The flu season became a bit complicated last year when H1N1 came onto the season. Not only did we have the familiar “seasonal flu” to contend with but this new player “H1N1″. Last year we had added chaos because we had to not only get ourselves and our kids vaccinated against the seasonal flu but also H1N1 and that vaccine was not easy to find!

Thankfully, this year will be much easier. Not only is there just one flu vaccine covering both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu but many people, including kids, will only need one shot.

Flu season is here…and flu vaccine is available. So, take a moment to remind yourselves of what you need to do to keep your family flu-free and why the flu shot is such an important part of that annual flu-prevention routine.

One issue to keep in mind is that a “flu-like” illness can be caused by many viruses but “the flu” is caused by a member of notorious Influenza virus family and none of those viruses are to be taken lightly at all, even during a “light” flu season or one described as “mild”.

Where seasonal flu is concerned, the extremes or our population, young folks and the elderly, are the highest risk for more serious infection. At the same time, while having a prior medical problem may make you more susceptible to the flu’s more powerful of wallops, having a healthy immune system is no safeguard against this very potent virus.

Thankfully, we have a superpower the flu virus can’t combat easily that gives our immune systems the power they needs to fight this virus on a more even playing field: annual flu shots, in either the traditional injection form or the newer nasal spray form.

It used to be that only high risk individuals would receive an annual flu shot: people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, health care workers.  However, new data on how Seasonal  Influenza actually strikes suggested this approach wasn’t inclusive enough and last season the CDC changed it’s recommendations to include all kids from 6 months through age 18.

If you look at the numbers, that was a wise move as nearly 20,000 kids under the age of 5 are hospitalized for flu-related complications such as pneumonia each year and Seasonal Flu does claim lives, including those of previously healthy kids.

Immunizing more kids doesn’t mean that adults shouldn’t get their flu shot – they still should. Immunizing adults is still how adults can protect themselves, infants under 6 months and others in the population who are not able to get the flu shot.

Armed with this information, all you have to do now is get your kids the flu shot. But which one, the traditional flu shot or the newer nasal spray, FluMist? According to Dr. Chirs Ambrose, Director of Medical Affairs at MedImmune, the maker of FluMist, studies have confirmed that FluMist is as safe as the traditional flu shot and works just as well. In fact, in three studies in children, the FluMist vaccine worked a bit better than the traditional shot. The only side effects he noted were runny nose and very mild fever.

I asked Dr. Ambrose last year if he had any comments about last year’s flu season in light of the previous year when there were significant issues with the flu vaccine supply as well as a mismatching of the virus types. According to Dr. Ambrose, the influenza vaccine is updated each year and that the data on last year’s vaccine was that it did, in fact, provide some protection. So, even with a bit of a mismatch, there still was some coverage so the people immunized would have received some protection.

As for supply, Dr. Ambrose tells me the supply is ready to go for this year. FluMist alone has 3x the supply than used last year and there’s 140million more doses of the traditional influenza vaccine already manufactured and shipped, ready to go at a doctor’s office near you.

Dr. Ambrose recognizes that many parents are leary of more immunizations. His advice is this: “Don’t project adult experiences on children”.  He feels that not giving a flu shot is akin to not using car seats or seat belts in cars. That is an interesting analogy.

It really is all about safety in the end. And, in this case, we don’t have any control over the on coming virus. The Influenza virus isn’t “just a virus”. Consider it like the Hulk just waiting to transform and explode at any time in any one of us, but particularly our kids. So, be wise…get everyone in your family immunized, especially your kids!

Sick hours can get very busy during the flu season in pediatric offices but at least the kids are not as sick as they used to be thanks to the flu shot. My wish for the coming years is for pediatricians around the country to be bored to tears some flu season because the flu shot becomes that good!

Additional Helpful Information:

• Families Fighting Flu is a powerful website organized by families who lost their children to the influenza virus. It contains resources on the Influenza virus, prevention and the flu shot.
• You can get your flu shot any time during the flu season, October to May!
• The flu shot needs to be repeated yearly. Kids younger than 9 years of age need two shots during the first flu season they are immunized with the shots separated 1 month apart but after that they only need an annual flu shot like the rest of us.

CDC’s official seasonal influenza  vaccine recommendations with H1N1 in the mix:

• “All persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others
• All children from 6 months through 18 years of age
• Anyone 6 months of age and older with certain chronic medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, asthma, heart disease, compromised immune system)
• Pregnant women
• People who live with, care for or come into close contact with persons at risk, including children younger than 6 months of age and individuals with chronic medical conditions or compromised immunity
• People 50 years of age and older
• Health care professionals”

How many shots do kids need?

This year’s flu shot contains both the seasonal flu and H1N1 strains.

If your kids are 6months through 8 years of age they need 2 doses of the flu shot separated 4 weeks apart unless:

1. They received 1 dose of the H1N1 vaccine last year

2. They received 2 doses of the seasonal flu vaccine last year or 1 dose of the seasonal flu vaccine before the 2009-2010 year.

For more information, see the CDC flu page.

Influenza Vaccination Exceptions Information:

• Infants under 6 months of age
• People allergic to components of the flu vaccine, especially egg
• People who have had a reaction to a past flu vaccination
• People who have had Guillain-Barre within 6 weeks of a prior flu vaccination
• People on immunosuppressive medication who can not get the flu vaccine
• People who want the flu nasal vaccine and are younger than 2 years of age,  over 50 years of age, kids on high dose aspirin therapy, pregnant women, or people with certain chronic conditions such as asthma or diabetes.

(originally posted Dec. 2008; updated November 2010)