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Annual Flu Shots Recommended For All Kids

By The Associated Press

A federal advisory panel says annual flu vaccinations should be given to all children ages 6 months through 18 years. Annual Flu Shots Recommended For All Kids

Published: Wed, February 27, 2008 - 11:02 am

ATLANTA (AP) - A federal advisory panel says annual flu
vaccinations should be given to all children ages 6 months through
18 years.
The panel's decision announced today represents a call for about
30 million more kids to get vaccinated. If heeded, it would prompt
one of the largest expansions in flu vaccination coverage in U.S.
history.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel's advice
is routinely adopted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, which issues vaccination guidelines to doctors and
hospitals.
The panel and the CDE have in the past recommended flu shots for
people considered to be at highest risk of death or serious illness
from the flu. That list includes children ages 6 months to 5 years
of age, adults 50 and older, and people with weakened immune
systems.
Children ages 5 to 18 get flu at higher rates than other age
groups, but they don't tend to get as sick from it. CDC officials
say of the 36,000 estimated annual deaths attributed to the flu,
only 25 to 50 occur in children in that age bracket.
But some experts say kids who stay home sick from school cause
parents to stay home. They reason reducing the illness in the
children should cut down on days of lost work in their parents and
adult contacts.
Experts believe the recommendation also may reduce illness in
adults and the elderly, although studies haven't clearly
established that will happen.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)