Flu shot could have prevented nearly half of children’s deaths, CDC says

The Boston Globe, September 19, 2011

Parents who need a little extra incentive to get their kids a flu shot this year should take a look at a new report issued today by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency documented 115 pediatric deaths related to influenza over the past 12 months and found that at least half could have been prevented with a vaccine. Only 23% of those children over six months of age who died -- for whom vaccine information was available -- had been given a flu vaccine. The others hadn't been vaccinated. (14% of the children who died were infants under 6 months who can't get the vaccine.) Nearly half of the deaths were in children who weren't at higher risk due to certain medical conditions like asthma, obesity, diabetes, or cerebral palsy.