Children are at high risk of suffering complications from the flu. Understanding the CDC recommendations for children and the flu shot can help parents make informed decisions regarding this important vaccine.
Why Kids Should Be Immunized
Many people do not realize how vulnerable children are to the flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), kids are up to three times more likely than adults to get the flu because their immune systems are immature. Children are also more likely to get severe cases of flu that require medical treatment.
In addition to being more likely to get the flu, children are more susceptible to flu complications, including pneumonia, ear and sinus infections, and dehydration. In fact, during the 2007-2008 flu season, 86 children died from flu-related complications.
Children with chronic health conditions, including those who have asthma and diabetes, are most vulnerable to complications of the flu, but even healthy kids are considered high-risk, due simply to their age.
While getting the flu shot doesn’t guarantee kids won’t get the flu, it does offer the best available protection from the flu and its dangerous complications. Vaccinating older kids also helps prevent them from passing the flu on to babies under 6 months old, who are too young to receive the flu vaccine.
Why CDC Recommendations for Kids’ Flu Shots Have Changed
The CDC recommends that certain groups receive the flu shot every year. Previous CDC recommendations stated kids should get the flu shot up to age 5. But recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that 37 percent of kids who died from the flu in 2003-2004 were over age 5, reinforcing the need for older kids to be protected.
The CDC has responded by advising parents to vaccinate children until they reach age 19. The CDC also recommends that people who live with or care for small children get a vaccine every year as an additional layer of protection to help prevent passing on the flu to children.
When Kids Should Be Immunized
Children should be vaccinated as soon as the flu vaccine is available, usually in September. The vaccine can be delivered as a shot, or as a nasal mist for children over 2. Children under 9 years old who are getting the flu shot for the first time will need two doses of the vaccine. The first shot primes the immune system, while the second provides immunity. (How Vaccines Work explains more about the mechanisms of vaccines.)
The vaccine is updated annually, and protects against different strains of flu every year. Therefore, kids and their caregivers need to get the flu shot every year in order to be protected from the flu.
Taking into account the latest research and understanding the burden flu can place on families with small children, the CDC has updated its recommendations so that parents can protect all kids from the flu and its complications.
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