Kids' flu shots are lagging despite "super flu" outbreak
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Kids' flu shots are lagging compared to last year, even amid what's shaping up to be a historically nasty influenza season tied to the so-called "super flu."
Why it matters: Childhood flu vaccination has been trending downward for the past several seasons.
Driving the news: Uptake among kids aged 6 months to 17 years is down 1.5 percentage points nationally as of Jan. 3 compared to the same time last year, per the CDC's latest data.
By the numbers: Oklahoma (+31 percentage points), South Carolina (+14.6) and Delaware (+12.6) are among the handful of states notably outperforming last season's childhood flu vaccination rates as of Jan. 3.
- Rates are notably down compared to last season so far in Rhode Island (-16pp), Tennessee (-14.4) and Massachusetts (-10.7).
- Data wasn't available for six states, including Alaska and Hawai'i.
Between the lines: The Trump administration recently changed its flu shot recommendations for kids, part of a broader overhaul of the childhood vaccination schedule.
- Instead of recommending the flu shot for all kids, it's now advising parents to chat with their doctors first.
Many medical experts slammed the changes, which come amid broader vaccine skepticism among the political right and some close to President Trump — most notably Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- "Changes of this magnitude require careful review, expert and public input, and clear scientific justification," said Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, a trustee of the American Medical Association. "That level of rigor and transparency was not part of this decision."
