Flu Shots
Federal health officials are for the first time recommending that healthy babies and toddlers receive a flu shot, although they're stopping short of making it a formal recommendation. In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) updated 2002-03 flu vaccine guidelines, the advisory committee encourages all healthy children between the ages of 6 months and 23 months to receive a flu vaccine. Until now, health officials didn't recommend flu shots for very young children because they didn't consider them effective for that age group. But new research finds that the shot can protect even babies and toddlers from developing serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia. Talk to your pediatrician to see if the flu shot is right for you and your family.