Historically, they have caused disproportionate harm to some ethnic and racial communities. But as children return to school and pre-pandemic activities, the flu and other respiratory viruses are expected to rise. The overall rates of influenza infection dipped last year, likely due to safety precautions in place to prevent COVID.

During the 2021-22 flu season, only 55% of children were vaccinated to protect against influenza, and coverage levels were 8.1 percentage points lower for Black children compared with white children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The AAP urges families to catch up with all vaccinations for their children and to ask their pediatrician for the flu vaccine as soon as it is available this season. Besides making your child miserable and wreaking havoc on your family’s routine, influenza can also be serious and even deadly in children.” “We should not underestimate the flu, especially when other respiratory viruses like COVID-19 are circulating within our communities. Bryant, MD, FAAP, lead author of the policy statement, written by the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. “As a pediatrician and a parent, I consider the flu vaccine as critical for all family members,” said Kristina A.

A detailed review of the evidence supporting the recommendations is published in an accompanying technical report. The policy statement will be published in the October 2022 Pediatrics (published online Sept. In a policy statement, “ Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2022–2023,” the AAP observes that vaccination coverage lagged last season and that, historically, the flu has taken a disproportionate toll on families who are Black, Hispanic or American Indian or Alaska Native. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children ages 6 months and older be vaccinated for influenza this fall, as vaccines remain the best way to prevent severe illness and keep kids in classrooms. Experts advise that children receive the vaccine as soon as it is available, preferably by Halloween

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