What Parents and Caregivers Should Know About This Coming Flu Season
Back to school means flu season is nearing, and to help parents and caregivers prepare their families for the healthiest winter ahead, we’ve put together important information about this year’s vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides updated recommendations each year to help protect everyone against the flu. The importance of getting vaccinated and receiving it as early as possible could not be overstated. Last year was considered particularly severe for children, with more pediatric deaths in a non-pandemic year than ever before (266 versus the previous non-pandemic high of 207). Ninety percent of these deaths were in children who were not fully vaccinated.
Who should receive the flu vaccine and how often?
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the CDC recommend that all children six months and older receive an annual flu vaccine. For children between 6 months and 8 years old, two doses are recommended if it’s their first time getting the vaccine or if they only received one dose before July 1. For everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, an annual flu vaccine is recommended every season.
What is in this year’s flu vaccine?
New this year, the CDC recommends seasonal flu vaccination with single-dose formulations that are free of thimerosal as a preservative for children, pregnant women, and adults. The composition of the flu vaccine protects against the strains expected to be common this season. This year, the vaccine targets:
- An Influenza A (H1N1) virus
- An Influenza A (H3N2) virus
- An Influenza B virus
While the exact names of the viruses used in the vaccine vary slightly depending on how the vaccine is made, they are all chosen to give you the best possible protection against these three main flu threats.
How the flu vaccine works
No one likes to be sick, but it is inevitable. The object, though, is to recover quickly. The flu vaccine prepares your body for the upcoming flu season by subjecting it to an inactivated or killed version of the virus. The body sees the vaccine as a virus and fights back by producing antibodies, which act as a shield, protecting against the virus. The miraculous body then produces “memory” cells which remember the virus and then, if exposed again, produce antibodies to fight against it. While there is a chance that your child can still get the flu, having had the vaccine does help them recover more quickly and with minimal complications, such as being hospitalized.
Flu Clinics at Rainbow Pediatrics
We will be hosting flu vaccine clinics in each of our clinics in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Raeford, and, soon to open, Lumberton beginning later this month. Please follow us on social media to stay updated on when these clinics are being held. You can also call your preferred location for more details. Online scheduling will be made available once we’ve received the vaccines in our offices.
Your family’s health is a priority for us. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this coming flu season. We look forward to seeing you soon.
