A MAJOR drive to protect families from flu has been launched again by health chiefs as the autumn approaches.

The campaign, running across East Lancashire, is urging parents, guardians and carers to vaccinate their children against flu.

The vaccination protects children and helps stop the spread of the illness especially to older members of the family such as grandparents.

Flu can cause severe illness and even death among vulnerable groups including older people, pregnant women and people with an underlying health condition.

Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), East Lancashire CCG and East Lancashire Hospitals Trust are all encouraging people to vaccinate their children against flu.

Dr Chris Gardner, a consultant paediatrician at Royal Blackburn Hospital, said: “By vaccinating your child, you have not only protected them but the more vulnerable ones in school and your local community.”