Toddlers may need MULTIPLE flu shots this year as experts prepare for a devastating flu season
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that some people between the ages of six months and under eight years of age get two shots of the flu
- Experts predict the flu will make a resurgence this year after two relatively tame years
- The annual virus has had one of its strongest years in recent months in both Australia and New Zealand
- More than half of Americans either skipped or delayed their flu shot in the past year, raising concern from public health officials
Top pediatricians in the United States say some young children may need two flu shots this year after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted immunization schedules last year and amid reports of a tougher flu season in the southern hemisphere.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a statement Tuesday that children ages six months to eight years who have had fewer than two flu shots in their lifetime should double their shots this time. The two shots should be about a month apart.
It comes in response to stalled demand for flu shots over the past two years. More than half of Americans skipped or delayed vaccination in the past year as the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused many to completely forget about the annual virus.
Flu season has also been particularly brutal this year in the western hemisphere — where it’s exiting winter and entering spring. Australia in particular reportedly endured a much rougher season than expected. A lack of uptake of flu shots and minimal resistance due to limited exposure to the virus in recent years are believed to be responsible for the surge.
The White House is also urging Americans to double down on immunizations, recommending both the newly approved Omicron COVID-19 booster and flu shot this fall.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that people between the ages of six months and under eight years of age get two flu shots, one month apart, this year if they have not had at least two shots in their lifetime
The AAP recommendations are not entirely unprecedented. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged parents to double-vaccinate their children against the flu if they had not previously received a vaccine.
The guidance has endured ever since, but has been largely ignored and unannounced each year.
Recorded influenza cases dropped to ZERO at a Detroit hospital in 2020
Cases of influenza fell sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a Detroit health care system reporting a zero percent positivity rate for the virus, according to a new study.
Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan examined data from Detroit Medical Center for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 flu seasons.
They found that every single one of the 6,830 tests performed for adults and the 1,441 for children during the 2020-21 flu season (September 2021 to February 2021) came back negative for both influenza A and influenza B.
There were also zero positive tests for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults – out of 6,822 – and one for children among 1,404 tests.
The findings add to the wealth of existing information showing that social distancing and mask requirements to protect against COVID-19 have been effective in controlling the flu.
Positive tests for influenza A, influenza B, and RSV were almost non-existent among adults in the 2020-21 flu season compared to the 2019-2020 season
It is being revived this year after two years in which the flu was largely forgotten, as autumn in the winter season, which it normally dominates, was instead defined by outbreaks of Covid.
In 2020, the flu was virtually non-existent. Pandemic prevention policies combined with Covid viral disruptions caused the common virus to slip off the radar.
As 2021 began, some feared a “twindemic” would emerge as the combination of influenza and the delta variant would rage across the country.
Despite these warnings, a report by the American Heart Association found that 60 percent of Americans either delayed or chose not to get their flu shot in the past year.
Instead, Omicron broke out in late November, wiping out both the flu and Delta.
However, Covid is now better under control than ever. The number of cases has stagnated in recent months and the newly approved vaccinations tailored to Omicron can also limit the spread of the highly infectious virus.
The White House is hoping people are ready to get both shots. dr Ashish Jha, the Biden administration’s pandemic response coordinator, said Tuesday: “I really believe that’s why God gave us two arms, one for the flu shot and the other for the Covid shot.”
Officials in the southern hemisphere are beginning to sound the alarm about the upcoming flu season.
Australia suffered its worst flu season in half a decade this year, with peak case rates three times higher than usual.
In New Zealand, case numbers returned to pre-pandemic normal levels this year after two years of sharp declines.
“The southern hemisphere had a pretty bad flu season, and it came early,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, told Bloomberg.
“Influenza – as we’ve all learned over many years – can be a serious illness, especially if you’re having a bad season.”
