flu vaccine

A local pediatrician is expressing his concern regarding the upcoming flu season and some parents’ decision not to have their children vaccinated.

Dr. Khurrum Sanaullah joined Rochester Regional Health in April and is affiliated with United Memorial Medical Center and Orleans Community Health, offering pediatric services at Batavia Pediatrics and Medina Family Medicine.

Last week Dr. Sanaullah gave a Zoom videoconference on his concern about a recent poll which found that one out of three parents do not plan to have their child vaccinated for the flu. Furthermore, the poll revealed that only one out of three parents believe it is more important for their child to get the flu vaccine this year, compared to past years.

The two major contributing reasons revealed in the study indicate parents are keeping their kids away from health care sites during COVID-19; and parents are concerned due to misinformation about side effects and the effectiveness of the flu vaccine.

Dr. Sanaullah states it is even more important this year for children to get a flu shot because of the coronavirus pandemic. He adds, the best time to have the flu shot is now.

He said the flu vaccine does not cause any serious side effects, and it is much better to get sick from the vaccine than from the flu itself. 

“Your symptoms will be much milder,” he said. “The medical profession has never showed that the flu vaccine causes serious side effects.”

The doctor also said symptoms of the flu and COVID-19 are very similar – chills, fever, body aches, cough, headache, vomiting and diarrhea, and if a person developed both, it could be a big problem.

“It’s a very smart idea to get your children vaccinated,” the doctor said. 

He said all children between the ages of 6 months and 21 years should have the flu vaccine. The vaccine can be administered at a local pharmacy, although many pharmacies won’t vaccinate a child under 6.

Dr. Sanaullah said the flu season is typically from September through April and the earlier the flu vaccine is administered, the better. But it is never too late. 

Press release:

The Western New York Public Health Alliance is urging everyone over the age of 6 months to get a flu vaccine to protect themselves from the effects of influenza. Influenza is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death.

Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently, but millions of people get flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year.

An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu. Vaccination has been shown to have many benefits including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death in children.

It is important that people understand how the flu vaccine works. Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are used to make the vaccine.

The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.

Most flu vaccines in the United States protect against four different flu viruses (“quadrivalent”); an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and two influenza B viruses. There are also some flu vaccines that protect against three different flu viruses (“trivalent”); an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and one influenza B virus. Two of the trivalent vaccines are designed specifically for people 65 and older to create a stronger immune response.

It is also important to understand when to get a flu shot. You should get a flu vaccine before flu viruses begins spreading in your community, since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against flu.

Make plans to get vaccinated early in fall, before flu season begins. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even into January or later.

Children who need two doses of vaccine to be protected should start the vaccination process sooner, because the two doses must be given at least four weeks apart.

Flu vaccines are offered in many doctor’s offices, clinics, health departments, pharmacies and college health centers, as well as by many employers, and even in some schools.

Even if you don’t have a regular doctor or nurse, you can get a flu vaccine somewhere else, like a health department, pharmacy, urgent care clinic, and often your school, college health center, or workplace.

For more information, please contact your local Health Department or go to the Center for Disease Control website.

The Western New York Public Health Alliance (WNYPHA) is a not-for-profit organization comprised of the Health Commissioners/Public Health directors and other community public health leaders from these eight counties of Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans; and Wyoming.

Their mission is to support collaboration across WNY to further public health initiatives and priorities. As part of this mission, the WNYPHA works to provide health education and information to prevent disease and improve population health.