Recommendations for this year’s flu season urge parents to get all children ages 6 months and older vaccinated against the flu. Updated guidelines were published Sept. 10 in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Those who regularly care for a young child are especially encouraged to be immunized, the guidelines state. Children ages 2 years and younger are considered at high-risk for influenza-associated hospitalization. Other high risk groups include:
- Children who have medical issues like asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune systems or neurologic disorders
- Women who are pregnant, have just delivered or are breastfeeding
Here’s what you need to know about the flu vaccine this year, as outlined by the AAP:
- For children 6 months or older, the vaccine can still be delivered via an injection.
- Kids 2 years old or older can receive the nasal spray version.
- If your child is between the ages of 6 months and 8 years and has received at least two does of the fly vaccine since July 1, 2010, he or she only needs done dose of the vaccine this season.
- Children in that age group (6 months-8 years) who have not received two or more doses in that time frame need two doses of this year’s vaccine.
For more information about the flu vaccine, visit the AAP’s website or consult your child's pediatrician.
