Call for vaccine review after flu deaths surge

Campaigners are calling for 50 to 64 years old to be given to the flu vaccine

A charity has called for flu vaccines to be reinstated for 50 to 64-year-olds after the worst flu death season in over four decades.

National Records of Scotland data for the first 14 weeks of this year show flu was the underlying cause in 463 deaths. In the same period last year there were 240.

Campaigners said a decision to raise vaccination eligibility to 65 meant an additional half a million people were not offered the jab this winter.

Scotland's minister for social care, mental wellbeing and sport Maree Todd said the government had followed UK-wide advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) but would reflect on the figures.

As well as the 463 deaths where flu was the underlying cause, an additional 567 recorded deaths have had flu mentioned on the death certificate so far in 2025.

Flu deaths are at the highest number since 1979, according to Asthma and Lung Scotland – both for underlying cause and when mentioned on death certificate.

'Wrong message'

During the Covid pandemic in 2020 eligibility for a free flu jab was extended to 50 to 64-year-olds but last year the Scottish government reverted to the pre-pandemic eligibility criteria.

Asthma and Lung Scotland said this had played a big part in the reduction of uptake and also sent the wrong message about the seriousness of flu.

Spokesperson Joseph Carter told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Anyone who has lost someone from flu this winter will reflect on these figures and see it with their own eyes.

"It is truly shocking that we have seen this sort of jump. We expected it to be a poor flu season or for it to be fairly bad but to see it as bad as this is truly shocking,

"It is a lesson to all of us, particularly the Scottish government that we need to take action this coming winter to try and make sure this doesn't happen again."

Information from Public Health Scotland shows overall flu vaccinations this winter are down by a fifth compared to the previous winter, with over 350,000 fewer vaccines administered.

In 2023/24, almost 1.65m people received a flu vaccine, with numbers falling to under 1.3m in winter 2024/25.

'Vaccine fatigue'

Maree Todd said "vaccine fatigue" and "anti-vax sentiment" may also have played a part in reduced vaccine uptake.

The minister said there was high uptake from children and those at high risk, but there was "poor uptake from adults right across the board".

She said the government would "certainly reflect" in the coming months on the decision to exclude the 50 to 64 age group.

"The JCVI look very carefully at the evidence and made the recommendations according to the clinical evidence," she added.

"I think its very wise for governments to pay attention to the experts in this area and absolutely we listen very carefully to the recommendations that the JCVI gives us and follow them."