Swine flu jabs for the under-fives are to stop at the end of March.

GPs are being urged to make sure as many youngsters as possible have the injections by then.

Health officials in Leicestershire say figures for the number of children in the under-five group who have had the injection will not be known until mid-March at the earliest. It is believed the uptake of jabs in England is less than other parts of the UK and Europe.

Dr Tim Davies, of the NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, said: "We continue to encourage the parents of the under-fives to take the opportunity to let their children have the vaccination, when it is offered, as this will afford these children the best protection."

Claire Deare, practice manager at The Central Surgery in Oadby, said: "We have been running weekly clinics for children under-five since the beginning of January.

"We will carry on running them until the end of March.

"We've had quite a good response from people but take-up of the vaccination has not been as high as in the 'at risk' group of patients."

One dad from Coalville, who has a two-year-old son and who asked not to be named, said: "When I contacted my GP surgery a few weeks ago to find out about the injections I was told I had missed all the clinics.

"We have been now been offered an appointment for my son to have the injection and will be taking him along."

Patients with chronic health problems along with health and social care workers will still be able to get the jab through the spring and summer.

Plans are then to incorporate the immunisation into the seasonal flu vaccination programme.

A spokesman for the NHS across Leicestershire said: "Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and given the low levels of swine flu virus circulating, the risk from the virus is lower for young children than the clinical risk groups so we will not be extending that part of the programme beyond the end of March."