Ahh, fall, the best time of the year; falling leaves, bonfires, crisp air… and the always dreaded flu season. Every year, over 41% of Americans take preventative measures against the widespread virus most commonly known as, “influenza” or the “flu.” But the statistics are even higher when it comes to the number of parents who don’t protect their children against this potentially deadly virus. Due to the high susceptibility children have to sickness, all children under the age of eighteen should be required to get the flu vaccine every year.
So what exactly is the flu? The flu by definition is a viral infection most prevalent from October to March each year that attacks one’s respiratory system (nose, throat and lungs). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), five to twenty percent of Americans catch the flu and over 200,000 are hospitalized for flu-related symptoms each season. Symptoms may include fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue. The CDC recommends the yearly flu shot as the first and most important step in protection against flu and its complications, as it reduces the risk of doctor visits related to the flu and flu diagnosis’ by 60%. Flu vaccines protect one’s body people by activating white blood cells …show more content…
Researchers only knew the vaccination status of 511 children, but of those 511, 84% had not had the flu shot. In the 2009-2010 flu season, 64 of 66 children who died did not have the vaccination. This just goes to show how much more beneficial it would be to get the flu shot than not at all. Dr. Karen Wong, a medical officer with the CDC said, “A lot of parents don’t think of the flu as being very serious, especially if their child is healthy, but this study shows that even healthy children are at risk and that’s why it is important for every child to get
So what exactly is the flu? The flu by definition is a viral infection most prevalent from October to March each year that attacks one’s respiratory system (nose, throat and lungs). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), five to twenty percent of Americans catch the flu and over 200,000 are hospitalized for flu-related symptoms each season. Symptoms may include fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue. The CDC recommends the yearly flu shot as the first and most important step in protection against flu and its complications, as it reduces the risk of doctor visits related to the flu and flu diagnosis’ by 60%. Flu vaccines protect one’s body people by activating white blood cells …show more content…
Researchers only knew the vaccination status of 511 children, but of those 511, 84% had not had the flu shot. In the 2009-2010 flu season, 64 of 66 children who died did not have the vaccination. This just goes to show how much more beneficial it would be to get the flu shot than not at all. Dr. Karen Wong, a medical officer with the CDC said, “A lot of parents don’t think of the flu as being very serious, especially if their child is healthy, but this study shows that even healthy children are at risk and that’s why it is important for every child to get