Has your child been vaccinated against the flu yet? If not, a new study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might motivate you. It found that flu complications often strike kids fast and hard.
The study, published this week in the journal Pediatrics, looked at 830 children who died from the flu over the last eight seasons. More than 40 percent were previously healthy 5-year olds. In fact, healthy kids were more likely than those with high-risk medical conditions such as asthma to die within 3 days of their first flu symptoms and before being admitted to a hospital.
The researchers aren't sure why healthy children seem to face bigger risks. But they said their findings highlight the importance of annual influenza vaccination and early antiviral treatment to fight its complications.
Read more advice about how to avoid the flu this year.
Flu season usually peaks in February, so there's still time to get your children (and yourself) vaccinated. And there are several new choices this year besides the standard flu vaccine that may be good for some people, including those afraid of needles.
For example, FluMist and Fluzone Intradermal: Both can be good choices for people afraid of needles.
— Doug Podolsky
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