Most Latinos Infants Don’t Get Flu Vaccination

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According to a new report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that most infants in the United States do not receive flu vaccinations. While the number who are vaccinated has dramatically increased over the past decade, the report found that less than 45% between the ages of 6 months and 23 months are given the full flu vaccination.

In 2002-2003, only 4.8% of infants overall were vaccinated. The rate has significantly increased in the past four years, a trend that experts support. Latino children were less likely than whites to be vaccinated. Due to the widespread disparities in the Latino community, this is not a surprising finding.

“Prevention of influenza among infants and young children is a public health priority because of their high risk for influenza-related complications,” said researcher Dr. Tammy A. Santibanez of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Depending on a child’s age and previous influenza vaccination history, they are recommended to receive either 1 dose or 2 doses of influenza vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated against influenza for the season.”

According to data compiled by the CDC last year, just under 50% of children between 6 months and 17 had received the flu vaccine in the past year. In the last year, 3,697 deaths from the flu were reported.