Is influenza vaccination recommended for healthy children?
Influenza vaccine is licensed for use in children aged 6 months and older.While children bear the brunt of most influenza outbreaks or epidemics, and are the major ‘spreaders’ in the community, influenza in this age group is not usually a life threatening condition. Our current vaccination strategy is to protect individuals at ‘high risk’ of developing complications, rather than controlling the spread of influenza.Children are recommended and are eligible for funded vaccine:When they are in one of the ‘high risk’ groups. This includes pre-term infants who develop chronic respiratory disease. It is recommended they be offered vaccination at 6 months of age.
