Report: 1 in 3 parents will not vaccinate children against flu this season | Health Care News

One-third of parents say their child will not get the flu shot this year, according to a new survey.

the National Child Health Survey of C.S. Mott Children's Hospital 34% of parents reported that their children would not be vaccinated for the 2018-2019 influenza season. At the time of making their decision, almost half of parents, 48%, said they followed the recommendations of their child's doctor and a majority of parents, 77%, said that their doctor strongly or predominantly recommended the vaccine. . Only 2% said that their doctor had recommended that they not be vaccinated against the flu.

Thirty-eight percent of parents reported that their decision to vaccinate their children was based on things they heard or read, and the most common sources are family and friends, other parents, the Internet, health professionals and books or magazines.

Of the 48% who said they generally follow their doctor's guidelines, 87% said their children would be vaccinated against the flu this year, while only 56% of those who said they made the decision based on what they thought they saw or heard that their children would receive the vaccine.

Dr. Jennifer McDonald, Mott's pediatrician, said it was worrisome not to vaccinate their children.

"Some people may not realize how bad the flu can be," says McDonald said in a press release. "I point out to parents that thousands of children are hospitalized each year with the flu."

Last flu seasonmore than 80,000 people died from the flu, including 180 children, and less than 60% of children received the vaccine, the report says.

"The vaccine is absolutely our best protection," McDonald said.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended All persons 6 months of age and older receive an influenza vaccine each year.