Vaccinating your child, if he or she is 6 months or older, is the best protection against infection with the influenza virus. Practicing good respiratory hygiene, which includes covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and hand-washing habits, especially during cold and flu season, also can help prevent the spread of the flu and other respiratory viruses.
My child is less than a year old. Is it safe for her to get the flu shot?
Yes. Because young children are at an increased risk of influenza-related complications, Texas Children’s specialists and the CDC recommend children 6 months of age and older, especially those 6 months to 12 months of age and their household contacts, be vaccinated against the flu.
Children with chronic health problems such as heart or lung disease, kidney problems, diabetes, asthma, anemia, HIV/AIDS or any other illness that suppresses the immune system, as well as those taking aspirin therapy should be vaccinated.
A child between the ages of 6 months and 8 years receiving the flu vaccination for the first time will need to have 2 vaccine doses four weeks apart to build immunity.
Learn more about the flu vaccine for your baby or toddler
I don’t have a young child. Is my teen at risk for the flu?
Yes. People of all ages are at risk for getting the flu. The best way to protect your child or teen and other members of your household is to have him or her vaccinated against the flu.
Are there any children who should not get the flu shot?
Only children who are allergic to eggs should not receive the vaccine.
Can my child get the nasal spray flu vaccine?
Children 2 years of age and older are good candidates for the nasal spray flu vaccination if they are healthy and don't have asthma. Discuss this option with your child’s pediatrician.
Can my child or I get the flu from the flu shot or flu nasal spray vaccine?
No. There is no live virus in the influenza vaccine given by shot. The influenza vaccine given by nasal spray consists of a live virus that has been altered so it can not cause the flu. However, flu vaccine doesn’t protect your child from other respiratory infections that cause fever.
Approximately 5 percent of people who get the flu shot experience a low-grade fever and mild body aches and pains, but they do not have the flu. The majority of people experience only a sore arm from the injection.
The nasal spray vaccine can cause a mild sore throat or nasal stuffiness on the second day after the vaccination. Younger children also can have a low-grade fever.
Yes. Flu season lasts several months, so having your child vaccinated now will help provide protection through March or April, when flu season usually ends.
My child received flu shot last year. Is he protected from getting it this year?
No. The virus changes its composition each year. The vaccine from one year may not be a match for the following year, that’s why yearly flu vaccine is needed for protection.
Will the vaccine provide immediate protection from the flu?
It takes 10 to 14 days for the flu shot to provide protection against influenza. The nasal spray vaccine begins to protect the body from the virus within two to three days.
About the author
Dr. Carol J. Baker, infectious disease specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital, answers questions about the flu vaccine. Baker serves as immediate past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), a non-profit organization providing education to health care professionals and the public about infectious diseases, and chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She has more than 30 years of experience in vaccine research and pediatric infectious diseases and has received a yearly flu vaccine since 1976.
Want more information on colds and the flu?
Visit the Texas Children's cold and flu resource page.
