Montreal Families / November 2011 / Vaccine protects children from the flu

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Vaccine protects children from the flu

The best way to avoid getting the flu this season is to make sure family members have been inoculated.

I have a 1-year-old son and a 3-year-daughter — should they get the flu vaccine?

All children over 6 months of age should receive the influenza vaccine each year. It protects them, as well as their family members, from the flu and its complications.

Flu vaccines are usually offered to people from October to mid-November. You may be able to receive the vaccine at the doctor’s office, a medical clinic or your local CLSC. The immunization provides protection throughout the flu season, which runs from October to March.

If your child is under the age of 9 and has never had flu vaccine, she will need two doses of the vaccine, given at least four weeks apart. If your child has been vaccinated for the flu in the past, she will only need one dose this year.

The vaccine is especially important for children who are at high risk of complications from the influenza infection. This includes all children between 6 and 23 months of age and those with certain underlying medical conditions, including:

• Chronic heart or lung disorders (such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis, asthma) serious enough to require regular medical follow-up
• Immune deficiencies or conditions that require the use of drugs that weaken the immune system
• Cancer
• HIV infection
• Kidney disease
• Anemia or hemoglobinopathy
• Diabetes or other metabolic diseases
• Neurological or neuromuscular disorders that cause breathing difficulties or make it hard to handle respiratory secretions
• Diseases that require treatment with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or aspirin) on a daily basis.

It is important that all family members get vaccinated so everyone living in the home is protected. This is especially important if you have children under the age of 6 months as they do not receive the vaccine (it is not effective for this age group). 

The following individuals should also be immunized against influenza:

• Caregivers who take care of children less than 2 years of age.
• Pregnant women.
• Those who live in a chronic care facility.
• People living with another child or adult who is at risk of complications from influenza.

However, some children should not get a flu vaccine:

• Babies under 6 months of age. The vaccine is not harmful to them, but it is not effective.
• Children with a severe egg allergy (hives, swelling of the eyes, face or mouth). The vaccine is developed with the use of chicken eggs.
• Children who have had a severe allergic reaction (hives, swelling of the eyes, face or mouth) to a previous flu vaccine.
• Children who have received a live-virus vaccine within the last four weeks. (Check with your healthcare provider about any vaccines your child has received recently.)
• Children who have an allergy to thimerosal (a preservative used in contact lens solutions and in the flu vaccine), should ask whether thimerosal-free vaccine is available.

The influenza vaccine is very safe. It cannot cause the flu. Side effects are usually mild and may include:

• mild soreness where the needle went into the arm.
• a slight fever or aching for the first day or two after immunization, especially after the first dose of vaccine and in children under the age of  2.

In rare cases, a person may have red or itchy eyes, cough and mild swelling of the face within a few hours of vaccination. This usually goes away within 48 hours.

Nasal vaccine available

A new type of flu vaccine (the brand name is: FluMist) is given as a nose spray instead of injection. It is appropriate for healthy children over the age of 2. (If your child has one of the above chronic conditions above, you should speak to your doctor to find out if the nasal flu vaccine is appropriate.) The vaccine is given in one or two doses — each dose is one squirt into each nostril. This type of flu vaccine is not covered by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec and will need to be purchased.

Dr. Denis Leduc is a general pediatrician in the Montreal area. He is a Past President of the Canadian Pediatric Society.

For more information on your child’s growth and development, visit the Canadian Pediatric Society’s website at www.caringforkids.cps.ca or www.soinsdenosenfants.cps.ca.