Children who are 6 months to 8 years old may need 2 doses.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Flu shots are available across Western New York now, and doctors say now is the time to get one, especially for young children.
If your child has never received a flu vaccine and they are between six months old and haven’t turned nine years old yet, Dr. Thomas Russo, Chief of Infectious Diseases at the University at Buffalo, says they should get two doses this season of the flu vaccine with the second dose at least four weeks after the first.
“If your child is in the same age range and has only received a single dose over their lifetime, they should also receive two doses this flu season,” Dr. Russo said.
If your child is nine or older, they’d just get one dose.
Dr. Russo said these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are not new.
“That first dose for younger children primes their immune system, and the second dose gives them the optimal immune response. As you get older, this prime and boost strategy, if you may, is no longer necessary to afford optimal protection,” Dr. Russo said.
Based on the Southern Hemisphere this year, Dr. Russo says for the first time over the last three years, they had a significant number of flu cases. Dr. Russo said usually we follow suit.
“Planning is in order because to really receive that high degree of protection, you need that second shot which is gonna be at least four weeks after your initial dose. Therefore, please go out and get that first shot as soon as possible. We like our children and our adults to be optimally protected by around Halloween, which we anticipate may be the start of the flu season, though in any given year we never know for sure,” Dr. Russo said.
And he noted that kids and adults can get their flu shot and COVID vaccine or booster at the same time or you can space them out.
“Data in adults at least has shown that you may have more reactogenic symptoms if you get both vaccines at the same time, so when you previously received your flu or your COVID vaccine and if you had significant symptoms such as a very bad pain in your arm or some fever, aches, you may wish to separate those two vaccines by a week or two to minimize those types of symptoms,” Dr. Russo said.
The CDC has an online flu vaccine finder. You just have to type in your zip code and it shows you places where you can make appointments right now.
