In August I took my 9 year old daughter for her annual check-up with our pediatrician. Among some of the other questions I had for him, I inquired about the H1N1 virus and asked whether the recommendation was for elementary school age children to receive the vaccine and if so when. He explained that the availability date for the H1N1 vaccine was not yet confirmed although it should be available some time in October and that we should stay in contact with him as to when and if to bring the kids in to be vaccinated. He then went on to talk to me about the seasonal flu vaccine that children typically receive in October and November. He said that this year, the CDC is recommending that children be vaccinated for seasonal flu closer to the start of school and that the thought is that this may provide some additional resistance in light of the H1N1 virus. He told me to bring my children in for their seasonal flu vaccine right after the Labor Day holiday.

So, we went back to the pediatrician’s office yesterday and my son and daughter both received the flumist nasal spray which is an alternate form of the injection, which in our case cuts down on the yelling and screaming. I guess I need to start working on developing a product that makes it easier for kids to get injections! I know that there is an overwhelming amount of information out there right now about the flu and H1N1 and the dangers for kids in schools throughout the country so I wanted to provide you with some concise recommendations recently issued by the CDC that will help to break it all down.

For those of you living in the U.S. who are interested in being vaccinated or having your children vaccinated for seasonal flu, Walgreens has a great program available this fall. Please visit their site!