Key Findings: Influenza Vaccination Practices of Physicians and Caregivers of Children with Neurologic and Neurodevelopmental Conditions – United States, 2011 – 12 Influenza Season
For more information, you can read the article here. Read more below for a summary of the findings from this article.
Main findings
- About 1 in 2 children with neurologic and neurodevelopmental conditions are vaccinated against the flu each year.
- About 3 out of 4 parents report that their child’s health provider is the main source of information about vaccines, including the flu shot.
- Health providers who regularly cared for children with neurologic and neurodevelopmental conditions were familiar with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord conditions, and other brain conditions as high-risk conditions for flu illness.
- In general, pediatricians did not recognize that intellectual disability is also a high-risk condition for flu.
About this study
The study researchers sent an on-line survey to parents or other caregivers on the Family Voices email list. Family Voices is a national advocacy group for children with special health care needs. Parents and other caregivers were asked about their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to vaccinating their children with neurologic or neurodevelopmental conditions against seasonal flu. About 1,000 parents of children with one of these conditions responded.
Researchers also sent an on-line survey to healthcare providers, using the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) specialty email lists. Providers were asked about their vaccine practices for different types of patients, and which chronic medical conditions were more likely to make someone severely ill from flu.
More Information
To learn more about the flu in children with neurologic or neurodevelopmental conditions and how to protect these children from illness, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/neurologic-pediatric.htm.
CDC’s Activities
CDC is partnering with organizations to coordinate communication activities for their constituents - including parents and caregivers, primary care clinicians, developmental pediatricians, and neurologists and other subspecialists - to increase awareness about flu prevention and treatment in children with neurodevelopmental and neuromuscular conditions.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Influenza Vaccination Practices of Physicians and Caregivers of Children with Neurologic and Neurodevelopmental Conditions – United States, 2011 – 12 Influenza Season. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013;62(36):744-746.
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