CDC: Flu vaccine reduces a child’s risk of flu-related intensive care hospitalization by 74%

ATLANTA — Getting a flu vaccine reduces a child’s risk of flu-related intensive care hospitalization by 74%, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published Thursday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The study is the first to estimate vaccine effectiveness against flu admissions to pediatric intensive care units. 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 Alicia Fry, a medical officer in the 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."