Medical Info: Flu Vaccination

Only 7 short months ago, we were right in the middle of a lot of news about "the bad flu season" and the shortage of flu shots. Well, the time to think about flu shots again is almost here and the recommendations for children have changed a little bit.

The newest recommendations have expanded to recommend flu vaccination for all children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. Previously, the recommendations have primarily been for children who are "high-risk", which was primarily children with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, etc. The recommendation is actually still for "high-risk" children; it has simply been shown that children in that age group (6 mos - 2 years) are "high risk" for more severe infections from influenza and are more likely to need hospitalization if infected.

Additionally, family members and caregivers of children age 0 - 23 months should be immunized as well.

The vaccines for influenza are typically available in September, so you should call then to make an appointment.

One further point on influenza vaccines:
Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative that has been used in vaccines to prevent them from being contaminated. Although there has been no proven link, many have attempted to claim an association between autism and thimerosal. Study after study has failed to show any association, but public concern continues to exist. Consequently, thimerosal has been removed from all childhood vaccines except some influenza shots. If you have further concerns, talk to your doctor. To see more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu/thimerosal.htm.