AAP Releases Flu Season Guidance Amid an Increase in Illness

Here's what parents need to know about the AAP's 2024-2025 flu vaccine recommendations, including expert advice.

Fact checked by Sarah ScottFact checked by Sarah Scott

Flu season is approaching again, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its recommendations on prevention and vaccination for 2024-2025.

The statement highlights a sobering fact: Not only did influenza vaccination rates drop last year, but pediatric deaths related to flu rose, with the most deaths reported since the 2019-2020 season.

Here's what parents need to know about the flu in kids and getting vaccinated.

Flu Concerns for Kids

Parents who’ve had a little one home sick in previous years won’t be surprised to learn that flu is most prevalent in children. Those younger than 5—especially younger than 2 and with underlying medical conditions—are most likely to experience an increased risk of complications and hospitalization.

“A lot of the suffering we saw last year could have been prevented or at least lessened in severity by immunizing more kids with influenza vaccine,” says Kristina A. Bryant, MD, FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases (COID) and lead author of the flu policy statement and technical report.

Dr. Bryant also tells Parents, “Some parents may not realize that influenza can cause severe or life-threatening infections, even in healthy children, and that flu vaccines can prevent the most serious complications of flu.”

What To Know About the Flu Vaccine

This year’s flu vaccine is trivalent. Indeed, parents and caregivers will be happy to know the immunization protects against three strains of the illness. As for who should get vaccinated, and when, here are the Cliffs notes:

• All children over 6 months and without medical contraindications should get vaccinated.

• Some people need two doses, such as kids between 6 months and 8 years who have never been vaccinated before, as well as those whose vaccine status is not known, or who got just one dose before July 1, 2024. The two doses should be administered at least four weeks apart.

• Other children receive one dose for the 2024-2025 season.

• It’s recommended that vaccination takes place before October, 31. 2024.

Meanwhile, vaccination is safe and recommended for those pregnant and breastfeeding. “Pregnancy causes people to be at increased risk for more severe and deadly flu illness, which is a danger not only to the mother herself but also to the developing fetus," Michelle Bennett, MD, FAAP, PLLC, a board-certified pediatrician at Elliston Pediatrics tells Parents.

She adds that when people are vaccinated during pregnancy, they pass antibodies to the baby before birth. “The baby is born with some flu protection that lasts for the first several months, decreasing the baby's likelihood of flu illness,” Dr. Bennett says.

Flu Shot or Nasal Spray for Kids

Dr. Bryant emphasizes that everyone 6 months and older should be vaccinated. She further explains, “There are two kinds of vaccines. The flu shot can be given to children of all ages. A flu vaccine given as a nasal spray can be given to most healthy children 2 years and older.”

Talk to your health care provider to determine which version is best suited for your child, as well as to discuss any allergies or existing medical conditions.

“Severe allergic reactions to flu vaccines are rare, but children who have had a severe reaction should see an allergist to determine if it is safe to receive another flu vaccine,” Dr. Bryant says.

Experts Weigh in on Declining Flu Vaccine Rates

Per the AAP report, vaccine rates haven’t been this low since pre-COVID times. Sadly, racial disparities exist in the vaccination rates seen last year.

Overall, 57% of children and adolescents were vaccinated last flu season—that’s similar to the 2021-2-22 season but down from almost 63% in the 2019-2020 season, per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

Only 49% of Black children were vaccinated last year, while 51% of white kids received influenza vaccines. Meanwhile, 60% of Hispanic kids were vaccinated. Kids living in rural areas had lower vaccination rates than in urban settings. In-hospital deaths were highest among Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander children.

“We are definitely seeing a troubling, downward trend in vaccine acceptance," says Ari Brown, MD, an Austin, Texas-based pediatrician and founder of the Baby 411 book series and parent education. "It's likely a variety of societal factors that have led to this but I am hopeful that we all learned more about infectious diseases after getting through the pandemic.”

Dr. Bryant says that in the early years of the pandemic, there were very few flu cases. “I suspect some parents quit thinking or worrying about the flu,” she explains. But last year was a reminder that protecting kids against the illness needs to be a priority. “Across the United States, thousands of children were hospitalized because of flu, and more than 190 kids died from flu-related complications,” Dr. Bryant reports.

Even with the eye-opening evidence presented in the AAP’s findings, there will be parents who are unsure about getting their kids vaccinated. Dr. Brown’s message for families is this: “I hope people are motivated to protect themselves and loved ones. As a pediatrician, I have always had great respect for how horrible infectious diseases, including flu, can be, because I have cared for patients who have been critically ill with it.”

Dr. Bennett adds, “Flu vaccine has been around for many, many years now, and millions upon millions of doses have been given to children. The safety record is strong.”

Finally, Dr. Brown urges that since some people, including infants, cannot be vaccinated, they rely on others to protect them, and leaves us with this: “My mantra has always been, let's prevent what's preventable.”

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Read the original article on Parents.