Flu Season Is Here~Is Your Family Protected?

A Wake-Up Call

I want to have a serious talk. Too many of our children (it takes a village to raise a child) are leaving this world to death. The flu can account for a portion of those deaths. It makes me sad that there are instances in which we could help prevent such tragedies from happening but we choose to do otherwise. We have to do better!

This Thanksgiving I hope that your child will be able to join their parents at the dinner table. Unfortunately, the parents of 6-year old Eva Harris will not get that chance this year. Eva passed away earlier this year due to complications of the influenza virus. She was one of 20 kids this year in the United States that died of the illness. Doctors have shared that the majority of influenza related deaths in children were of children who did receive a vaccination. Parent to parent, I want to share with you why we need to protect our children.  And why it is okay that they receive proper vaccinations against the flu this season.

Preparing Your Immune System for the Virus

Most vaccines are an attenuated (slightly dead) form of the virus it protects. By receiving a vaccine, you are preparing your body for the defense needed to fight off the virus when presented in its most active form. This is especially important in infants, children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. In children, this is because their immune system is still developing. In the immunocompromised and elderly, their immune systems are not as proficient as they once were.

It bothers me when people shy away from something so important because the information they receive may not be straightforwardly accurate. When a study about a correlation between the vaccine and a disease reaches the media, it usually goes viral and scares the bejesus out of folks. I will be the first to say if you or someone you care for has an allergy to the ingredients in the vaccine or has medically been advised not to receive a vaccine, please do not get the vaccine. If you fall in that group, I beg you to take other precautions to reduce your exposure to the flu.

A Call to Action

However, if you read a news article that suggests that you refrain from getting your vaccine, dig deeper to understand why. One case statistically cannot define the expected outcomes for an entire population. If one child dies of influenza because of ignorance about the safety of the vaccine, that is one too many. As parents have conversations with one another and be an advocate for the children who cannot get the help they need by their self.

Before I close, I want to add that this post and comments that will follow will represent a safe space for all who have opinions. I respect those who choose for whatever reason not to receive that vaccine, but please know that I support those who do. Make a pledge today by sharing this article on social media and pledging “I Pledge to Protect My Family this Flu Season through Prevention and/or Vaccination!”