 49 years 'at risk' by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Figure 3.6: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 to 49 years ‘at risk’ by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

3.3.2 18-49 years ‘at risk’ by age band

Vaccine uptake in individuals aged 18-49 years ‘at risk’ improved with increasing age. Vaccine uptake increased from 19.8% in those aged 18-24 years to 34.5% in those aged 45-49 years (Figure 3.7).

Figure 3.7: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 to 49 years ‘at risk’ by age band in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

3.4 Care Home residents

3.4.1 Care Home residents by Trust

Vaccine uptake in care home residents was relatively similar across Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust area; ranging from 77.3% in Western HSC Trust (WHSCT) to 85.6% in South Eastern HSC Trust (SEHSCT) (Figure 3.8).

Figure 3.8: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in care home residents by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

4 Vaccine uptake in eligible children

Influenza vaccinations administered to children as part of the school flu vaccine programme flow into VMS (introduced 2024/25). Vaccine uptake in most eligible children has decreased since 2021/22. Vaccine uptake improved in post primary school children in 2024/25 (58.5%) compared to 2023/24 (56.5%) (Figure 4.1).

Figure 4.1: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in eligible children in Northern Ireland, 2021/22 to 2024/25.

4.1 Preschool children

4.1.1 Preschool children by Local Government District

Vaccine uptake in preschool children varied by LGD. Vaccine uptake was highest in Lisburn and Castlereagh (42.8%) and lowest in both Mid Ulster (20.7%) and Fermanagh and Omagh (20.6%) (Figure 4.2).

Figure 4.2: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in preschool children by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

4.2 Primary school children

4.2.1 Primary school children by Trust

Vaccine uptake in primary school children varied by HSC Trust area. Uptake was highest in SEHSCT (71.3%) and lowest in WHSCT (58.5%) (Figure 4.3).

Figure 4.3: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in primary school children in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

4.3 Post primary school children

4.3.1 Post primary school children by Trust

Vaccine uptake in primary school children varied by HSC Trust area. Uptake was highest in SEHSCT (63.2%) and lowest in WHSCT (55.4%) (Figure 4.4).

Figure 4.4: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in post primary school children in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

5 Vaccine uptake in eligible health and social care workers

Individuals may have more than one eligibility criteria for vaccination, however most will only have one reason for vaccination recorded on VMS. This particularly impacts estimates of vaccine uptake in health and social care workers, including care home staff. Estimated vaccine uptake in eligible health and social care workers has decreased since 2021/22. Estimated vaccine uptake remained relatively similar between 2023/24 and 2024/25 for all Trust-employed health and social care workers (21.6-21.4%) and frontline-Trust employed health and social care workers (21.5-21.7%). Estimated vaccine uptake decreased in care home staff in 2024/25 (6.5%) compared to 2023/24 (10.2%) (Figure 5.1).

Figure 5.1: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in health and social care workers in Northern Ireland, 2021/22 to 2024/25.

6 Eligibility for vaccinations

The Green Book is published by UK Health Security Agency and provides information for public health professionals on immunisation, including seasonal influenza vaccination (The Green Book | Immunisation againist infectious disease). Considering this advice and that of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the Chief Medical Officer in Northern Ireland issues a letter for the seasonal influenza programme outlining who is eligible for vaccination under the current programme. For more information on the vaccination programmes in Northern Ireland, including eligibility for vaccination, please visit Health NI | Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2024/2025.

The Green Book advised that influenza immunisation should be provided to healthcare and social care workers in direct contact with patients/clients, i.e. frontline health and social care workers (Green Book | Chapter 19: Influenza). In Northern Ireland, the offer of seasonal influenza vaccination in 2024/25 was to all health and social care workers including those without direct patient contact.

The Green Book advice was to offer influenza vaccination to all those aged six months or older in an eligible clinical risk group. At the beginning of the 2024/25 seasonal influenza programme in Northern Ireland, vaccination was offered to all aged six months to 64 years in an eligible clinical risk group. The offer of influenza vaccination was extended on 15 January 2025 to include all individuals aged 50 to 64 years, regardless of clinical risk group. Individuals aged six months to 49 years in a clinical risk group remained eligible for vaccination.

7 Methods

Data presented to the end of the influenza vaccination programme, 31 March 2025.

All vaccinations were recorded on the Northern Ireland Vaccine Management System (VMS). Vaccinations administered as part of the schools influenza vaccination programme were recorded on the Northern Ireland Child Health System (CHS) which fed into VMS.

Data was accurate at the time of extraction, 28 May 2025. Data lags exist between date of administration of the vaccine and date of recording on VMS or CHS. Eligible groups were not mutually exclusive and individuals may be counted in more than one group. Individuals may have more than one eligibility criteria for vaccination, however most will only have one reason for vaccination recorded on VMS. This will impact estimates of vaccine uptake.

7.1 Definitions and data sources

Vaccine uptake (%) was defined as the number of vaccinations administered (numerator) divided by the eligible population (denominator). Vaccine uptake was included in this report for those eligible groups in which a denominator was available.

Seasonal influenza vaccination was defined as any vaccination recorded on the Northern Ireland Vaccine Management System (VMS) administered from 01 September 2024 to 31 March 2025.

7.1.1 Adult vaccinations by age group

Age for adult vaccinations was based on age at end of programme, 31st March 2025. The age group based population was based on the NISRA mid-year estimate (2021).

7.1.2 At risk individuals

Individuals ‘at risk’ were determined using the reason for vaccination ‘at risk’ or ‘immunosuppressed’, as populated on the VMS. The population ‘at risk’ was determined using data from the national General Practice Intelligence Platform (GPIP) extracted at the beginning of the programme. Vaccine uptake for the adult ‘at risk’ population was estimated in this report.

7.1.3 Pre-school children

Pre-school children were those aged two to four years on 1st September 2024, i.e. those born between 02/07/2020 and 01/09/2022. This population was determined using data from CHS extracted at the beginning of the programme.

7.1.4 School-aged children

Primary school children were those in primary years 1 to 7 during the programme, i.e. those born between 02/07/2013 and 01/07/2020. Post primary school children were those in years 8 to 12 during the programme, i.e. those born between 02/07/2008 and 01/07/2013. The population of primary and post primary school children was determined using data extracted from CHS at the beginning of the programme.

7.1.5 Care home

Care home residents are those recorded as a care home resident with a valid RQIA care home registration number on VMS. The care home resident population is based on the beds occupied reported in the Northern Ireland RQIA Census of Bed Availability in Registered Care Homes in Northern Ireland (December 2023). Care home staff are those aged under 75 years and recorded as care home staff on VMS. The care home staff population is based on the latest data submission from care homes on the RQIA web portal in August 2023.

8 Supplementary tables

Table 1: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake by eligible group in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Eligible group	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
65 years and over	242,510	329,235	73.7
50-64 years	97,070	374,072	25.9
18-49 years 'at risk'	34,471	120,325	28.6
Care Home residents	10,787	13,490	80.0
Care Home Staff	1,368	20,897	6.5
All Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	14,641	68,443	21.4
Frontline Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	11,132	51,289	21.7
Preschool children	14,091	46,997	30.0
Primary School children	114,496	176,549	64.9
Post Primary School children	74,414	127,143	58.5

Table 2: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake eligible adults in Northern Ireland, 2021/22 to 2024/25.

Eligible group	Season	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
65 years and over	2021/22	196,028	339,119	57.8
65 years and over	2022/23	273,344	329,235	83.0
65 years and over	2023/24	256,703	329,235	78.0
65 years and over	2024/25	242,510	329,235	73.7
50-64 years	2021/22	167,306	382,418	43.7
50-64 years	2022/23	192,738	374,072	51.5
50-64 years	2023/24	108,155	374,072	28.9
50-64 years	2024/25	97,070	374,072	25.9
18-49 years 'at risk'	2023/24	15,632	131,851	11.9
18-49 years 'at risk'	2024/25	34,471	120,325	28.6
Care Home residents	2022/23	11,146	13,516	82.5
Care Home residents	2023/24	11,189	13,704	81.6
Care Home residents	2024/25	10,787	13,490	80.0

Table 3: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25. in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

LGD	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	19,460	25,315	76.9
Ards and North Down	29,193	36,497	80.0
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	25,688	35,336	72.7
Belfast	38,034	51,188	74.3
Causeway Coast and Glens	19,867	27,602	72.0
Derry City and Strabane	17,715	24,315	72.9
Fermanagh and Omagh	13,646	21,648	63.0
Lisburn and Castlereagh	21,574	26,423	81.6
Mid Ulster	13,773	22,723	60.6
Mid and East Antrim	20,839	27,551	75.6
Newry, Mourne and Down	22,454	30,637	73.3

Table 4: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by age band in Northern Ireland, 2024/25. in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Age Band	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
65-69	60,683	93,947	64.6
70-74	57,703	83,740	68.9
75-79	52,193	67,262	77.6
80+	71,931	84,286	85.3

Table 5: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in individuals aged 50 to 64 years by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25. in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

LGD	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	8,580	28,861	29.7
Ards and North Down	10,100	34,682	29.1
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	10,113	41,849	24.2
Belfast	17,445	62,614	27.9
Causeway Coast and Glens	6,956	29,758	23.4
Derry City and Strabane	7,296	30,331	24.1
Fermanagh and Omagh	4,221	23,219	18.2
Lisburn and Castlereagh	9,881	30,022	32.9
Mid Ulster	4,817	26,833	18.0
Mid and East Antrim	8,751	30,059	29.1
Newry, Mourne and Down	8,678	35,844	24.2

Table 6: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in individuals aged 50 to 64 years by age band in Northern Ireland, 2024/25. in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Age Band	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
50-54	22,329	130,617	17.1
55-59	32,432	129,531	25.0
60-64	42,309	113,924	37.1

Table 7: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 to 49 years ‘at risk’ by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25. in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

LGD	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	2,896	9,135	31.7
Ards and North Down	3,511	9,523	36.9
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	3,978	13,423	29.6
Belfast	6,180	22,842	27.1
Causeway Coast and Glens	2,308	8,083	28.6
Derry City and Strabane	2,534	10,388	24.4
Fermanagh and Omagh	1,474	7,079	20.8
Lisburn and Castlereagh	3,446	9,185	37.5
Mid Ulster	1,944	9,707	20.0
Mid and East Antrim	2,734	8,892	30.7
Newry, Mourne and Down	3,386	11,384	29.7

Table 8: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 to 49 years ‘at risk’ by age band in Northern Ireland, 2024/25. in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Age Band	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
18-24	3,507	17,674	19.8
25-29	3,548	14,707	24.1
30-34	4,742	16,897	28.1
35-39	6,096	20,424	29.8
40-44	7,257	23,578	30.8
45-49	9,321	27,045	34.5

Table 9: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in care home residents by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2024/25. in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Trust	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
BHSCT	2,155	2,680	80.4
NHSCT	2,705	3,521	76.8
SEHSCT	2,740	3,201	85.6
SHSCT	1,731	2,224	77.8
WHSCT	1,440	1,864	77.3

Table 10: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in eligible children in Northern Ireland, 2021/22 to 2024/25.

Eligible group	Season	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Preschool children	2021/22	12,710	49,950	25.4
Preschool children	2022/23	16,521	50,057	33.0
Preschool children	2023/24	15,205	46,282	32.9
Preschool children	2024/25	14,091	46,997	30.0
Primary School children	2021/22	129,660	178,347	72.7
Primary School children	2022/23	124,971	176,870	70.7
Primary School children	2023/24	120,614	175,900	68.6
Primary School children	2024/25	114,496	176,549	64.9
Post Primary School children	2021/22	82,065	128,538	63.8
Post Primary School children	2022/23	77,762	127,329	61.1
Post Primary School children	2023/24	72,303	127,883	56.5
Post Primary School children	2024/25	74,414	127,143	58.5

Table 11: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in preschool children by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

LGD	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	1,131	3,328	34.0
Ards and North Down	1,342	3,312	40.5
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	1,832	5,786	31.7
Belfast	2,280	8,337	27.3
Causeway Coast and Glens	983	3,178	30.9
Derry City and Strabane	861	4,029	21.4
Fermanagh and Omagh	612	2,969	20.6
Lisburn and Castlereagh	1,572	3,672	42.8
Mid Ulster	913	4,407	20.7
Mid and East Antrim	1,097	3,008	36.5
Newry, Mourne and Down	1,422	4,971	28.6

Table 12: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in primary children by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Trust	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
BHSCT	21,993	33,857	65.0
NHSCT	28,392	42,419	66.9
SEHSCT	22,529	31,611	71.3
SHSCT	24,275	39,108	62.1
WHSCT	17,302	29,554	58.5

Table 13: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in post primary children by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Trust	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
BHSCT	16,149	28,172	57.3
NHSCT	17,749	29,026	61.1
SEHSCT	12,594	19,939	63.2
SHSCT	16,026	28,548	56.1
WHSCT	11,896	21,458	55.4

Table 14: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in health and social care workers in Northern Ireland, 2021/22 to 2024/25.

Eligible group	Season	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
All Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	2021/22	29,646	71,782	41.3
All Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	2023/24	14,923	69,087	21.6
All Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	2024/25	14,641	68,443	21.4
Frontline Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	2021/22	22,701	51,013	44.5
Frontline Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	2022/23	17,031	50,239	33.9
Frontline Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	2023/24	10,828	50,253	21.5
Frontline Trust-employed Health and Social Care Workers	2024/25	11,132	51,289	21.7
Care Home Staff	2022/23	3,471	20,513	16.9
Care Home Staff	2023/24	2,140	21,005	10.2
Care Home Staff	2024/25	1,368	20,897	6.5

Table 15: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in all Trust-employed health and social care workers by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Trust	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
BHSCT	4,893	21,236	23.0
NHSCT	2,239	11,748	19.1
NIAS	345	1,476	23.4
SEHSCT	2,764	10,771	25.7
SHSCT	2,299	11,918	19.3
WHSCT	2,101	11,294	18.6

Table 16: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in frontline Trust-employed health and social care workers by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Trust	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
BHSCT	3,800	15,838	24.0
NHSCT	1,680	8,703	19.3
NIAS	330	1,251	26.4
SEHSCT	2,101	8,063	26.1
SHSCT	1,607	9,186	17.5
WHSCT	1,614	8,248	19.6

Table 17: Number of influenza vaccinations and cumulative vaccination uptake in frontline Trust-employed health and social care workers by job role in Northern Ireland, 2024/25.

Job role	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Medical & Dental	3,014	5,035	59.9
Nursing & Midwifery	4,676	24,661	19.0
Professional & Tech	2,424	10,948	22.1
Social Services	688	9,394	7.3