Parents are being warned to be on their guard over Covid vaccine hoax letters being sent out to schoolchildren.
The NHS says the fake letters "could cost lives" after it they were sent by anti-vax campaigners posing as health chiefs with a 'consent checklist'.
The so-called checklist lists negative claims about the effects of the vaccine on young people.
Some parents who had received the letters shared them on social media, which were emblazoned with a fake 'NHS Vaccines' logo and claim the Covid vaccine puts children at risk of "strokes, blindness, deafness, clotting, miscarriages, anaphylaxis and cardiovascular disorders".
One mum said the letters had been sent out via email to parents and it was "hours" before authorities realised they were fake.
Posting on twitter, she said: "Yeah school emailed to say [they're fake] It looked fishy tbh, like it was designed to put kids off.
"But this went out to loads of parents & was sat in our inboxes for three hours before school emailed again to say it was a mistake. Who on earth is behind this, it’s really really worrying??"
Health and education bosses have slammed the hoax letters as "massively unhelpful".
Dr Jonathan Leach, NHS England medical director for Covid immunisation, confirmed to concerned parents on Twitter that the letters were "not a legitimate NHS form".
Julie McCulloch of the ASCL head teachers' union has urged on the anti-vaxxers to stop spreading the fake letters.
She said: "We would appeal for those behind these fake consent forms to stop circulating them.
"One of these pressures is the fact that a large number of pupils have caught Covid and are absent from school - the very thing that the vaccination programme is designed to address."
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Nadhim Zahawi said: "As Education Secretary, I want teachers and students to know that I will always stand up for them and tackle harassment head on, so teachers can do their vital jobs safely and children can get the education they deserve - regardless of choices made over vaccination."
A spokesperson for the UK Government's Department of health and Social care said: "Misinformation about the vaccine is dangerous and costs lives.
"We are continuing to do everything we can, working with local authorities and our NHS, to counter the spread of untruths with public information that is grounded in science and facts.”
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