Parents are being urged to make sure their kids are vaccinated - after one schoolgirl was left in a flu coma.
While many think the flu is 'just a cold', this is not the case, and it can make children extremely ill and even land them in hospital.
And as the colder months see the viral infection passed from person to person more frequently, it is important that eligible youngsters are vaccinated.
The NHS currently offers the flu jab to children aged two to three years, school-aged children from reception to year 11 and any child with a long-term health condition.
By getting your child vaccinated, you can help protect them against illness and stop them from developing serious health problems like pneumonia.
The UK Government outlines that the flu is not just a heavy cold but a highly infectious disease, and symptoms can develop very quickly.
The most common symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, achy joints and muscles and extreme tiredness, and most recover within seven days.
Sadly, the NHS states that thousands of healthy children in the UK seek hospital treatment for the flu every year. And it is suggested that this risk is increased if you choose not to get your child vaccinated.
This month, one schoolgirl sadly found herself in a flu coma and battling pneumonia after catching what her mum initially thought was a 'school bug.'
Jessica Williamson came home from school complaining of a bad head and vomited on November 13. Initially, her mum Ashleigh Moore, believed Jessica had picked up a school sickness bug due to it being 'that time of year'.
When the 12-year-old developed a barking cough, she took her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, on November 14 to be checked out.
The 34-year-old claims Jessica was seen by a doctor who gave her antibiotics and reassured her there was nothing to worry about.
But when the schoolgirl's temperature spiked that evening, Ashleigh took her back to the same hospital for a second opinion.
Ashleigh claims her daughter was given a single paracetamol to treat her fever before being sent home again.
It was only when Jessica became 'delirious' in the early hours of the following morning that she and her partner James Moore, 34, called an ambulance and their daughter was blue-lighted to hospital.
Jessica was then transferred from Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the ICU ward at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle Upon Tyne and was put into an induced coma.
It was there that Jessica was diagnosed with Influenza A, which later saw her develop sepsis and necrotising pneumonia.
Ashleigh is now sharing her daughter's story to raise awareness about how serious the flu can be and urge people to get their flu vaccines.
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust said they were sorry to hear what the family had been through and would 'welcome the opportunity' to meet the family and discuss what happened.
Ashleigh from Gateshead, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, said: "Jessica came home from school and didn't feel very well and complained about a bad head and was sick a couple of times.
"At this point I thought it was a school sickness bug. She deteriorated that night and the cough started, it was like a bark and a very dry cough.
"Even then we thought she had a bit of a cough and cold as it was that time of year.
"On Friday morning she was really bad and we were worried about her breathing and we took her to the hospital. She had a bit of a temperature and they gave her antibiotics."
Ashleigh's dad James, claims that when his daughter's lips kept turning blue, they decided to take her back to the hospital for a second opinion.
James, also from Gateshead in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, said: "She was continuing to cough and her lips were going blue.
"We started to get worried so we took her back to the hospital [on Friday] as her temperature was 39.4.
"They gave her a single paracetamol and got her temperature down to 38 degrees and sent her home again.
"In the early hours of Saturday morning, she was really struggling to breathe.
"She had become so tired and lethargic and was becoming hard to wake up. She had become delirious.
"When we got to the hospital [On Saturday] they decided to put her in an induced coma so they could intubate her and the machine could take over her breathing."
Jessica spent nearly three weeks in the ICU ward at RVI, where she was given antibiotics to treat her infections and to stabilise her. She was then moved to a respiratory ward on December 3 before being discharged to continue her recovery at home on December 10.
James is now urging parents to get a second opinion on their child's health as he claims it could have been a very different story for Jessica if they didn't take her to the hospital a third time.
James said: "Nobody can say that if she was treated straight away it wouldn't have got to this severity.
"I do believe that if they had taken bloods the first time we went to the hospital, they would have been able to admit her immediately and her body may have not deteriorated as much.
"But, she would have still needed to have been treated in the same conditions."
Ashleigh is sharing her daughter's story to show how serious contracting the flu can be and wants everyone eligible to get their flu jab.
Ashleigh said: "It was heartbreaking to see her like that in an induced coma.
"I felt like I was looking into someone else's life and it didn't feel real.
"There were several moments where we didn't think she would ever leave the hospital and see Christmas.
"I said to all the nurses I was one of those hypocritical people that thought it was 'just' the flu.
"I don't think you get it until you see the inside walls of the ICU and sit in those four walls for weeks staring at your baby all because of the flu.
"I'm now urging people to get their flu vaccines. You also need to trust your gut and get a second opinion.
"It is scary to think that if we had just gone to bed that night [instead of taking her to hospital again], where would we have been?."
Sean Fenwick, Chief Executive at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are sorry to hear what the family has been through and wish their child the best ongoing recovery.
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"Flu in children can develop quickly from a stable situation to one which is very serious and we would encourage parents who are concerned that their child's condition has worsened after being seen not to hesitate in having them reviewed again.
"We would also strongly recommend that all children and young people who are eligible for the flu vaccine get immunised.
"We have reviewed this case and would welcome the opportunity to meet with the family to discuss this in greater detail."
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