Flu season is upon us and no one wants their child to get sick. The US Centers for Disease Control is making the public pronouncement that all children from 6 months to 18 years old and those over 50 should definitely get a flu shot. It is common for pediatricians to be critical of parents who choose not to have their child vaccinated.

As many of you know, there is a great deal of controversy about the safety of multiple vaccinations for children. Although recent studies seem to show, at least according to the “experts,” that there is no link between vaccinations and the recent explosion of diagnosed cases of childhood autism, many are not convinced. As well as the issue of the safety of the vaccination itself, the question of how well the flu shot protects our children is often avoided. One recent study showed that children flu vaccinated during the 2003-2004 and the 2004-2005 did not get the flu any less than an unvaccinated control group. However, before you decide to skip the flu shot this year, read this article. 

Getting back to the more important question of whether flu shots are safe, the Institute for Vaccine Safety at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health website has a lot of good information from the standpoint of the professional public health community. From the alternative side of the question Barbara Loe Fisher has a well respected blog called Vaccine Awakening. 

Clearly there is no agreement on this this important question. All parents have to decide for themselves whether to have their children vaccinated.