5 questions about flu and the flu shot with Dr. Romesh Wijesooriya
Flu season starts in October. Is your family ready? Our pediatricians say the first step is getting the flu shot.
“I don't just recommend the flu vaccine, I count on it,” said Dr. Romesh Wijesooriya, division chief of general pediatrics. “Every year I get the flu vaccine myself, and I make sure my own children get it too.”
Dr. Romesh answered five questions to help us understand why he and his colleagues stand firmly behind the importance of the flu shot.
What is the flu?
Influenza, or the flu, is a highly contagious respiratory infection. In children it can cause high fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and extreme tiredness. Many children recover at home, but the flu can also lead to serious complications—pneumonia, dehydration, asthma flares, and sometimes hospitalization or death.
Who should get the flu shot, and why?
Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every year. It’s one of the simplest, safest and most effective ways to protect your child during flu season. It also protects the most vulnerable children around them—newborns too young to be vaccinated, and children living with chronic illness, immune deficiencies or cancer.
Before 2010, flu vaccination was recommended only for certain "high-risk" children. That changed because doctors saw that even healthy children can become dangerously ill from the flu. Since 2010, experts have recommended a yearly flu vaccine for all children 6 months and older.
How well does the flu vaccine work in kids?
A yearly flu vaccine is safe, effective and the best protection available against the flu. Most children who die from the flu—about 8 in 10—are not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated. The flu vaccine lowers your child's chance of dying from the flu by about 80% and reduces their chance of being hospitalized with the flu by 50–70%.
It’s estimated that in the 2023-2024 season alone, flu vaccination prevented roughly 20,000 hospitalizations and 266 deaths in U.S. children.
When and where should I get a flu shot for my child?
Early fall is the ideal time to get the flu shot, but it can be helpful anytime during flu season. Once the shot is given, it takes a couple of weeks for the virus-fighting antibodies to develop in the body before it begins offering prime protection.
Your child’s pediatrician can offer the flu shot, or you can bring them to the fast flu shot clinic in our Children’s Pavilion – and get yours at the same time! Walk-in flu shots are available for children and their family members on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from September 29 – November 5, 2026.
What can I expect when my child receives their flu shot?
Children younger than 9 getting the flu vaccine for the very first time need two doses at least 4 weeks apart for full protection. After that, one dose each year is enough.
Side effects are usually mild and short-lived, only lasting a day or two – as opposed to severe symptoms continuing for a week or more with the flu. These vaccine side effects may include soreness at the injection site, low-grade fever or fatigue. The flu vaccine cannot give your child the flu.
Do you have additional questions about the flu shot? Your child’s pediatrician is prepared to answer them. Please ask!
More children’s health news is available at your fingertips on the CHoR blog.