Sept. 6, 2022 – Attention parents: The nation’s leading pediatric medical society is urging you to make sure your children get a Flu shotThis will help to control and prevent the spread of the disease.
This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics urged parents and caregivers alike to search for help. flu vaccinesThey should get them for their children as soon as possible in the fall. Parents are encouraged to get all the vaccines they need for their children.
“As a pediatrician and a parent, I consider the flu vaccine as critical for all family members,” Kristina A. Bryant, MD, said in a statement about the academy’s recommendations. “We should not underestimate the flu, especially when other respiratory viruses like COVID-19 are circulating within our communities. Besides making your child miserable and wreaking havoc on your family’s routine, influenza can also be serious and even deadly in children.”
Only 55% of children ages 6 months to 17 years had been vaccinated against influenza as of early April – down 2% from the previous April – and coverage levels were 8.1% lower for Black children compared with non-Hispanic white children, according to the CDC. The 2019-2020 flu season will be the worst. 188 childrenThe agency reported that the death toll in the United States was equal to the 2017-2018 season’s high number of deaths.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, flu vaccination should be given every year to children 6 months old and older. Depending on the child’s age and health, they may receive either a shot, which has an inactive version of the flu virus, or the nasal spray, which has a weakened form of the virus. (The academy has more details about the vaccination. different vaccines here.)
Flu vaccines should be administered to children aged 6-8 months who have never had the flu shot before. They should be given two doses, at least four weeks apart. The flu vaccine can be given to pregnant women at any stage of their pregnancy. According to the academy, influenza vaccines are safe for developing foetuses.
The group highlighted the importance flu vaccines for medically vulnerable and high-risk children. It also recognized the need to remove all barriers to immunizations. According to the United States Census Bureau, 16.1% of American children lived in poverty in 2020. This is an increase from the 14.4% reported in 2019. U.S. Census Bureau.
