Dr. Medhat Abu-Shaaban, medical director and pediatrician at myPediaclinic (Voted best pediatric clinic in Dubai) talks about the importance of vaccinating children against influenza.

This time, every year, we usually give the influenza vaccine to children aging more than 6 months. The vaccine helps in alleviating the symptoms even if the child got infected with Influenza. That’s because it is preparing the immune system to fight the virus and make the infection less severe.

Unlike what many people think, the vaccine itself can never cause the disease. Children may get a bit tired for a day or two only because the immune system is now alert to fight any possible future infections. In addition, The Influenza disease itself can be very harsh on children and even adults. It can induce a high fever, severe throat inflammation, muscle aches, and can sometimes cause pneumonia.