Four Seasons Pediatrics has received influenza vaccines of all types for patients who have commercial insurance (we do not have flu shots for children with Managed Medicaid or Child Health Plus e.g. Fidelis).  We have FluMist (for children age 2 and up) and flu shots for children 6 months of age and up.  Please note that our flu shots do not contain thimerosol. 

The Center for Disease Control has now recommended the flu vaccine for all children age 6 months to 18 years of age.  We often think of the flu as a “bad cold”.  Each year we are reminded this is much more than a cold.  An average of 35,000 people die of the flu each year.  Yet we are surprised when this starts to happen.  At a time when all children in Japan received the flu shot, it was estimated that 1 life was saved for every 420 children vaccinated. 

At Four Seasons Pediatrics, we recommend that all children without contraindications receive the flu vaccine.  … And we practice what we preach.  100% of our staff has been vaccinated for the flu for 4 consecutive years.  

Flumist Vaccine:  The flumist is a nasal vaccine for the flu.  It is a live attentuated vaccine.  This means that the virus has no potency to cause the flu, but gives excellent antibody protection.  In fact in most years where there is a mismatch in strains (the one predicted did not go around), the FluMist was more effective than the flu shot.  We will be offering FluMist to parents whose insurance allows the vaccine to be given in our office without a referral

Appointments: We will be scheduling same day appointments for the flu vaccine.  When you are ready to be vaccinated please call the day you want the vaccine.  We have found this to be the best policy to ensure that we have vaccine in stock and have a shot nurse available.