The holiday season is usually one of the busiest and most chaotic times of the year and it can be easy to neglect one of the most important items on your to do list – getting a flu vaccination. In particular, parents and guardians of young children need to make time to get the whole family vaccinated. While the importance of getting the flu shot is confirmed by public health and medical professionals, many parents and guardians still ask, “Does it really make a difference for my child?”
The answer is yes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends an annual flu vaccine for every person six months and older as the first and best way to protect against the flu. Children younger than five, and especially those younger than two, are at high risk for severe flu complications. Children with chronic medical conditions including asthma and seizures are at even higher risk. On average, 20,000 children under the age of 5 in the U.S. are hospitalized annually with flu-related complications. An annual flu vaccination is one of the quickest, easiest, and best ways to help protect your child.
Children are at risk for contracting the flu throughout the season. If your child is being cared for by a child care provider, in a preschool, or at a Head Start center, then you know that your child is spending time with lots of other children and adults who can carry the virus. Even if your child stays home, he or she probably frequents playgrounds, play groups and other places where children and adults gather. Getting a flu vaccination protects your child and keeps him or her from spreading the virus to others.
Vaccination can also help keep your child healthy if a disaster strikes. Disasters don’t usually give much warning and it takes a couple of weeks for your vaccination to protect you from the virus. Flu vaccinations should be integrated into preparedness plan alongside actions such as making a preparedness kit and creating a family reunification plan. During or after a disaster, the last thing you want to worry about is whether or not your child could become sick with the flu – or how to keep your child safe if he or she already has it when disaster strikes.
Getting your child vaccinated is easy and it can even be painless. Your child can get vaccinated by their healthcare provider or you can find a place to have your child vaccinated with the Flu Vaccine Finder. And remember that a flu vaccine doesn’t have to mean a flu shot. Recent studies indicate that the nasal spray flu vaccine may work better than the flu shot in children age 2 through 8. However, the nasal spray is not for children under 2 years old. If your child is under 6 months old, your child can’t get the flu vaccine, so it is especially important to make sure that everyone else in the house has gotten vaccinated. To learn more about your options, check out Flu.gov or talk to your pediatrician.
Even with a flu vaccine, your child could get the flu. However, the flu vaccine can help reduce the severity of the flu in case your child does become ill. If your child has the flu, symptoms may include a fever, headache, coughs, chills, sore throat, fatigue, runny or stuffy nose, vomiting and diarrhea, or body aches. If you suspect your child has the flu, see your pediatrician.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) encourage you to take steps to protect your children from the flu so that you can keep them safe and healthy in disasters and every day.
