Get Your Kids Their Flu Vaccines Now Instead Of Waiting For New Fancy Flu Vaccines

fluAccording to the American Academy of Pediatrics and possibly your own pediatrician, there is going to be a new flu vaccine on the market soon that will protect against four strains of influenza, rather than just the three boring old strains you are used to getting protection from when you get your seasonal flu shot. The AAP is a little worried that people who really need the flu shot, kids, the elderly, pregnant women, will be holding out for this fancy new four-strain shot and not get their normal flu shot in time for the upcoming death-flu season.

As a woman still in the throes of a total death cold (I have gone through three boxes of tissue this weekend. Where is my medal?) I totally approve this message. From NBC.com:

”Normally the vaccine would have two influenza A strains, an H1N1 and an H3N2 strain, and one B strain.” Some of the new vaccines will protect against two different B strains of flu.

Doctors are a little worried that people will hear there is a new and possibly better flu vaccine and will hold out to get it, the group says in a statement published in the journal Pediatrics.

”Theoretically, four strains sounds better than three strains. We just don’t have data to support that that’s actually the case,” Brady said. ”The AAP is not going to recommend a preference, but that doesn’t mean that parents don’t have a preference.”

One popular vaccine, the needle-free FluMist version, will be a four-strain vaccine.

Sure, it sounds great, I would rather be protected against four strains than just three, who wouldn’t? But I think we all can agree just getting the same old shots (or the mist) we got last year is better than waiting until it is too late. I’m great at getting my kids their flu shots (and I usually take whatever is available, if our doctor is out of the mist and says we can come back in a week I just get my kids the shots and get it done with) but because I’m a mom and us moms are not the best at taking care of ourselves I’m not so great at going to go get myself the flu vaccine.  Which is dumb because so many drugstores offer them now. You don’t even need a real doctor appointment! Because my husband works in an office, he can get his at work, but because I work from home, no nurses come knocking on my door to ask if I would care for the vaccine.

So get your flu shots now, don’t hold out for the fancy new one, and I’m sure your kids will all be just fine. Plus, when you get something done with sooner rather than later you don’t have to dread reminding yourself –  it’s just one more boring thing you have to take care of on your never-ending to-do list. I think it would be super effective if they gave us all coupons for ice cream or free cocktails for taking care of BORING things like this.

(Photo: Oksana Kuzmina/shutterstock)

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