Online Resources

Vaccine/Immunization Schedule

CDC 2020 Recommended Immunizations For Birth Through 6 Years Old

CDC 2020 Recommended Immunizations For Children 7 – 18

Read MHA, and all practicing locations’ Vaccine Policy.

Additional Online Immunization Information

• www.immunize.org
• www.vaccine.org
• Vaccine.chop.edu
• Vaccinesafety.edu
• CDC.gov

A Parent’s Guide To Influenza

Influenza, or the flu, is a seasonal and very common illness. Each year the influenza virus evolves, making it difficult to prevent long-term. Therefore, it is recommended that your child get a flu vaccine each year during flu season near the beginning of fall.

Even though the symptoms are similar to the common cold, they can become severe enough to lead to other illnesses and even cause hospitalization and death.

Tips for Preventing the Flu

There are a number of measures that the CDC recommends that you and your child should take to avoid getting and spreading the flu. These include:

Keep your hands clean. Wash your hands often, not just when you use the restroom. You pick up a lot of germs on your hands throughout the day, and if you’re out in public during flu season, there’s a good chance you’ll pick up the flu.

Avoid close contact. Especially contact with those who are sick. When you are sick you should also avoid contact with others.

Stay home when you are sick. Not only will this help prevent the spread of germs, but it will ensure that you don’t overexert yourself if you are sick.

Cover your mouth and nose. Sneezing and coughing are the easiest ways for viruses to spread. Cover your mouth if you are sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Even if you keep your hands clean, viruses easily enter the body through the orifices on your face.

Practice good health habits. Make sure to disinfect surfaces that are touched a lot. For example, wipe down a shopping cart handle with a wipe before using. Additionally, make sure you get plenty of sleep, eat nutritious food and drink a lot of fluids.

Flu Season and Immunization

The flu season can start in October and last until May, but the bulk of flu cases happen between December through February. It is important to stay up-to-date in your area, as flu outbreaks happen at a local level.

Contact your Pediatric office for vaccine availability. The typical flu vaccine protects against what research indicates will be the most common viruses during the season, specifically Influenza A virus and Influenza B virus.

Influenza vaccine is typically available at the end of Summer or early Fall. The AAP recommends that all children age 6 months of age or older receive a yearly flu vaccine, especially those that are high risk. We will make a post when the flu vaccine is available on our website and social media outlets. Contact your office for vaccine availability.

Know how to define what is high risk.

Additional Resources about the Flu Vaccine:

• Flu season, symptoms, treatment, and prevention
• Learn which flu vaccine your child should receive