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C H I C A G O, Dec. 2 — The American Academy of Pediatrics is encouraging flu shots for all healthy children from 6 months up to 2 years old.
Siblings, parents and other caretakers also should get the shots if possible, the academy says.
Its policy echoes new government recommendations issued in September and is based on recent data showing that young children are hospitalized with influenza at least as often as adults over 50, for whom yearly flu shots are recommended.
Tens of thousands of youngsters under age 2 become so sick each year with flu that hospitalization is needed, said Dr. Cody Meissner, a member of the academy committee that wrote the new policy.
While the flu vaccine isn't licensed for babies under 6 months, they too are at risk for hospitalization. The academy recommends shots for their families and caretakers as well, said Meissner, chief of pediatric infectious disease at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston.
The new policy says shots should be given whenever feasible but stops short of saying they are absolutely essential because of concerns over vaccine shortages, which have occurred in recent years, and with flooding pediatricians' offices with youngsters needing shots every fall, Meissner said.
"The logistics of this need to be carefully worked out," he said.
Unlike most childhood vaccines, flu shots are needed every year because the virus changes so often. The shots also are generally recommended before flu season hits, which is usually from November through April.
Youngsters should get two doses four weeks apart to make sure they're adequately protected. One shot yearly is recommended for older children, who are likely to have been exposed previously to the flu virus and are presumed to have developed some immunity, Meissner said.
Previously, the academy and government said the only children who needed flu shots were those in high-risk categories, such as those with chronic diseases.
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