Kid’s Flu Shot May Protect Community at Large
March 15, 2010 by Karlynn Johnston
Filed under Featured, Super Informed
Our winter may be ending (let’s give a resounding hurrah!! for that) but it’s just gearing up in other parts of the world. So this latest study regarding the flu vaccine and it’s effectiveness in protecting the general population is not only incredibly interesting, but since the flu may be in the forefront of the minds of some, it might also be decision-changing.
The latest study of 49 Hutterite communities in Canada studied the herd theory, the theory that if you vaccinate one of the more susceptible parts of the “herd”, you will protect the general population. The portion of the population that they vaccinated happened to be the children.
The study showed that there was a 60% protective rate when the children of a colony were vaccinated. The communities that received a placebo had more than 10% of the colony fall ill with the flu, while the ones who received the flu vaccine had less than 5% catch the virus.
While those of us with school-aged children can see the correlation how this relates to the little herds our children are part of every day, it probably won’t convince most of us to get the seasonal flu vaccine. It is nice to know though that if there is ever a flu that amounts to a life-threatening pandemic, unlike the swine flu fiasco, that perhaps we are a little further ahead research-wise and that the “herd” theory just might avert a worldwide crisis.
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