Seasonal time: Health officials emphasize the importance of influenza vaccination for children | Local news

Medina — To put it bluntly, no one likes to get the flu.

However, due to the great attention paid to influenza vaccination, the focus is often on adults and the elderly. When a child is involved, it is not always taken seriously.

According to Rochester Regional Health, one-third of parents have no plans to vaccinate their children this year. As a result, health officials and others have emphasized the importance of influenza vaccination, especially in the era of coronavirus.

“Especially this year, with the introduction of COVID-19 as a pandemic, (vaccination) is very important because both are viral infections and show the same signs and symptoms,” said Dr. Khurrum Sanaullah, a pediatrician in the Medina family. Stated. Medicine and Batavia Pediatrics.

“It is advisable to get a flu shot, and you will be safe from at least one of the viruses. And if you put both of them (viruses) together, it’s a big problem for everyone, big It will be a problem. “

Influenza is characterized by a series of symptoms that are very similar to COVID-19, including fever, chills, body pain, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and malaise. They are contagious and spread through respiratory droplets.

The outlook for the flu season combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is worrisome to many healthcare providers due to the stress that co-occurrence can put on the healthcare system.

However, about one-third of parents do not have their children vaccinated. Some people keep their children away from medical facilities because of the coronavirus, while others are afraid because of false information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

Sanaura quoted information from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that pre-vaccinated children and adults are less ill, even if they get the flu.

About 50 to 60 percent of young patients are now immunized with influenza and other vaccinations as they grow older in the community, he said.

“I think it’s very worrisome,” he said of the low flu vaccination rate. “I’ve been in pediatrics for the last 15 years, and I still remember 2009 when the H1N1 virus, which was the flu, mutated.

“I used to see 50-60 patients a day,” he said. “This year we have a pandemic and the flu. If our children are not vaccinated, they will have respiratory illness and will be hospitalized for either pneumonia or other bacterial or secondary infections. It is very important for parents to understand that their children should be vaccinated this year. “

He said vaccination would begin from 6 months of age to the age of 21, which pediatricians are concerned about. The important thing is to get it as soon as possible.

It is both frustrating and dangerous for doctors. Influenza vaccination does not cause side effects.

According to Sanaura, people need to work on science that does not show the psychological or developmental disorders or major side effects caused by vaccines.

“One of the parents’ main concerns is that their children get sick (due to vaccination),” he said. “I always tell them that it’s better to get sick with the flu vaccine than the flu itself. Influenza vaccination can always cause fever, but it’s minor compared to the flu itself.”

He said he had forgotten to get his flu shot a few years ago and had his own flu shot from a patient. He said parents could vaccinate their children in a doctor’s clinic. Most pharmacies do not vaccinate children under the age of 6 or 12, but parents can check if vaccination is available if they want to try the option.

Don’t be afraid, he advised his parents. They can visit clinics that follow the required COVID-19 protocol.

“It’s a good idea to get a child vaccinated, but rather a very smart idea,” he said. “If you make an appointment, you can talk to a pediatrician or healthcare provider who offers the flu vaccine. We will definitely encourage and try to explain why the flu vaccine is important.”