Flu Vaccines Effective in Keeping Children Healthy
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luiscar/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers say that the flu vaccine is generally effective at keeping children out of the hospital.
Researchers looked at children both six months old and five years old, in an attempt to determine whether a 2008 recommendation to give the vaccine to all children over six months old was still accurate. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, began in 2000 and continued collecting data through 2011.
According to researchers, vaccination rates for eligible children jumped from six percent to 40 percent, but fewer children were admitted to hospitals for flu-related illness.
The study did note, however, that the number and severity of hospital visits was highest during the years when the H3N2 strain of influenza was predominant. In particular, the results were worst in years when the flu vaccine was mismatched to the predominant strain of the virus, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said this year’s vaccine is.
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