November 20, 2023– According to estimates from a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the flu vaccine reduced the risk of flu-related emergency department visits, urgent care, and hospitalizations by nearly half among children and adolescents (40-48%) during the 2022-2023 season. Although people who are vaccinated can still get sick, vaccination helps them avoid serious consequences better than people who are not vaccinated. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a yearly flu vaccine. With flu activity low but increasing, now is a good time to get vaccinated.
Data for this study were obtained from the VISION Vaccine Effectiveness (EV) Network, a joint research initiative of CDC, Westar, and multiple centers with integrated clinical, laboratory, and immunization registries in the United States. The network analyzes the level of protection of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines against the moderate to severe form of the disease.
The 2022-2023 flu season saw the highest rates of flu-associated hospitalizations in children since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. vaccination coverage against influenza in children last season was about 6 percentage points below the pre-pandemic level. The higher hospitalization rates could reflect drops in vaccination coverage, but also the fact that last year’s flu season started unusually early, and many children who got sick had not yet had a chance to get vaccinated.
Strong recommendation of the vaccine by clinicians and health care providers can help parents make the decision to vaccinate their children against influenza. Parents can help their children fight the flu by getting them vaccinated every year.
Children under 5 years of age, especially those under 2, are at increased risk for serious flu complications associated with influenza. Children of any age with certain chronic conditions are also at higher risk. During the 2022-2023 flu season, 66 percent of children (people under 18 years of age) hospitalized with influenza from one of the surveillance networks According to the CDC, they had at least one underlying condition, such as asthma, a neurological disease, obesity, or a weakened immune system.
Influenza seriously affects the health of children every season in the United States. During the 2022-2023 flu season, there were more than 12 million influenza virus infections in children and nearly seven million flu-associated medical visits. The CDC also estimates that nearly 50,000 children were hospitalized with influenza during the 2022-2023 season. A flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of illness by 40% to 60%, but even if your child does get sick with the flu, vaccinating your child can reduce the severity of the illness and help prevent more serious consequences associated with the flu. influenza.
Parents can help protect their children by getting them vaccinated against the flu. You can find a flu vaccine at vacunas.gov.
The VISION network is a joint project of the CDC, Westat (a consulting company of government and private sector entities working on research, data collection and analysis, technical assistance, evaluation and communications), along with various partners who obtain information on medical consultations associated with acute respiratory illnesses in care facilities (such as urgent care centers, emergency departments and hospitals).
2023-11-20 21:08:34
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