Increase of flu cases in children alarms health practitioners
Dr Margie Danchin is worried parents aren't taking the flu seriously, and their children might be the ones paying the price. An increase in kids being admitted to hospitals due to severe flu symptoms has alarmed health practitioners, who are calling on parents to take the possibly deadly virus more seriously. The general paediatrician at the Royal Children's Hospital and senior research fellow at Murdoch Children's Research Institute told Breakfast the numbers show parents need to be better informed about flu vaccines available for kids. "So far we've seen over 100 kids admitted to the hospital with flu this year whereas last year there were about 69 cases at the same time, so there's definitely been an increase.""Only about 30 per cent (of kids) overall in Australia would get the flu shot."She joined Brian Nankervis and Richelle Hunt to talk about when kids should be getting the flu shot, and why parents should be taking flu vaccines more seriously.
According to The Royal Children's Hospital the number of child flu cases had skyrocketed by almost 50 percent this season. This time last year 69 children had been admitted to hospital with the flu, compared to a staggering 101 cases this year so far. "One of the biggest feedback we get from parents is, 'My GP told me not to get the flu vaccine for my child'," she said. "The strong message that we get is that GPs tell them not to get the flu vaccine if their children are under five, when in fact the (correct) message is the complete opposite." She went on to explain that children aged between six months and five-years-old are the most susceptible to the flu.
collected by :Lucy William
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