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Protecting your family in flu season a priority

As summer in Michigan gives way to fall, the days are shorter, temperatures are cooler and back-to-school season is in full swing.

I love fall and almost everything that comes with it, but as I look forward to changing leaves and pumpkin spice everything, I can’t help but feel that familiar sense of dread about the impending season. No, not winter–flu.

Last year’s flu season was the worst in recent history. Hospitals were overwhelmed, multiple schools throughout Michigan shut down for a full day or longer because of excessive absences or concerns about the virus, and 180 influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported across the country — including two deaths in Michigan. Fortunately, no one in my family got influenza–but that wasn’t by sheer luck. I was diligent about doing everything in my power to make sure that our family stayed healthy, including making sure we all got flu-shots and were up-to-date on all other vaccinations.

My efforts weren’t perfect. We didn’t get as sick as most, but we definitely had back-to-back illnesses in our home from February-April. However, our runny noses and sore throats paled in comparison to the deadly flu that swept the nation.

As parents, we do everything in our power to ensure that our children are healthy and safe. We watch as they explore new places, and protect them against potential threats. But what about the threats that we can’t see? Immunization gives you the power to protect your child from 14 serious childhood diseases before the age of 2, but it doesn’t just protect your child–it protects everyone.

Getting your child vaccinated helps protect others in your community, including people who can’t get certain vaccines for health reasons, like cancer, or those who are too young to be fully immunized. When everyone in a community who can get vaccinated does get vaccinated, it prevents the spread of disease and can slow, or stop, an outbreak.

Think of germs as rain and vaccination as a raincoat. Even with a raincoat on, you can still get wet. You need the additional protection an umbrella provides, too. The umbrella is “community immunity.” Those who don’t vaccinate rely on others to share their umbrella when it rains–but we need our communities to invest in umbrellas together.

Some people brush the flu off as a minor inconvenience, but in reality, influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Millions of people get the flu each year, and each year people are hospitalized and die from flu-related illnesses. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 80 percent of the flu-related deaths last year occurred in children who had not received a flu vaccination. The best way to protect yourself and your family against the flu is to vaccinate against it.

With flu season quickly approaching, the American Academy of Pediatrics is urging parents to get their children vaccinated sooner rather than later. While flu season normally peaks between December and February, the start of flu season is hard to predict. The sooner you and your family are protected, the better.

As parents, we weigh the benefits and risks of any decision that we make for our kids, including the decision to vaccinate. It’s normal to have questions about decisions that impact your child’s health–it makes you a good parent! Make sure that you’re getting your questions answered from credible sources. Talk with your doctor or local health department, or explore resources like IVaccinate.org, which provides Michigan parents with information and tools based on real medical science and research to help them protect their kids.

Doctors and other medical professionals agree, and the science overwhelmingly confirms, that vaccines are safe and effective at preventing diseases and protecting entire communities from outbreaks.

Now is the time for adults and children across Michigan to make sure their vaccines are current to protect themselves, their families, their friends–and their entire communities– from very serious illnesses. For example, in addition to the flu, cases of whooping cough and measles continue to be reported every year in Michigan, and Michigan is currently in the midst of one of the worst hepatitis A outbreaks in the country.

Flu season is just around the corner, but you don’t have to be scared. Do everything you can to keep your children healthy by getting a flu shot. It’s one of the safest and most effective things you can do to protect them.

Editor’s note: Samantha Collins lives in Marquette with her husband, Dusty, and 2-year-old son. She has worked in the communications field for 10 years and currently runs a life and style blog at www.samanthaelizabethblog.com.

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