A Connecticut law requiring flu shots for children entering preschool or daycare has reduced
flu-related hospitalizations of young children by 12 percent, according to a new study. In the
United States, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York City are the three places that require a
yearly flu shot to stay in daycare or preschool. The Connecticut law took effect in 2010. "We
found that of all the influenza hospitalizations in Connecticut, many fewer were in children 1 to
4 years old after the requirement than before the requirement," said lead researcher Dr. James
Hadler, a clinical professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. The jump in flu
vaccinations of young children -- to 84 percent in 2012-2013 from about 68 percent in 2009-
2010 -- is thought to have caused the decline in hospitalizations, he noted. "That difference, we
feel, has resulted in children attending daycare being better protected against influenza and its
severe complications," Hadler said. Of 11 areas evaluated, Connecticut had the steepest decline
in flu hospitalizations of children aged 4 and younger -- a drop of 12 percent between 2007-
2008 and 2012-2013, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. And the actual rate of hospitalizations for these young children compared to people
of other ages was lower in Connecticut than for any of the other regions surveyed. The report
was published in the March 7 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Young
children are at particular risk for severe complications from flu, and they readily transmit the
infection, Hadler noted. "Where there are a lot of susceptible people in a small space, like
daycare centers and preschools, you have the potential for easy spread of influenza," Hadler
said. "The kids get it, they give it to each other, they all take it home to their families, the
families get it and spread it to other people," he added. By vaccinating these children, you not
only prevent children from getting the flu, but also prevent it from spreading in the community,
Hadler explained. And, he noted, flu shots are free for anyone who has health insurance,
including Medicare and Medicaid. For people who aren't insured, the state provides flu shots
for free at community health centers, Hadler pointed out.
*Written by Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter