Forty-three percent of American children who die from the flu are perfectly healthy beforehand, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as reported by NBC News.
Kids who are healthier actually die faster from the flu than kids with high-risk conditions, an average of four days versus seven days, according to the study. This could be due to the vigilance of parents with children with health problems or the theory that the immune system in some healthy children goes into overdrive.
Due to the unpredictability of the flu and how fast it can kill, vaccination is the best protective prevention, says the CDC's Dr. Karen Wong.
"Flu kills anywhere between 3,000 people a year to 49,000 people a year," writes Maggie Fox, "but only 51.5 percent of children aged 6 months to 17 years were vaccinated last year. Just under 75 percent of babies aged up to 2 were vaccinated."
The rates drop even more as children grow up; only a third of kids in the 13 to 17 age group get vaccinated.
"I was one of those people who didn't think they needed it," says Regina Booth, whose 17-year-old son Austin died less than a week after showing flu-like symptoms in January 2011. "I was one of those people who thought if you get the shot, you are going to get sick."
Austin, a high school varsity athlete, had been perfectly healthy just a week before his death. Read the full details here:
Teen's death shows how flu can kill in a flash
Steve Crandall, a top-rated medical malpractice attorney throughout Ohio and Kentucky, believes the facts are simple: everyone should get the flu vaccine.
"Even with advances in medicine, the flu claims thousands of lives per year," says Crandall. "Getting a flu shot is inexpensive, only takes a few minutes, and is now available everywhere."
If you have any questions regarding medical malpractice throughout Ohio and Kentucky, contact Steve Crandall. Steve is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.
Flu Vaccines Help Prevent Senseless Deaths