Should My Child Get The Flu Vaccine: Here are 14 facts to help you decide

After a long hot summer, we all love the cool fall weather and all the fun activities it brings - like apple festivals, pumpkin patches, and halloween.

But the thing we don’t love is that fall signals the start of “Flu Season”.

You have probably heard recommendations to get your flu vaccine early this year.

And maybe you have reservations or questions about whether you should get the vaccine for your child.

I understand your concern. Parents tell me the things they hear from friends and family and the things they read on the internet all the time. It is very hard to know who to listen to and what to believe. 

As a Nurse Practitioner, you can imagine how much illness I am exposed to every season. So, I always get my flu vaccine. 

And, just like the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends, I always urge my patients, friends and family to get their vaccine as well.

And rest assured, I never recommend anything that I would not - or have not - done for myself and my own children. 

This is my WHY: I see a lot of pretty sick children with the flu every year.

Not just kids with asthma, heart disease, and diabetes - I see HEALTHY children just like yours with severe cases of the flu. And I never get immune to seeing children suffer. 

I know you have questions about the vaccine. So here are 14  Facts About the Flu and the Flu Vaccine based on the 2018-2019 Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children from the AAP. Hopefully these facts will answer some of those questions for you.

Sometimes the things we  hear are not always what they appear on the surface. A little explanation backed up by science helps us to feel a little better when it comes to protecting our children. 

(You can watch  the Youtube version from my channel Dream Baby Broadcast here if you want to listen to this blog instead.) 

Fact 1 Flu is a virus

In the beginning it can look very much like a cold but the symptoms are often extreme.

Symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Congestion
• Sore Throat
• Body Aches
• Cough

We want to prevent the flu because of those symptoms. but another big reason we want to give the flu vaccine is because of the high rate of complications that are seen with it  - which can lead to hospitalization and even death - even in healthy people.

Complications can include:

• Ear Infections
• Sinus infections
• Dehydration
• Pneumonia
• Bacterial Infections like sepsis (infection in the blood stream)

Fact 2 Flu is Very Common

It spreads very easily

In every population of people - babies, children, teenages, adults, old people

Not just in sick people or high risk populations

Fact 3 Flu Spreads Quickly

Symptoms develop within 2-3 days of exposure

People can spread the Flu to others before they even develop symptoms

Think about all the places where people gather and those are prime places for exposure. 

For children, daycares, schools, church nurseries, after school activities like sports events and gymnastics and baby classes are optimal places for flu to spread.  Older children bring it home to babies. But older people, who often don't respond as well to the vaccine, spread it to children too. 

Fact 4 Flu Vaccine Significantly Decreases the Risk of Getting the Flu, Getting the Complications of Flu and Dying from Flu

A Study by the CDC published in the Journal Pediatrics in 2017 showed that the flu vaccine decreased the risk of dying from the flu by 1/2 in children with high risk health problems and by 2/3 in healthy children. Now, I don't know about you, but to me, those are the kind of statistics that make me listen.

Another study reported that children being fully vaccinated for the flu decreased children's risk for being admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit by 74%. 

Similar studies are available for adults and older adults.  

Fact 5 Flu Can Cause Death - Even in Healthy Children

Fact 6 All Children Older Than 6 months Should Be Vaccinated

All children over 6 months are encouraged to get their Flu vaccination

Children with pre existing medical conditions like asthma, heart conditions, diabetes, kidney disorders, neurological disorders, respiratory illness, prematurity are considered high risk for complications of the flu and should especially be immunized.

Children under 2 are included in that group as well

But don’t assume because your child is healthy, they are not at risk.

Fact 7 Number of Doses of The Flu Vaccine a Child Needs Varies

The first time a child is vaccinated for flu, if they are between 6 months and 8 years of age, they will need two vaccines - given one month apart.

Each flu season thereafter, only one vaccine is needed.

If the child is older than 9 years old and receiving his first flu vaccine, he will only need one vaccine.

Fact 8 Babies Less than 6 Months Old are Too Young to Receive the Flu Vaccine

All household contacts and caregivers need to receive the flu vaccine to protect the baby.

This includes parents, siblings, grandparents as well as day care providers.  

Fact 9 Pregnant Women, Women Considering Pregnancy, Postpartum Moms and Nursing Mothers Need A Flu Vaccine

Pregnant women are at an increased risk of severe complications from the flu.  Pregnant moms can get the vaccine at any point in pregnancy and they benefit greatly from it. A multi-country study published just this year showed that the flu vaccine reduced a pregnant mother's risk of being hospitalized by 40%. 

Babies whose moms get the vaccine in pregnancy are protected for several months after delivery, when they are not yet old enough to be vaccinated.

Moms who are breastfeeding, give protection to their baby, if they have been vaccinated during pregnancy or after delivery.

(Even if mom or baby get the flu virus, they both should continue to breastfeed)

Fact 10 Egg Allergy Does Not Prevent Anyone From Getting Flu Vaccine

Children who have egg allergy do not need to get the vaccine from the allergist. There is no risk of allergic reaction from egg.

Fact 11 Anti-viral Medications are Important in Treatment But NOT a Substitution for Getting A Flu Vaccine

Medications like Tamiflu may be indicated in treatment if children are exposed or get the flu but the vaccine should not be avoided with the idea that they can receive the medication if they get the flu.

Fact 12 Nasal Flu Vaccine (Flumist) is Available This Year But The Recommendation is for Chlldren to Receive the Injectable Vaccine.

Flumist was not available for a few years. It has been reformulated and is back this year, but the AAP would like to watch the effectiveness of the nasal flu vaccine this season.

• Indications for nasal flu vaccine
  Children whose parents refuse the flu shot but would consider the mist.
• Or if the injectable flu vaccine is no longer available (out of stock)

Must be:

• Older than 2yrs
• Healthy
• No high risk  health problems

Fact 13 You CANNOT Get the Flu From The Vaccine 

There is no way the flu vaccine can actually give you flu.

What happens? Why do people say they got the flu from the vaccine

• Sometime the vaccine causes mild fever and muscle aches as your body is building up an immune response. This is usually very mild. This is not the flu.

• There is about a 2 week window of time for your body to build up immunity for the vaccine to start to protect you. In the meantime you can be exposed to someone with an active flu virus and develop the flu symptoms.

• Sometimes you/your child just get another respiratory virus  (It is the “sick season”).

Fact 14 Flu Vaccine is not always 100% Effective But Still Protects You

Your protection is dependent on the strain of the flu circulating in the community, the match of the flu strain in the community and what strains are in the current flu vaccine; age of patient, health status of the patient,  and the timing of the vaccine administration.

Even if you get the vaccine and you get the flu anyway, the vaccine reduces the severity of the flu illness and reduces your chances of  complications and hospitalization.

Don’t take your chances.  

The flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself or your family from the very uncomfortable and serious infection that the flu is.

I talk to parents ALL THE TIME who are so upset about cold symptoms and minor fever in their babies. And I get that. Children look so pitiful when they have a fever and there is no magic potion to make your child's cold go away. As parents we feel so helpless when our children are sick and we can't make them feel better. 

Imagine just how much worse you would feel seeing your child suffer from the flu.

The flu is horrible,  the fever is high and can last 10 days, the body aches are very uncomfortable. The cough is awful. Babies and children - and moms and dads -  are so sick. And you cannot make it go away. Even anti-viral medications just speed up the process a little bit. And hopefully help ward off the complications. Getting a flu shot is your best shot at avoiding the illness altogether. 

If you want to read about other ways to protect your family from the flu (in addition to the flu vaccine) check out this article that I wrote 10 Tips to Protect Your Family From The Flu here. 

It is recommended that you get your family vaccinated as soon as possible in the flu season  - it is hard to predict when the flu viruses will strike, which ones will be active and for how long.

But this year the recommendation is to be vaccinated before November.

There is no benefit to waiting later in the flu season because you think that the virus will be more active then. The vaccine will last throughout the season. And, remember that it takes a few weeks for the vaccine to be fully protective, There is already active flu in the United States and most likely in your own area.

By waiting, your child is at risk for coming into contact with someone with the flu before they are fully protected.

But if you were not able to get the vaccine early or you change your mind in the season and decide to get it later, you can get the vaccine as late as June. You can get the vaccine as long as it is still available -  even if the flu is already active in the community.

But, keep in mind that the likelihood increases that your family could be exposed before they are fully protected the longer you wait to get your vaccines. 

When you get a flu vaccine, you are not only protecting yourself, you are protecting other people around you - including those who are most at risk for serious illness and complications. Of course, those most at risk includes your babies and young children, pregnant women, older people, and people with chronic health conditions. Some of you have all of those people in your lives.

So, I hope that this information has helped you to see how getting the flu vaccine can protect your children and family. 

If you have questions about the flu or vaccine, make sure that you talk to your own health care provider. Get the facts and make decisions based on those.

And I will be happy to answer any further questions for you too. If you found this information helpful, check out my Dream Baby Playground which is your "Start Here" destination to #ALLTHETHINGS I have for you inside the Dream Baby Cafe. Check it out here  

Let’s get your family protected this season.

LuAnn Marlow has been a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for over 25 years. She is also the mom of 4 grown boys. She has practiced in many areas of pediatrics from newborn care, childhood cancer, child abuse and more.  She started the Dream Baby Cafe because she loves taking the frustration out of parenthood so that moms and dads can spend more time enjoying those babies they dreamed of. 

The information you read here is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of your own healthcare provider. Do not use the information in this site to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Do not disregard the advice of your own healthcare provider because of something you read or hear here. This information does not create a patient-provide relationship. See full disclaimer.