Feds: All kids advised to receive flu shots

A new recommendation from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices says that all kids between the ages of 6 months and 18 years should receive flu shots. (Source: "All kids advised to get flu shots," Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 28, 2008.) "The change, likely to be made no later than the 2009-2010 flu season, would bring a huge expansion in national guidelines. Both the flu shot--which has been abundant in recent years--and the nasal vaccine may be used in children. At the moment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccination of children 6 months to 5 years old, people 50 or older and those at highest risk of complications from flu." The Dispatch article quoted Dr. William Barson, an infectious-disease specialist at Nationwide Children's Hospital, as saying that vaccinating children helps protect their families and others from getting sick.