“The best offense is a good defense.” “The early bird gets the worm.” These old adages all basically say the same thing: nip a problem in the bud. As children start roaming the halls and schoolyards, so does the flu virus start hopping from person to person via respiratory secretions. It sounds gross, but every day your child comes home with a little bit of someone else’s mucus.
Seasonal influenza and its complications contribute to the deaths of thousands every year. And while most of those deaths are among the elderly or debilitated, a significant amount of morbidity and mortality occurs among the rest of us. That is why, for the last several years, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends universal vaccination against the flu. You can cover your cough, you can wash your hands, and you can take your vitamin C; but if unvaccinated, you’re much more susceptible to the flu and its complications.
Every year, experts predict which strains of flu are likely to be more prevalent. Nobody’s perfect, and the flu vaccine does not provide 100 percent protection, but any protection is better than none. Taking your chances because you “never get sick” or “never get the flu” is not recommended. In fact, if you’ve never had the flu, you’re less protected than someone who has. Vaccination against the flu isn’t something you should “not believe in.” To borrow a quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson, “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.”
You’ve heard people complain, “I got the flu shot and then I got the flu.” This is not true. The flu vaccine CANNOT give you the flu (flu shots are not live virus vaccines, and the nasal flu vaccine is weakened, and not capable of causing the flu). The virus contained in the vaccine primes your immune system so it can respond to the real thing; in other words, flu vaccines work like any other vaccine, and there is nothing mysterious about them. While any intervention can have side effects, they are usually mild and not dangerous.
People with chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, seizures, significant developmental delays, heart disease, sickle cell disease, morbid obesity, and other serious conditions are at higher risk for flu complications. It is especially important for these people, as well as children under five years of age, to get the flu vaccine. And if you’re pregnant, it’s not only safe, but recommended and encouraged.
It is natural to have questions and concerns about flu shots. Talk to your child’s healthcare provider and get the right advice. Don’t get your health information from internet blogs, movie stars, or talk show hosts. The flu is dangerous...don’t take unnecessary chances with your child’s health.
