Protect Your Child with a Flu Shot this Season

There’s a chill in the air, red and yellow leaves on the ground, and decorative pumpkins as far as the eye can see. This doesn’t just signal the beginning of the fall season; it also means that cold and flu season is upon us again.

If your children have not yet received their flu shots, Bootin and Savrick Pediatric Associates currently has them available at all three of our Houston-area offices. Please give us a call to make an appointment for a nurse-only flu shot visit.

The earliest your child can get the vaccine is at 6 months of age. If your child is between 6 months and 8-years-old and this is the first time he or she has ever received the vaccine, your child will need 2 doses, 1 month apart, to be fully protected.

Parents, please remember that the importance of the flu vaccine in protecting your child’s health cannot be overstated. According to Pediatric News, approximately 100 children die from flu infections in the United States each year. The best way to prevent the flu is through annual vaccination.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that young children are among the highest risk of developing serious flu complications. Further, getting your child vaccinated helps to reduce flu illnesses, doctor visits and missed school, as well as to prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Data also suggests that even if your child gets sick after vaccination, the illness may be milder.

Of course, we also recommend teaching your child basic yet important preventative measures, such as frequently washing your hands with soap and water; avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth; covering your mouth when you sneeze; and avoiding close contact with other sick people, both adults and children.

To schedule your flu vaccine today, please call us at (713) 795-9500.