Flu Vaccine Safe

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Flu Vaccine Safe for Babies and Toddlers

Study confirms shot protects against influenza without side effects

By Serena Gordon

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Even the youngest children --

those between 6 month and 23 months old -- can safely benefit from

the flu vaccine, a new study concludes.

The study, which looked at more than 45,000 infants and toddlers from

all over the United States, found there were only a few incidents of

side effects that required medical treatment as a result of the

vaccine, and none was serious.

" This vaccine is very safe in this age group. For me, as a

pediatrician and as a parent, it was very reassuring how few

diagnoses there were that were associated with this vaccine, " said

the study's lead author, Dr. Simon J. Hambidge, an investigator with

Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Clinical Research Unit in Denver.

Results of the study appear in the Oct. 25 issue of the Journal of

the American Medical Association.

Annually, as many as one in five Americans gets the flu, according to

the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than

200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and as many

as 36,000 Americans die from the infection each year, the CDC reports.

The best way to prevent the flu is to get the flu vaccination. The

CDC recommends that most people get the shot, but specifically

advises the following groups of people to receive the flu vaccine

every year:

Children between 6 months and 5 years old,

Pregnant women,

People older than 50,

People who live in nursing homes or other long-term care settings,

Those with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease

and HIV/AIDS,

People living with or caring for young children, nursing-home

residents or those with compromised immune systems or chronic medical

conditions.

The first time an infant or child receives the vaccine, it must be

administered in two separate doses, given one month apart. While

there are no expected shortages of flu vaccine this year, the vaccine

has been slow to arrive at many pediatric offices this fall.

According to flu-vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur, adequate supplies of

the vaccine will be available by November or December at the latest.

Children under 2 have an increased risk of serious complications from

the flu. The only people at higher risk are those over 65, according

to the study.

Beginning with the 2004-05 flu season, the CDC's Advisory Committee

on Immunization Practices began recommending that children between 6

months and 23 months of age receive the vaccine. However, the largest

study that had been done on this age group included fewer than 9,000

vaccinations.

So, Hambidge, along with colleagues from the Vaccine Safety Datalink

Team and eight other health-care organizations, examined

retrospective data for more than 45,000 children who got almost

70,000 vaccinations between January 1991 and May 2003.

The researchers looked only for " medically attended " vaccine

complications up to 42 days after immunization. Minor side effects

such as swelling or tenderness at the injection site weren't included

in the analysis.

The only statistically significant association they found was for

nausea and vomiting. However, Hambidge said these side effects were

probably due to exposure to the influenza virus or another virus

around the time of vaccination.

Conditions such as asthma, ear infections and the common cold were

actually less likely to occur after vaccination, according to the

study. The researchers believe these may also be chance findings.

A previous study had found a possible association between the vaccine

and febrile seizures (seizures that occur due to high fevers), but

this study found no such link, according to Hambidge.

" This vaccine was already believed to be safe, and this study backs

that up, " said Dr. Horwitz, a pediatrician at New York

University Medical Center in New York City.

" This study involved a huge number of children. Generally, a study

this large would show any kind of significant adverse reaction that

might occur, " he added.

The bottom line, according to Hambidge, is that this vaccine " will

help protect kids against a nasty illness. "

More information

To learn more about the flu vaccine, visit the U.S. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.