We are seeing flu cases already in metro Detroit and predictions about this year’s flu season are dire because of what’s happening in the southern hemisphere, Australia, specifically, has been hit hard with the flu. Will it travel here? No one is certain, but the message is clear from the CDC – get the flu shot!
When it comes to kids, that shot can keep them out of the hospital.
“When we look at the vaccine effectiveness, for children, it’s really good. About 61 to 65 percent of children, this vaccine is effective against them from getting hospitalized,” says Dr. Frank Esper from Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
Current recommendations say that any healthy child older than six months of age should receive an annual flu shot. Nasal flu mists are no longer recommended, because they have been much less effective.
Dr. Esper says that we often think of the flu as a minor illness, but the flu is very dangerous. In fact, it’s one of the top infection-related deaths of children in the United States.
READ MORE AT: http://www.fox2detroit.com/health/how-important-are-flu-shots-for-kids