CDC Press Release: New Study Shows Flu Vaccine Reduced Children’s Risk of Intensive Care Unit Flu Admission by Three-Fourths

CDC Press Release: New Study Shows Flu Vaccine Reduced Children’s Risk of Intensive Care Unit Flu Admission by Three-Fourths

CDC Press Release: New Study Shows Flu Vaccine Reduced Children’s Risk of Intensive Care Unit Flu Admission by Three-Fourths

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent this bulletin at 03/27/2014 09:08 AM EDT

Press Release

For Immediate Release                                                                                          

Thursday, March 27, 2014                                                                                                               

New Study Shows Flu Vaccine Reduced Children’s Risk of Intensive Care Unit Flu Admission by Three-Fourths

Getting a flu vaccine reduces a child’s risk of flu-related intensive care hospitalization by 74 percent, according to a CDC study published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The study is the first to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) against flu admissions to pediatric intensive care units (PICU). It illustrates the important protection flu vaccine can provide to children against more serious flu outcomes. CDC recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older and especially for children at high risk of serious flu-related complications.

“These study results underscore the importance of an annual flu vaccination, which can keep your child from ending up in the intensive care unit,” said Dr. Alicia Fry, a medical officer in CDC’s Influenza Division. “It is extremely important that all children – especially children at high risk of flu complications – are protected from what can be a life-threatening illness."

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