Flu Shots

Guest Editorial
Published: March 6, 2008

Every teacher in America knows that among the true hazards of the profession are the germ carriers who come to school every day. Lovable as they may, the little darlings are just perfectly programmed to catch bugs and then spread them to everyone around them - other children, teachers and parents.

Given that reality, a recommendation from a federal advisory panel makes perfect sense. Children over the age of 6 months should get flu vaccinations every year.

The panel is part of the Centers for Disease Control’s process for establishing health recommendations for the American people. Pediatricians already advise that children 6 months to 5 years be vaccinated. By running that advisory up to age 18, the CDC is recommending that an additional 30 million Americans be vaccinated each year.

The recommendation is only for voluntary vaccinations, as are its other advisories. All adults over 50 years of age and those with other special medical conditions are also advised to get flu vaccinations. The vaccine industry, which produced 132 million doses for Americans this year, says it can meet the new demand.

In announcing its unanimous recommendation, the advisory panel said that it did so based on two direct benefits that are anticipated: children and parents will lose less otherwise productive time while children have the flu, and there will be less need to use antibiotics on children who suffer complications from the flu.

We also like one of the indirect benefits: The likelihood that fewer of the rest of us will get the flu if the nation’s sneezing, sniffling and coughing hordes of children aren’t catching it and spreading it to us.

Call us selfish, but this year’s influenza has been especially rough on everyone. So far, the CDC reports, 22 children have died from complications. In a typical year, tens of thousands of Americans, mostly seniors and those vulnerable because of other ailments, die from the flu.

There have been major, statewide outbreaks in all states except Florida, where the outbreaks have been regional. The vaccine was not a strong match for the kind of flu we got this year, so it didn’t offer as much protection as usual.

It makes perfect sense to first protect our most cherished ones, our children, from the discomfort and dangers of the flu. It makes even more sense to do so if, in the process, we spare ourselves from the flu, too.

Flu shots have been proved to work, both for individuals and for the society as a whole. If our doctors recommend them to us, we should all get them, especially if we’re in an age group that is vulnerable. The CDC advisory panel has now expanded the range of people it considers vulnerable, and that might just help keep all of us healthier next year.—Winston Salem Journal.