The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently voted to extend its recommendations for annual flu shots for children. Current recommendations cover children aged 6 months to 5 years but the new recommendations urge vaccinations for all children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years unless the child has a serious egg allergy. Other groups of people considered at risk of serious complications from influenza include anyone with a compromised immune system and all adults 50 and older. The panel’s recommendations that these people get annual flu shots remains in effect.Children between the ages of 5 and 18 get the flu more often than any other age group but they don’t get as sick from it as the others do. This is the reason this age group has been excluded from vaccination recommendations in the past.

Of the estimated 36,000 annual deaths associated with the flu, only about 25 to 50 occur in children between 5 and 18 years of age.

These school-age children cannot attend class when they have the flu, even when it is a mild case. When a child stays home from school, in most cases a parent stays home from work.

By reducing the incidence of influenza in school-age children, the panel expects the number of work days lost by the parents will be reduced. And although there is no clear evidence at this time to support it, experts suspect the incidence of flu in adults and the elderly may be reduced as well.

The federal panel urges vaccinations for all children as soon as possible although this may not be possible until next year’s flu season. Many doctors have already received and administered their orders for this season’s flu vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues guidelines to doctors and hospitals regarding vaccinations and their policy usually reflects that of the recommendations issued by the federal advisory committee.

Source: CDC

• Do you think it’s a good idea that children should now receive a flu shot? Why, or why not?
• What are your concerns, if any?