Two doctors who lost their young son because of the flu last year want parents to listen to their message, one that is born full of pain and suffering: vaccinate your children against the flu.
Leon, the four-year-old son of doctors Laura and Anthony Sidari, was not vaccinated against influenza last year. He died at Christmas, less than 48 hours after he began to feel sick.
“I did not know that an illness could kill a child who was previously healthy so quickly,” said Laura, who is a psychiatrist. “This has been very difficult for us, and we are very private people, but we are trying to help other families.”
Leon was one of 185 children in the United States who died during the flu season of 2017-2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a landmark figure.
Laura and Anthony, a rheumatologist, wanted Leon and his 2-year-old brother to be vaccinated in a pharmacy. The problem is that they lived in Texas, where state law prohibits pharmacists from vaccinating people under 7 years of age.
The doctors, who were also attending to their newborn Cameron, the third of their children, decided that they would vaccinate Leon when they went to the pediatrician again: at the annual appointment for Tristan, two years old, scheduled for January 3.
However, Leon passed away before that visit. “It was not even on my radar as something that really, really needed to be prioritized,” Laura said.
The story of Sidaris is too familiar to Dr. Flor Muñoz, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital. For 20 years, this doctor has worked with the American Academy of Pediatrics to increase the rate of vaccination against influenza in children.
The figures are far from excellent. Only 47.8% of children between 6 and 17 months have been vaccinated against influenza in recent years, according to the CDC , which recommends that everyone over 6 months receive the vaccine.
And there is an additional problem: adults can get vaccinated at pharmacies or even at work, but children do not have these options. In most states of the USA there are absolute limits or prohibitions for pharmacists to vaccinate children. In addition, flu vaccination clinics in schools are not the rule but the exception.
Only 13 states allow pharmacists to vaccinate children of any age, according to the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (Naspa, for its acronym in English).
“It’s frustrating. It seems we do not learn, “said Muñoz, who is also an associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. He added that there is no medical reason why children can not be vaccinated in a pharmacy.
Now, some states are changing their laws. New York prohibited pharmacies from administering influenza vaccines to anyone under 18 years of age. This year, after the historic flu season, the state modified its regulations to allow vaccination of people over 2 years.
“Good for you, New York!” Said Muñoz. “More must be done to make this happen in other states. There should be more momentum, “he said.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said more should also be done to make it easier for local health departments to offer flu vaccination clinics. At this time, he explained, it is difficult for these entities large amounts of vaccines and bill insurance.
The Sidari are also doing their part. Last month they sponsored the “Tell the Flu” event in their hometown of Albion, New York, where 59 children were vaccinated.
While the CDC insists on flu vaccinations at the end of October every year, it is especially important to do it before the holidays, according to Muñoz. Flu activity can peak in December, and holiday gatherings help the virus spread more quickly. The vaccine takes approximately two weeks to be effective after receiving it.
“Leon is my reason this season, and every season, for getting flu shots on time,” Laura Sidari wrote on her Facebook page. “Planning the holidays and the fall festivities can wait, but not the flu vaccine.”
