mercredi 7 septembre 2016
Parents of Kids Who Hate Needles (Probably You) Have No Choice but a Shot This Flu Season
The American Academy of Pediatrics just said "nope" to flu vaccine mists, and you can almost hear the collective groan around the world from parents whose kids hate needles (read: probably you and every other parent you know). FluMist - a nasal spray version of the flu shot - has been many a mom's savior during flu seasons, but pediatricians are putting their foot down as the vaccine has been fairly ineffective against influenza for the past three years.
"New research shows that the flu shot provided significantly better protection in recent flu seasons compared with the nasal spray vaccine," Dr. Henry Bernstein of Cohen's Children's Medical Center in New York told NBC News. "Not having the option of receiving a flu vaccine intranasally or [via] a nasal spray is disappointing to some but I think that people recognize that flu vaccine is the best preventative measure that we have to protect everyone against influenza."
Last June the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) cited studies that showed the vaccine only reduced the risk of getting the flu by three percent, and regardless of other studies that show it is effective, the ACIP's opinion has caused clinics to cancel this year's orders of the mist. This means shots all around for families who want to protect themselves from the flu.
Every year, flu shots are reformulated using a "cocktail" of three or four circulating strains of the influenza virus to protect people as well as possible from the unpredictable virus. The flu typically hits hard among the population of young children and senior citizens, killing anywhere from 4,000 to 50,000 people a year in the US alone. The AAP has recommended that pregnant women still get a flu shot to help protect both mom and baby from the virus.
Articles
0 comments:
Enregistrer un commentaire