Flu vaccine for children

If you're thinking about skipping Parents advisor Neal Halsey, M.D., director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore. Possible complications of the flu include pneumonia, antibiotic-resistant staph infections, and ear and sinus infections. When Should Kids Get the Flu Shot? Most people get immunized as soon as the vaccine is available in October or November, but your child can benefit from getting the shot as late as April. "It's not uncommon to still have flu strains circulating throughout the spring," says Kathleen Gutierrez, M.D., a pediatric-infectious-disease expert at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, in Palo Alto, California. Keep in mind, though, that Nevertheless, some children develop mild flu-like symptoms within 48 hours of getting either type of vaccine. They might include redness and soreness at the injection site, low-grade fever, headache, muscle aches, and nausea. "These reactions are actually a good sign that your child's body is busy building flu-fighting antibodies," explains Susan Rehm, M.D., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Any side effects should subside within a day or two. How Effective is the Flu Vaccine for Kids? Flu shot effectiveness changes every year, but success rates Clinical Infectious Diseases found that flu vaccines reduced children’s risk of life-threatening influenza by 75%. Getting kids vaccinated may also protect other hous...

(SACRAMENTO) If you came down with a respiratory infection in the spring and it wasn’t That’s because cases of human metapneumovirus, or According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( The virus is seasonal, like the annual flu. In the United States, HMPV infections begin circulating in winter and last through spring. And the good news is that levels have dropped. “HMPV is not something most people need to worry about. It’s essentially another cause of the common cold,” said Why you likely won’t know if you had HMPV There are no antiviral drugs specifically for HMPV like there are for the “The treatment of mild or moderate viral upper respiratory infections is supportive no matter what the viral cause, so we generally do not recommend testing for most outpatients,” said Treatment is the same as May noted that it’s a common misunderstanding that antibiotics can help. “They will not help you recover from HMPV because antibiotics do not work against viruses,” May said. The virus was first discovered in Although in most people, HMPV causes a mild cold, it may cause more severe disease resulting in hospitalization for some.” — Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases “HMPV causes disease very similar to RSV,” Blumberg said. “This includes upper respiratory symptoms that sometimes progress to pneumonia or bronchiolitis and wheezing. Although in most people, HMPV causes a mild cold, it may cause more severe disease resulting in hospitalization for some....

Although the flu is rarely serious in healthy adults, it can be much more dangerous in children, especially those ages 2 and under, and children with medical conditions and whose immune systems are weakened. Little ones are two to three times more likely to get the flu. Vaccines for children are a simple and safe way to keep your family healthy. Flu Symptoms in Children Several strains of Symptoms are pretty much the same no matter what the • Congestion • • • Fever -- as high as 103 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit • Chills • Headache • Muscle and body aches • The • Pneumonia • • • Ear infection How Do the Vaccines Work? A flu shot is the best way to protect kids from the flu and problems that come along with it. There are two types of The vaccine your child gets in a shot is made from dead Who Should Get the Shot, and When? Most people older than 6 months should get a yearly flu vaccine. Kids younger than 2 are more likely to have problems because of the flu than older kids and adults. Children should get the vaccine by October of each year. Flu season usually runs from November to May, with a peak in February. The flu vaccine doesn’t help kids as long as other vaccines do. It is only effective for that particular season. That's because the flu virus is always changing. Each year, the illness shifts a little bit, so a new vaccine has to be prepared that contains the most common strains for that particular year. The first time a child younger than 9 gets a flu vaccine, they’ll ne...

Influenza is a respiratory infection that can cause serious complications, particularly in young children. Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the flu and its complications. The flu vaccine significantly reduces the risk of dying of the flu. Research shows this is true for both children with an underlying medical condition and children who are healthy. Getting a flu vaccine is especially important this season. The flu and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cause similar common symptoms. Flu vaccination could reduce symptoms that might be confused with those caused by COVID-19. Preventing the flu and reducing the severity of flu illness and hospitalizations could also lessen the stress on the health care system. Depending on your child's age and health, you might be able to choose between the flu shot and the nasal spray flu vaccine: • Flu shot. Flu shots can be given to children 6 months and older. Side effects might include soreness, redness and swelling where the shot was given. A fever, muscle aches, headache, nausea and tiredness also can occur. • Nasal spray. The nasal spray flu vaccine can be given to healthy children 2 years and older. Side effects of the nasal spray in children might include a runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomiting, muscle aches, a slight fever and a sore throat. The flu vaccine can't give your child the flu. The nasal spray flu vaccine contains viruses that are weakened so that they won't cause the flu. The flu vaccine also doe...

Citation Committee on Infectious Diseases , Yvonne A. Maldonado , Sean T. O’Leary , Ritu Banerjee , Elizabeth D. Barnett , James D. Campbell , Mary T. Caserta , Jeffrey S. Gerber , Athena P. Kourtis , Ruth Lynfield , Flor M. Munoz , Dawn Nolt , Ann-Christine Nyquist , Sean T. O’Leary , William J. Steinbach , Kenneth M. Zangwill , Theoklis E. Zaoutis; Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2020–2021. Pediatrics October 2020; 146 (4): e2020024588. 10.1542/peds.2020-024588 Download citation file: • • • • • • • • • This statement updates the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics for the routine use of influenza vaccine and antiviral medications in the prevention and treatment of influenza in children during the 2020–2021 season. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends routine influenza immunization of all children without medical contraindications, starting at 6 months of age. Influenza vaccination is an important intervention to protect vulnerable populations and reduce the burden of respiratory illnesses during the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Any licensed, recommended, age-appropriate vaccine available can be administered, without preference for one product or formulation over another. Antiviral treatment of influenza with any licensed, recommended, age-appropriate influenza antiviral medication is recommended for children with suspected or confirmed influenza who are hospita...

To view the full-size infographic, click this photo or the link in the text. Every year in the United States, influenza kills thousands to tens of thousands of people. Probably the best example of how devastating influenza can be was the influenza pandemic in 1918 — this worldwide outbreak killed between 50 and 100 million people in a single influenza season. For information about influenza vaccine and people with egg allergies, see “Does the influenza vaccine have side effects?” in "The Vaccine" section. What is influenza? Commonly known as the flu, influenza is a virus that infects the trachea (windpipe) or bronchi (breathing tubes). Symptoms come on suddenly and include high fever, chills, severe muscle aches and headache. The onset of shaking chills is often so dramatic that many people will remember the exact hour that it started. The virus also causes runny nose and a cough that can last for weeks. Complications of influenza include severe, and occasionally fatal, pneumonia. Animals can be infected with influenza Some diseases are only found in humans; however, influenza can infect many types of animals, specifically: • Birds and poultry, such as chickens and turkeys • Aquatic birds, such as ducks • Pigs • Horses • Dogs • Cats • Sea mammals, such as seals and whales When animals are infected with different strains of influenza at the same time, a new type can emerge. If the new type can infect humans, be easily passed from one person to another and causes illness, a ...