Get Ready For Back To School and The Flu! #NIAM

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This is a sponsored campaign on behalf of the motherhood and the CDC. All Opinions are my own.

Hey All!

Did you know August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM)? I am happy to have partnered with the Centers for Disease Control  Prevention (CDC) and The Motherhood to discuss why I fee it is important to get the influenza vaccination for parents and their children.

Influenza vaccination is the single best way to protect parents and children against the flu and its potentially severe complications. Young children, pregnant women, and those of any age with chronic health conditions like diabetes, asthma, and neurological conditions are at an increased risk for flu-related complications that could result in hospitalization or even death! Yes you can die from the flu and I’ve actually seen it on the news here in Los Angeles many times. It’s truly tragic to see anyone, especially a child pass simply because they didn’t get a vaccine. It’s something that can be prevented if parents took their kids to get vaccinated.

While flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older, it is especially important for protecting those at high risk for complications.So, as kids are getting ready to head back to school, it’s a great time to take the steps we can take to help keep them healthy!

I’ve always gotten our kids all the vaccinations they needed including the Flu Vaccine. The Flu can be brutal on the body and can put your children in the hospital. I know from 1st hand experience as a child who got the flu and with my own family. As a child I wasn’t given the Flu vaccine and I literally almost died from the Flu. I had to be hospitalized and once it was done it then turned into pneumonia and then into asthma. Needless to say I was a sickly child simply because I didn’t get the Flu Vaccine. I now live with a slight case of asthma and my lungs are permanently scared from the Flu and Pneumonia. There are spots on my lungs and honestly they would never be there if I had gotten the vaccine. I vowed to never have my own children go through what I went through as a child and I’m happy to say I’ve kept that promise to myself.

I always make sure to get them their vaccine as well as always keep anti-bacterial wipes and hand cleaner in their backpacks. I’ve taught them not to wipe their eyes in school unless they’ve washed their hands. I’ve also taught them to keep their hands clean and to keep their distance when someone in their class is sick. These are all helpful things I feel all kids should practice.

If You’re a Pregnant Women here is some information that will be beneficial to you:

• Flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not pregnant.
• Flu shots are a safe way to protect the mother and her unborn child from serious illness and complications of flu.
• Millions of pregnant women have safely received flu shots for many years.
• Babies younger than 6 months of age are too young to get a flu vaccine.  To protect these babies from getting the flu, their mothers should get the flu shot during pregnancy.
• A flu shot during pregnancy protects both mom and baby (up to 6 months of age) from flu.
• Pregnant women can safely receive a flu shot during any trimester of pregnancy.
• Be sure to get a flu vaccine when they become available in your community.
• People have several options in terms of where they can get vaccinated and the type of influenza vaccine to choose (The nasal spray vaccine should not be given to women who are pregnant.).

For all the Parents, here is some information you might find helpful:

• To protect against the flu, the first and most important thing you can do is to get a flu vaccine for yourself and your child.
• Vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.
• Ask your child’s doctor when they expect flu vaccines to be available in their office, and schedule an appointment for flu vaccination.
• An influenza vaccination is the best method for preventing flu and its potentially severe complications in children.
• It’s especially important that young children and children with long term health conditions (like asthma, diabetes or disorders of the brain or nervous system) get vaccinated. These children are at higher risk of serious flu complications (like pneumonia) if they get the flu.
• The flu can be very dangerous for children. Each year about 20,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized from flu complications, like pneumonia.
• Children 6 months through 8 years of age who are getting vaccinated for the first time will need two doses of vaccine, spaced at least 28 days apart.
• The risk of serious flu complications requiring hospitalization is highest among children younger than 6 months of age, but they are too young to be vaccinated. The best way to protect them is to make sure people around them are vaccinated.
• CDC recommends a three-step approach to fighting the flu: annual vaccination, everyday preventive actions, and use of antiviral drugs to treat flu, if your doctor prescribes them.
• Visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/parents for more helpful information from the CDC.

Also check out this Video message from the CDC.

With school just beginning and Flu Season quickly approaching I hope you will Visit http://vaccine.healthmap.org/ for locations offering flu vaccines near you to get you and your family vaccinated.

Keep your kids safe and healthy this school year and Flu Season!