Tuesday 6 September 2022 11:38 PM Young children may need MULTIPLE flu shots this year trends now
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Leading pediatricians in the United States are saying that some young children may need two flu shots this year after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted vaccination schedules last year and amid reports of a more viscous flu season in the southern hemisphere.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) put out a notice Tuesday that children between the ages of six months and eight years old who have received less than two flu shots during their life should double up on the jabs this time around. The two shots should be received around a month apart from one-another.
It comes in response to faltering flu shot demand over the past two years. More than half of Americans skipped or delayed receiving the shot last year as the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused many to totally forget about the annual virus.
Flu season has been especially brutal in the western hemisphere this year as well - where they are leaving winter and entering spring. Australia in particular reportedly suffered a much rougher season than what would be expected. A lack of flu shot uptake and minimal resistance because of limited exposure to the virus in recent years is believed to be at fault for the surge.
The White House is also asking for Americans to double up on shots, recommending both the newly-approved Omicron COVID-19 booster shot and the flu shot this fall.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending for people between the ages of six months and under the age of eight to receive two flu shots - spaced a month apart - this year if they have not already received at least two shots in their life
The AAP recommendations are not totally unprecedented. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told parents to get their children double-jabbed