Should Small Babies Get a Flu Shot?
As new parents, it can be really difficult to know exactly how to best care for your infant. You have to consider immunizations and proper nutrition along with a myriad of other things that pop up in a home with a new baby. Flu shots are all the rage now, especially since some types of the flu can literally be deadly. Now the question arises about whether or not your infant should get a flu shot. This article will look at the pros and cons of infants getting flu shots.
Pros
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) infants that are six months of age or under should not receive the flu vaccine. It is their opinion that the best way to protect these small babies from the flu is by making sure that the people around them have been vaccinated. Infants who are six months old or older need to get the flu shot at the beginning of the flu season, which is October, every year.
If the baby just has a cold, regular over the counter medicines will help, but the flu is much more serious and can last a couple of weeks. The flu shot will prevent your baby from getting the flu, ensuring his safety during the flu season.
According to experts from the CDC and the American Pediatric Association, the fear that the small amount of mercury in flu vaccines makes the vaccine more dangerous than helpful is unfounded. Also, the amount of mercury has been reduced so that there is barely a trace amount. It is their stance that people who get the flu vaccine will not be getting enough mercury to even affect them one way or another.
Cons
Those who are against flu vaccines for small babies or for anyone else state several reasons for their beliefs. One reason that some give is a bad experience that they had in the past, stating that after receiving the flu vaccine they became extremely ill with the flu. Another reason opponents list is that the vaccine contains mercury, which is poison that can cause a lot of harm. The claim is that flu vaccines cause neurological damage because they contain many ingredients that are harmful to humans. Opponents to the vaccine claim that the CDC only tells part of the story because they are all about the money. Opponents of the flu vaccine claim that there is growing evidence that the vaccine causes Alzheimer's disease.
Instead of taking the flu vaccine, opponents suggest that a change of diet will be more helpful in preventing the flu.
Conclusion
The choice is yours to make. To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate; that is the question. So what is the answer? It is up to each individual to make their own decision. All this writer can suggest is that you carefully research both sides of the issue. Always make informed decisions because it is your health that's at stake.