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SUNDAY, October 28, 2018 – Is getting a flu shot every year diminishing its ability to protect children?
Absolutely not, say the researchers, who discovered that last year's shot would not reduce in any way the flu-fighting force of this year's shot.
This conclusion follows three years of monitoring influenza vaccine effectiveness in almost 3,400 children aged 2 to 17 years. The researchers said the results corroborate current recommendations that vaccinate children every year.
"Even healthy children can become seriously ill and die from the flu," warned author of the study, Huong McLean. She is a researcher at the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health of the Research Institute of Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin.
In addition, "the timing and severity of each influenza season is unpredictable," said McLean. "The number of children in the United States who die of flu each season varies from about 37 to over 170." In fact, the flu has already killed a child in Florida this year, she noted.
With respect to the idea that annual injections could be excessive, the study clearly showed that "previous vaccination was not associated with reduced efficacy of the vaccine," said McLean.
She added: "The flu shot every year is the best way to protect yourself against the flu."
The results of the study were published online Oct. 26 in the JAMA Network Open.
Earlier this fall, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that last year's flu season killed an estimated 80,000 Americans, including 183 children. These figures represent the largest number of deaths from influenza in 40 years.
The CDC recommends that all Americans 6 months of age and older be vaccinated against influenza every year, except for those who are allergic to one or more of the ingredients in the vaccines or those who have allergies. history of severe paralyzing disease. known as Guillain-Barré syndrome.
In terms of fire protection, being vaccinated against influenza reduces the risk of dying of influenza in children by more than half (51%), according to the CDC. This reflects data covering four influenza seasons ranging from 2010 to 2014.
In the last survey, about half of the participating children – almost 7 years old on average – received one of two types of influenza vaccines in 2013: live attenuated influenza vaccine and inactivated influenza vaccine.
The team finally found that children also vaccinated the previous year in 2012 had benefited from LAV enhanced protection against one type of influenza, H3N2, in 2013, compared with those who were n & # 39; 39, had not been vaccinated the previous year.
According to the report, LAIV protection against another type of influenza, H1N1, was unaffected by previous vaccination history.
And children who had received a flu shot the previous year in 2012 saw no impact on the protective strength of their 2013 Vaccine Vaccine, for both types of flu.
Investigators found that the same pattern of influenza vaccination effectiveness was sustained over the next two seasons.
While encouraging parents to talk to their pediatrician if they have questions or concerns, McLean pointed out that "the flu vaccine is safe for children and adults."
And because protection takes a few weeks to be felt after being vaccinated, she said, "Parents should get their children vaccinated as soon as possible so they're protected before the flu season starts." ".
Dr. Alicia Fry is the Chief of the CDC's Division of Epidemiology and Prevention. She said that the latest study is one of the few to be specifically interested in the potency of influenza vaccination year after year in children.
The findings "are reassuring and support the current flu vaccination policy," said Fry.
"The flu vaccine has saved the lives of many children, and the CDC recommends that annual flu shots remain the first and most important step in protecting against the flu and its complications," added Fry.
More information
Influenza vaccine recommendations for US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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