Why your child should get the flu jab

By Ayoki Onyango

With the flu season imminent, children should get shots as they are most at risk of catching the illness.

Children are most vulnerable to the virus and bacteria which cause the ailment and pneumonia.

During epidemics, 40 per cent of under-fives and 30 per cent of school age going children get flu, experts say.

But many parents are not aware of the risk even as recent studies show that before their first birthday, children are more likely to suffer serious-flu and pneumonia-related complications than adults aged over 60.

"In addition to the typical symptoms such as fever, headache, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, and muscle aches, children experience gastro-intestinal symptoms more often than adults.

They include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea", says Dr Evans Amukoye, the Director Centre for Disease Control and Research.

Children under three months with flu are also exposed to complications such as bacterial pneumonia and dehydration, and may also suffer from sinus problems and ear infections, he says.

Flu season

During the flu season, healthy children below two are hospitalised at the same rates as children in high-risk groups such as adults over 60, says Amukoye. This, he says, is because flu exposes these children to bacterial infections.

Dr Joseph Aluoch, a chest specialist at the Nairobi Hospital, says vaccinating children at six months is the primary response to protecting them against flu and its complications for a year. Sanofi Pasteur, a pharmaceutical company has launched a flu vaccine Vaxigrip Junior for children that will be available from the first week of March.