Despite the fact that a record number of children died from the flu last year, the proportion of kids who did not receive a vaccination is still falling.
As of Nov. 30, little over a third of American children (37%), compared to 43% at the same time last year, had received flu shots, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday.
Pediatricians are concerned about the declining trend because flu cases are beginning to rise.
Dr. Kristina Bryant, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Norton Children’s in Louisville, Kentucky, said, “I always feel a little bit of dread when flu season is around the corner because a lot of that can be prevented through vaccination.” Children get sick and suffer during flu season.
According to Alicia Budd, leader of the CDC’s domestic influenza monitoring team, just over half of children, or 55%, received the flu vaccination during the 2023–24 season, the lowest percentage in 12 years.
According to Budd, flu coverage had been gradually rising prior to the Covid pandemic. Vaccination rates for the flu have not returned to their pre-pandemic levels.
The two primary virus strains now in circulation, H1N1 and H3N2, are covered by this year’s flu vaccination.
According to Budd, children can be at risk from any type of flu. According to her, we haven’t yet noticed anything that would suggest that this season will be any different.
According to a preliminary analysis published in October, the efficacy of flu vaccines in preventing hospitalization for children under the age of five may be on the lower end, at only 39%. According to estimates from the previous year, sshot was up to 61% successful in keeping children out of the hospital.
Despite its flaws, the flu vaccine is safe and beneficial, according to physician Dr. Michelle Taylor, who serves as the health officer for the Shelby County Health Department in Memphis, Tennessee.
“That shot gives the best chance of having a much easier course of illness than if you had not been vaccinated at all,” Taylor said, even if you are exposed and tested positive for the flu.
The worst I ve ever felt
Before becoming ill in October, University of Florida freshman Kaitlyn Covert had not found time to receive her flu shot. With school canceled and Hurricane Milton churning off the coast of Florida, Covert and her pals were organizing parties.
That is, until a pounding headache struck, according to 18-year-old Covert. She couldn’t reach for the ibuprofen on her bedside table because she was too weak.
It was painful to breathe. “It hurt to cough,” she stated. It was the worst feeling I’ve ever experienced in my life. She was diagnosed with the flu after visiting the school urgent care center.
Although Covert eventually healed, her family members were beginning to worry. Kaitlyn’s 4-year-old cousin had passed away from the flu twenty years prior.
According to her mother, Amy, I was in a panic. Are lightning strikes repeated?
Last year’s flu season was especially dangerous for youngsters, as 205 of them perished—a record number since before the epidemic.
However, since not all children who pass away are tested for the flu, the actual number of flu-related mortality among children may be far greater. According to a CDC estimate posted on its website on November 22, there may have been 724 kid flu-related fatalities last year.
Two likely causes are an abnormally lengthy flu season and fewer flu vaccines.
In certain seasons, there is a strong peak followed by a rapid decline. According to Budd, some seasons are longer and more stretched out. Due to the longer duration of last year, youngsters sadly had more opportunities to become sick.
Who needs the flu shot this year?
Everyone six months of age and older should get a flu shot every year, according to the CDC.
That’s one shot for most. Children who have only had one vaccination could require two, spaced four weeks apart, in order to be deemed completely immunized.
“We know that children who were eligible for a flu vaccine but were not fully vaccinated accounted for over 80% of the reported influenza-associated pediatric deaths last season,” Budd added. It serves as yet another reminder of the significance of vaccination.
Because of their family history, the Coverts ardently advocate for flu vaccines.
According to Amy Covert, this is not a gray area. The shot is intended to keep you alive.
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