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Abstract

Should schools in the United States require children between the ages of six months to 17 years to have flu vaccination shots? Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), every flu season varies, and an influenza infection can affect people differently. Millions of people get the flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized, and thousands or tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year. Everyone is at risk for influenza, but the highest risk lies within children who are still developing their immune systems. However, with vaccines, this risk is easily preventable and can decrease a person’s chances of acquiring the infection. As such, the CDC recommends that every person six months and older should be vaccinated annually. This is even more important for children because they attend schools where they have maximum exposure to various strains of influenza six to ten hours daily. They can easily spread and contract the disease in their school environment, specifically from children that are not vaccinated. This leads to the hypothesis that children six months to 17 years should be required to receive influenza vaccinations.

Department

Nursing

Faculty Advisor

Olivia Catolico, Ph.D., RN, CNL, BC

Publication Date

2017

City

San Rafael, CA

Keywords

flu shots, flu vaccine

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Influenza Humans | Influenza Virus Vaccines | Nursing | Pediatric Nursing

Influenza Vaccination in School-aged Children


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