Vaccinating younger children for flu reduces doctor visits

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Vaccinating younger children for flu reduces doctor visits

The annual flu vaccine is recommended for children six months of age and older. We know that the flu shot not only prevents colds and other infections (like ear infections), but now it has been shown to reduce visits to the emergency room (ER).
The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reports that after “annual flu vaccination was recommended for preschool-age children in the United States beginning in 2006,” research shows that emergency department visits “among US children age two to four were 34% lower compared with Canadian children.”
Canada implemented a similar policy in 2010.
The New York Times (Subscription Publication) adds,”Emergency room visits by five- to 18-year-olds were 18 percent lower in Boston, probably because vaccination of preschoolers reduced the likelihood of transmission of flu to older siblings and because the policy raises vaccination awareness among the parents of older children, as well.”
Here are some of my blogs on kids and the flu vaccine:

 

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