Is It Really Important to Get the Influenza Vaccine?
Q: My child has asthma. Is a very important that my child receive the influenza vaccine?
A: Without a doubt, the answer is yes. To prove this point, a study was undertaken during the 2009 influenza pandemic. Overall, 32% of children hospitalized for influenza had asthma. The median age was 7 years; in nearly 3/4 of the cases, asthma was the only predisposing medical condition. These hospitalized children were more likely to need intensive care (60% versus 22%) and more likely to be diagnosed with pneumonia. (40% versus 46%).
In looking back over the last few years, it is quite evident that there is a disproportionate number of children who are admitted with influenza that have asthma as the only comorbidity. Taking all of these admissions into account, consistently, less than 50% of these children have received an influenza vaccine in any of the study years. Of course, influenza vaccine is not perfectly protective but immunization remains our best preventive options.
FJP
Page 1 of 1 pages
