Thu. September. 16 2004 12:18 AM ET
Flu season is coming and the Canadian Pediatric Society says it's time to get ready and make sure that, ideally, all children over six months of age are vaccinated.
The Society says the time has come to add flu shots to the list of other, routine childhood vaccinations.
The reasons are in part to prepare for any possible flu pandemic, and in part to address a rising rate of hospitalization for children who end up with the flu.
"The rate of hospitalization of infants for treatment of influenza is roughly equal to the rate among adults over the age of 65, so we think the children should benefit from the same protection," Dr. Joanne Embree, chair of the infectious diseases and immunization committee of the Canadian Pediatric Society told The Globe and Mail.
As well, Embree says everyone should get their flu shot every year.
The vaccines provide protection throughout the flu season from October to March.
The Society says children at high risk of complications from flu should get a flu shot. The list posted on their web site includes children who:
- Are between the ages of six months and two years
- Have chronic heart or lung disorders, including asthma
- Have other chronic conditions like immune deficiencies
- Have cancer or kidney disease
- Live with someone at high risk of complications from flu.
The influenza vaccine does not contain live virus, so it cannot cause the flu.
The vaccine, however, does contain thimerosal, which is a preservative in the flu vaccine and in contact lens solutions. However, the society say the levels of thimerosal are so low, they should not cause undue concern
However, it says children should not get the flu shot if they are:
- Under six months of age
- Have an allergy to eggs, since chicken eggs are used to make the vaccine
- Have an allergy to thimerosal
Flu shots are usually given once a year from October to mid-November.
The Society says that children under the age of nine years who have never had a flu shot will actually need two doses of the vaccine, at least four weeks apart.
The new recommendation is published this week in the medical journal Pediatrics and Child Health.
The flu vaccine will become available in early October, but right now it's still unclear how many provinces and territories will provide the vaccine free of charge.
Ontario has a universal flu immunization program, so the vaccine is provided without charge to anyone.
Other provinces, however, provide it only to people considered at high risk -- those over 65 and those with chronic lung and heart disorders.
"Obviously, we think every child should have access to the influenza vaccine," Embree said. "It shouldn't matter where you live."
Influenza viruses mutate and new strains appear, so as a result the vaccine changes each year.
The vaccine being used in Canada this year target three strains: A/New Caledonia, A/Wyoming and B/Jiangsu.
Last year, influenza outbreaks and the severity of illness were more pronounced than they had been for several years because of a harsh strain, A/Fujian.
It's estimated that between 500 and 1,500 people die each year from the flu or from complications of the flu.
The figures are from the Canadian Coalition for Immunization Awareness and Promotion, which represents a long list of health professionals and groups in Canada.
