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12.01.2024

Winter Seasonal Vaccines for Young Children: Protecting Your Child from Preventable Illnesses

As the colder months approach, families are preparing for the winter season. Along with bundling up in warm clothes and getting ready for the holidays, it’s also a good time to think about protecting your child’s health. 

One of the best ways to do this is through winter seasonal vaccines. These vaccines are especially important for young children, ages 0-5, as they are more vulnerable to illnesses during the winter months.

In this article, we’ll explore why winter vaccines are so important, which vaccines are recommended for young children, and recent statistics on preventable illnesses. We’ll also discuss how vaccines help keep your child healthy and how they protect your family and community.

Why Are Winter Seasonal Vaccines Important?

Winter is a time when certain diseases, like the flu, respiratory infections, and other viruses, are more common. During the colder months, people tend to spend more time indoors, and viruses can spread more easily. For young children, whose immune systems are still developing, the risk of getting sick is even higher.

Vaccines are one of the most effective ways to prevent these illnesses. By getting your child vaccinated, you are helping to protect them from severe illness, hospitalization, or even death. Vaccines also help prevent the spread of diseases to others, including vulnerable individuals like infants, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

Vaccines are safe for young children and are rigorously tested to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Before any vaccine is approved for use, it undergoes extensive clinical trials to evaluate its safety, including testing in children of various ages. 

Once approved, vaccines continue to be monitored for safety through ongoing surveillance programs like the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccines are proven to be one of the safest ways to protect children from serious diseases, with side effects typically being mild, such as a sore arm or slight fever. 

The benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks, preventing illnesses that can lead to severe complications or even death. 

Click here to learn more about vaccine safety, including risks and benefits, from the CDC.

Recommended Winter Vaccines for Young Children (Ages 0-5)

Several vaccines are recommended for young children to protect them from common winter illnesses. These vaccines are typically given as part of a child’s regular immunization schedule, but they may be especially important during the winter months when certain illnesses are more common.

1. Flu Vaccine (Influenza)

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and in some cases, it can lead to serious complications, especially for young children.

• Who should get it: The flu vaccine is recommended for all children aged 6 months and older.
• When to get it: It’s best to get the flu vaccine before the flu season begins, typically in the fall, but it’s still helpful to get vaccinated during the winter months if you haven’t already.
• How it helps: The flu vaccine protects against the most common strains of influenza that circulate during the winter. It reduces the risk of getting the flu and prevents complications like pneumonia, dehydration, and hospitalization.

2. COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 is a viral illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, some can become seriously ill or develop long-term complications.

• Who should get it: The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for children aged 6 months and older. Vaccines are available in different formulations, including the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
• When to get it: The vaccine is available year-round, but it’s particularly important to get vaccinated before flu season or when COVID-19 variants are circulating widely.
• How it helps: The COVID-19 vaccine helps reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.

3. Pneumococcal Vaccine

Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria and can lead to serious infections like pneumonia, meningitis, and blood infections. It’s particularly dangerous for young children, older adults, and people with certain health conditions.

• Who should get it: The pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13) is recommended for all children under the age of 2.
• When to get it: The vaccine is usually given as part of a child’s routine immunization schedule during the first year of life (at 2, 4, and 6 months).
• How it helps: This vaccine helps protect against pneumococcal infections, reducing the risk of severe illness and hospitalization.

4. RSV Vaccine (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that can cause severe illness in young children, especially those under 2 years old. RSV can lead to bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia.

• Who should get it: While there isn’t a vaccine available for RSV that’s recommended for all children, certain high-risk infants, such as those born prematurely or with underlying health conditions, may receive an RSV preventive treatment called palivizumab (a monoclonal antibody) to help reduce the risk of severe RSV disease.
• When to get it: This medication is usually given during RSV season (fall to early spring).

See “Recommended Seasonal Vaccines for Infants, Children and Pregnant People” from the Nevada Division Division of Public and Behavioral Health here.

Vaccines Help Keep Children Healthy

Vaccines play a key role in preventing illness, hospitalizations, and even deaths. Here are some important statistics that highlight the impact of preventable illnesses and the benefits of vaccination:

Flu (Influenza)

• Hospitalizations and Deaths: According to the CDC, during the 2022-2023 flu season, the flu resulted in an estimated 13 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 14,000 deaths in the United States alone.
• Protection with Vaccines: The CDC reports that the flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations each year. For children, the flu vaccine reduces the risk of severe illness and complications, like pneumonia and ear infections.

COVID-19

• Hospitalizations and Deaths: Since the start of the pandemic, more than 2 million children in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19. As of early 2024, there have been over 1,700 deaths in children under the age of 18 due to COVID-19.
• Vaccination Impact: The COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death, including in children.

Pneumococcal Disease

• Hospitalizations: Pneumococcal disease is responsible for about 150,000 hospitalizations and 4,000 deaths among children under the age of 5 in the U.S. each year.
• Prevention: The pneumococcal vaccine has helped reduce the number of infections and hospitalizations by over 70% in children under the age of 5.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

• Hospitalizations: RSV is a leading cause of hospitalization in infants and young children. In the United States, RSV causes about 58,000 hospitalizations in children younger than 5 each year.
• Impact on Premature Infants: Infants born prematurely are at a much higher risk of severe illness from RSV. Vaccines and preventive treatments like palivizumab can help protect these vulnerable infants.

How Vaccines Protect Your Child and Community

Vaccines do more than just protect your child from serious illness—they also help protect your family, friends, and community. When a large number of people in a community are vaccinated, it creates herd immunity, making it harder for diseases to spread. 

This is especially important for people who cannot be vaccinated, such as babies too young to receive certain vaccines, people with certain health conditions, and elderly individuals.

By getting your child vaccinated, you are not only protecting their health but also contributing to the overall health of your community. Fewer cases of illness mean fewer people in the hospital, less strain on the healthcare system, and a lower chance of an outbreak.

Winter seasonal vaccines are a vital part of keeping your young child healthy. Vaccines like the flu vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, and treatments for RSV help prevent serious illnesses that are more common during the winter months. 

By getting your child vaccinated, you’re protecting them from preventable diseases and contributing to the health of your community.

Check with your pediatrician to make sure your child is up to date on their vaccinations and ask any questions you may have. Winter vaccines are an important step in ensuring that your child stays healthy and happy all season long.

Resources:

• Nevada WebIZ is a public access portal which allows parents and guardians to access and print official immunization records. Click here to learn more and how to access the portal.
• Read our related article, “Immunizations for Young Children: Tips for Parents” from the August 2024 First 5 Nevada Newsletter.
• Where to Get Vaccinations: Check with your pediatrician, local health district, or even a local pharmacy to schedule a vaccination appointment for your child.