Logan is two years old and has complex medical needs: before birth he was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect and muscle build up in artery (recently repaired). He also had surgery to repaired cleft lip and palate and is receiving ongoing care. Diagnosed at birth with asymmetrical chest wall; torticollis with sternomastoid tumour, glue ear and sleep apnea. Jaimie is 6 months old, and has Down's syndrome and was diagnosed before birth with ventriculomegaly with hypoplasia corpus callosum. Emma feels that flu-like illness is a relatively smaller issue in comparison to her children's other conditions.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 1-3

Amy was born prematurely at 24 weeks and diagnosed with chronic lung disease. She came out of hospital on home oxygen, but eventually she did wean off it and went on to use inhalers. When she was one year old she had surgery to insert a gastrostomy button. Since then and until recently, she has been gastrostomy fed. She also had Nissen fundoplication surgical procedure to treat her gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Amy used to get colds and flu-like illness very frequently, but over the years she has gotten better. At present she is just on vitamins and on a pro-Cal to help her with her calories intake.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 7-10

Alfie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia [ALL] in August 2012 when he was twenty-two months old. Alfie is now aged 4 and is on the final or maintenance stage of his treatment and is due to complete it by early 2016. About a year ago, Alfie had a high temperature and after tests he was diagnosed with influenza B. He was treated with IV antibiotics and recovered well and was sent home after a week. He did not developed secondary infections. Before his diagnosis of influenza B, Alfie was already on two prophylactic antibiotics; nitrofurantoin every day and on septrin twice a week.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 4-6

Jack has complex medical needs: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (childhood epileptic encephalopathy), Arachhnoid Cyst, Chronic lung disease, Scoliosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and he is oxygen dependent. His parents have trained and do a lot of his therapies at home and are greatly supported by the community and hospital teams looking after Jack. In 2014 Jack was seriously ill with influenza and spent three weeks in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Six months after the influenza episode things are still settling down; his liver function tests are still abnormal and his blood pressure continues to be lower than before the flu episode.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 11+

El is Clare's oldest child and was diagnosed with asthma when she was aged four. El also has hay fever and eczema and Clare believes that all these conditions are interlinked. Her first flu episode was the worse as she developed a chest infection and required antibiotics. Clare manages the episodes through close monitoring of the symptoms, giving over the counter medication and getting advice from the GP and nurses at her surgery, if necessary.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 4-6

Oliver, aged 2, is Anita's youngest child and has Downss syndrome and an eye condition called Nystagmus. He has flu like illness symptoms all through winter and sometimes these are severe. Despite this, Oliver is a really happy smiley toddler and loves being around people.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 1-3

Henry is 10 and had asthma since he was 4. Viral illness triggers his asthma easily, which can, without starting inhalers develop into a chest infection. He's often treated with antibiotics and Sharon has explored improving his health with alternative medicine.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 7-10

Kwame is a surviving twin born extremely early at 23 weeks. He has a chronic lung disease which makes him more susceptible to chest infections and respiratory distress. Kwame has been treated with a lot of antibiotics and his mum also uses holistic therapies.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 7-10

Kate has two sons both born prematurely. Her older son Tristan has cerebral palsy which mainly affects his mobility. Having a cold affects Tristan badly as he nearly always develops a chest infection.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 4-6

Fiona's daughter Meg was diagnosed with a rare lung condition, interstitial lung disease (ILD) at the age of 7 months. Meg's on a continuous course of preventative antibiotics which minimize her risk of getting ill. If Meg falls ill with a flu-like illness she's quickly taken to hospital as her condition can deteriorate rapidly.

• Flu in children with a disability or long-term condition: ages 1-3