Flu Vaccination

By SUE EVANUSKA

Published: Oct 26, 1999 12:00 am

Flu Vaccination

By Jack S.C. Fong, MD, FAAP

(Editorâs Note: The physicians of the Pediatric Department at Danbury Hospital are bringingeaders of The Bee a weekly column dedicated to the health of children, from birth to adolescence, from infancy to puberty, from crawling to rock climbing. In addition to the columns presented by the physicians, readers are encouraged to send their questions to the Editor, to be answered by the contributing pediatricians.)

The flu season is about to begin. There has been a great deal of publicity regarding the need for senior citizens to have the vaccination as an effective means to protect them from acquiring the infection. However, children need to have the flu vaccination too. For children, the flu vaccine is recommended not as a requirement for school attendance but for specific medical indications.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hails vaccination as one of the âten great public health achievementsâ in the United States in this century. The practice of vaccination has resulted in the eradication of smallpox from the world, elimination of polio in the Americas and control of measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b and other infectious diseases in the United States. However, millions die every year in other countries from vaccine-preventable infections. Vaccination is what keeps us in good health from being stricken with these infections. From time to time, adverse side effects of vaccination are emphasized to such an inflated proportion that we may hesitate to vaccinate our children. We must remember that infectious agents do not observe national boundaries. We may place ourselves in harms way for these infections when we travel abroad or when these microbes are brought in by humans, animals, insects, plants and other vectors.

It is important to note that immunizing children against the flu requires a different schedule from that used for adults. Children age eight years old or younger who are receiving flu vaccination for the first time require two vaccinations at least one month apart. Thus for these young children the protection of the flu vaccination demands more than one month before it becomes effective. Therefore it is a good idea to start flu vaccination for children early in the flu season.

Flu vaccination for children is recommended for those who would be significantly compromised if they acquired the flu infection. Asthma, cystic fibrosis, history of pneumonia and other chronic conditions involving the respiratory tract are conditions in children that merit the protection of flu vaccination. Flu vaccination is also recommended for children with one or more of the following risk factors: special health care needs (such as cerebral palsy, neurotube defect, neurologic illness and muscular dystrophy); chronic heart conditions; chemotherapy; sickle-cell and other chronic blood disease; immunodeficiency virus infection; diabetes; chronic kidney illness; chronic metabolic disease; long-term aspirin intake; close contact facilities such as residential or custodial institutional setting and planned foreign travel to endemic areas. Children may also be vaccinated at the request of their parents or for the protection of other high-risk household members.

As you plan to have your children vaccinated against flu infection which can be severe, you may also consider your own vaccination needs. It is also time to address the immunization needs of your own parents and other loved ones.

Jack S.C. Fong, MD, FAAP, is chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Danbury Hospital

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In Loving Memory of Joan Ann Manfredonia (August 2, 1945-December 20, 2025)

My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

Carmen Accashian

Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

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Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

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To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

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Flu Vaccination

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