The flu season is quickly approaching! The physicians at Hatboro Pediatrics urge you to schedule your children for the flu vaccine. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC) recommends vaccination before the end of October. It takes approximately two weeks after vaccination for the antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body. You cannot get the flu from the flu shot. Seasonal flu activity often begins as early as October and November. Flu activity commonly peaks in the United States between December and February. Everyone ages six months and older should get the flu vaccine. It is highly recommended for children with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. Anyone being vaccinated with flu vaccine for the first time and are eight years of age or younger should receive two doses of the vaccine. Children with an allergy to eggs should also be vaccinated. If your child experienced only hives after exposure to eggs, they could be vaccinated in our office. Children with reactions to eggs including respiratory distress, lightheadedness, or recurrent vomiting, or have required epinephrine and or emergency medical care after exposure to eggs will need to be vaccinated at the office of their allergy specialist.
In addition to getting the flu vaccine, you can take other precautions every day. Wash your hands frequently, avoid contact with sick people and stay home from work/school if you are sick.
As of January 1, 2018, some insurance companies have made the flu vaccine mandatory. Because of this, our office will require only parents declining the flu vaccine to sign a refusal form to be kept in your child’s medical chart. If your child gets the flu vaccine at another facility, we will request documentation of it which will be added to your child’s medical chart.
For more information regarding the 2018/2019 flu season, please refer to the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines