Flu Shots: Nothing to Sneeze At

Flu shots are recommended for babies between the ages of 6 months and 2 years and for all household contacts of children under age 2.

“The major reason for these recommendations is that we now know that the highest risk for hospitalization due to influenza is in children in the first year or two of life,” explains Jay M. Lieberman, MD, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, California. “These children often get high fevers, have seizures, wheeze, or develop a severe bacterial pneumonia as a consequence of the flu. Vaccinating children will provide protection to these young infants and children.”

The majority of children who receive a flu shot won’t experience any side effects, while those who do can expect to experience some mild soreness or redness at the injection site or a fever, chill, or general feeling of being unwell that lasts for one to two days. In most cases, an aspirin-free pain reliever will help to ease the symptoms. In about one in 10,000 cases, a child receiving the flu shot will have a severe allergic reaction to the vaccination. However, according to the National Network for Immunization Information, a child’s chances of being harmed by the flu are far greater than a child’s chances of experiencing an adverse reaction to a flu vaccine.

Related Articles

Flu Prevention
The Immunization Decision

*Taken from, "The Immunization Decision" By Ann Douglas, Every Baby magazine, Issue Four.