Experts say it is very important for all children to receive flu vaccinations

Nov 3 2008

According to new research from the U.S., experts have found it is very important for all children to receive flu vaccinations for themselves and for the people around them.

A study by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center has revealed that flu vaccinations could prevent 2,250 children being hospitalised and 650,000 visits to the doctor each year.

The researchers say flu vaccinations protect children, even during years with a bad vaccine match, as children who receive all recommended flu vaccines appear to be less likely to catch the respiratory virus.

For the study the researchers looked at children between 6 months (the youngest able to receive the vaccine) and 5 years old in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 and found that, even though those years had poor matches between the vaccine and the circulating flu strains, the vaccinations were clearly protective during the 2004-05 year and possibly even during the 2003-04 year.

Study author Dr. Katherine Eisenberg says these years were poor matches and fully vaccinated children were still half as likely to get the flu.

Dr. Eisenberg says a conservative estimate would be that flu vaccination could prevent 2,250 hospitalizations and between 270,000 and 650,000 doctor visits for children if half of U.S. children 6 months to 5 years old were vaccinated.

The study was performed as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded 'New Vaccine Surveillance Network', which included 2,400 children in Rochester, Nashville and Cincinnati - nasal and throat swabs were used to determine whether children who came to the hospital or participating outpatient practice had the flu.

The research revealed that in the 2004-2005 flu seasons, the vaccine was effective almost 60% of the time in the children who were fully vaccinated compared to those who were not.

It also revealed that partial vaccination (receiving one shot when two are recommended) did not provide any protection and the researchers say this highlights the importance of children receiving the full vaccination.

Only 6% of the children in the study were fully vaccinated in 2003-2004 and 19% in 2004-2005.

The 2006-2007 season was the first year the CDC recommended children up to 5 receive the vaccine - the CDC now recommends children up to 18 years old receive the vaccine.

Dr. Peter Szilagyi, a professor of Pediatrics and Community and Preventive Medicine and one of the author s of the study says it is incredibly important all children receive flu vaccinations - for themselves and for the people around them - as children are notorious for unintentionally spreading illnesses.

Dr. Szilagyi says if they can be prevented from getting sick in the first place, their families, especially younger siblings under 6 months who can't receive the vaccine and older grandparents who are at increased risk of complications from the flu, will also be prevented from getting sick.

According to CDC estimates 20,000 children are hospitalised every year because of flu.

The published is published in Pediatrics.