Influenza is dangerous for children
Influenza (“the flu”) is more dangerous than the common cold for children. Each year, millions of children get sick with seasonal influenza; thousands of children are hospitalized and some children die from flu.
- Children commonly need medical care because of influenza, especially before they turn 5 years old.
- Children younger than 5 years and especially those younger than 2 years are at high risk of serious influenza complications.
- Children of any age with chronic health problems like asthma, diabetes, and disorders of the brain or nervous system also are at high risk of serious flu complications.
- Flu seasons vary in severity:
- CDC estimates that since 2010, flu-related hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years ranged from 7,000 to 26,000 in the United States.
- While relatively rare, some children die from flu each year. Since 2004-2005, flu-related deaths in children reported to CDC during regular flu seasons have ranged from 37 deaths to 171 deaths.
The single best way to protect your children from the flu is to get them vaccinated each year.
The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Traditional flu vaccines (called “trivalent” vaccines) are made to protect against three flu viruses; an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus. In addition, there are flu vaccines made to protect against four flu viruses (called “quadrivalent” vaccines). These vaccines protect against the same three viruses as the trivalent vaccine and an additional B virus.