This is basically the equivalent of saying, "Your child might be exposed to one of the following: measles, mumps, rheumatic fever, yellow fever, tuberculosis, or yellow fever. So we will pick one vaccination at random to give your child and hope for the best." How effective is the flu vaccine in children? Again, the CDC:The flu vaccine can prevent 66% or more influenza infections in young children, with even higher estimates for older children, when the vaccine strains are well-matched to the flu viruses causing illness. Vaccinating close contacts of children can also help decrease children's risk of getting the flu.
"when the vaccine strains are well-matched to the flue viruses causing illness". Otherwise, it does squat. Oh, and even when they match, if every adult around the child - at home, at school, at church, in the carpool - doesn't get the same vaccination, then those odds are reduced. THIS IS THE BEST CASE SCENARIO.
The problem is that almost no one actually lives in a best case scenario. Beyond that, almost no one actually suffers from the flu - a recent study found that fewer than 15% of reported flu cases were actually flu virus infections. The remainder was "flu-like infections". The flu vaccine gives absolutely no protection against non-flu viruses.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal also has published a study that challenges the ability of the flu vaccine to actually prevent you from being sick. The 66% number given above by the CDC for children is the ability of the body to produce anti-viral compounds. The actual ability of the vaccine to keep you from getting sick may be as low as 25%.
But the requirement to give flu vaccine to children is wrong-headed because of two important factors. First, a child who is vaccinated for the flu is less likely to be taken by his or her parents to the doctor as soon as symptoms appear. This loses valuable time in treating a sick child (note: once you have a viral infection, there is little the doctor can do but to treat the symptoms and give the body time to work). This puts a vaccinated child a higher risk for developing a high fever and/or dehydration because the parents believe that the vaccination will protect their child.
Second, forcing vaccinations to be given to healthy children can result in a shortage for medically fragile populations. There are some people who should get a flu vaccine every single year because they have either a high rate of exposure (healthcare providers) or because they have a compromised immune system (lupus sufferers). Those sixty-five and older are recommended being vaccinated every year.
Flu vaccine cannot be produced overnight. It is made with either dead or attenuated virus, so it has to be grown. This means that a shortage caused by pre-school children using all of the available vaccine would likely cause a shortage for at least a few weeks while new vaccine was grown. How many healthcare providers, teachers, and elderly people will spread a highly contagious flu vaccine in that time?
The best way to prevent the flu is to remain healthy and to practice good hygiene. Wash your hands and face often with soap and water (it doesn't need to be anti-bacterial - studies show they are no better than regular soap because the substance isn't on your skin long enough to matter). Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. And if you get sick - STAY HOME AND DON'T SPREAD IT AROUND. Teach your children to do the same.
It isn't easy to get kids to take hygiene seriously (trust me - I'm happy when the twins only put "clean trash" in their mouths). But we shouldn't rely on a shot-in-the-dark vaccination to take the place of teaching our kids how to take care of themselves and those around them. And, to be honest, I'm not crazy about shoving viruses, live or not, into my kids' bodies on scant evidence that it will do any good for them.
Yeah, but Big Pharma will make a killing if they can get a new vaccine put on the "required" list. |
