Doctor: Vast majority of children who died from flu last year weren’t immunized

It’s been confirmed that a 5-year-old girl from Tacoma died after getting the flu. The strain she caught was H3N2 and she did not get a flu shot.

There are three or four influenza strains included in this year’s vaccine, depending on which one you get, and unfortunately, the strain the little girl caught (H3N2) is the least effective in the flu shot because it mutated.

Still, the Center for Disease Control and our state’s Department of Health will tell you that getting the flu shot will at least decrease the severity of the H3N2 strain.

Getting a flu shot is also more than just personal health care, according to Dr. Matthew Kronman, who specializes in infectious diseases for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

“Many people think that it’s actually an ethical obligation for those of us who can get the vaccine to get them to protect those people who can’t get the vaccine.”

It’s called “herd immunity” and runs on the idea that if enough people in a community are immunized from certain diseases and viruses, those who cannot get a vaccination, like very young infants or children with compromised immune systems, will still be protected.

“As more and more people decline vaccinations, then that overall immunity in the herd goes down, which means it’s easier and easier for infections to come in and take hold and spread in the community.”

Dr. Kronman says that in the case of children, they don’t necessarily have to have a pre-existing condition to fall victim to the flu.

“Last year, about 100 children died in the United States from influenza and about half of them were completely healthy prior to getting influenza. The other half had some underlying conditions. Notably, the vast majority, about 90 percent of those children, had not been immunized.”

That appears to be what happened with the little girl in Tacoma. No flu shot, no underlying health condition, but she still died from the flu strain that mutated this year and is currently spreading throughout our state.

Other flu myths to reconsider:

1.) You cannot get the flu from the flu shot. If you do feel a bit “woozy” after getting the shot – that is a good sign. It means your immune system is working properly against the dead flu virus strains injected into your body and is developing antibodies.

2.) You shouldn’t get the shot this year because it’s “not as effective.” The flu shot for one strain out of four is only 50 percent effective. That is the H3N2 strain. Getting the shot will still suppress the symptoms if you contract that strain. You still also have good protection from the other three strains in circulation.