A flu shot for every child?
In the past, the CDC recommended the flu shot only for children under the age of five and for kids with certain chronic conditions. But as of 2009, the CDC is hoping that pediatricians will make the annual flu shot part of the yearly standard of care for all children under the age of 18. Though the recommendations are being made to keep children healthy, in school, and to reduce the number of doctor and hospital visits, experts anticipate a secondary benefit. If schoolchildren can avoid the flu, then their parents and grandparents are likely to be healthier as well. The shots won't be mandated, just heavily encouraged. It's not clear yet, however, that health officials will be ready by 2009 to vaccinate that many children.
My older daughter was born during flu season, and her pediatrician recommended that any adults that cared for her on a regular basis get their flu shots to protect her. This recommendation seems to be the flip side of that. By vaccinating children, the CDC hopes to protect the elderly and to slow the stop of the flu in general.
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