Black Children With Asthma Among Groups Hardest Hit By Flu

(BlackDoctor.org) -- Asthma is one of the leading chronic childhood diseases in the United States and afflicts black children twice as much as it does white children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With the onset of cold and flu season, children and adults with asthma are at increased risk of serious complications because respiratory infections like influenza are more serious with these patients and can lead to emergency room visits and hospitalizaion. That’s why CDC is urging African American parents to get themselves and their children vaccinated against influenza or the “flu” this flu season.

“Its important to vaccinate all children 6 months or older, but it is especially important for children from 6 months to 5 years of age and all children with certain chronic health conditions such as asthma or diabetes,” says Dr. Tyra Bryant-Stephens, founder and medical director of the Community Asthma Prevention Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and CDC partner. Generally worse than the common cold, the flu—a contagious respiratory illness—can cause symptoms including high fever, headache, tiredness, cough, and muscle aches. Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than adults.

“Asthma, which is much more common in urban areas, makes children more susceptible to complications from the flu,” says Dr. Bryant-Stephens. “The flu vaccine is the single best way to protect against the flu and it potential complications. It is safe and effective and cannot give you the flu,” emphasizes Bryant-Stephens. Because infants younger than 6 months are too young for vaccination, CDC recommends protecting them by having every member of the household and all of the infant’s caregivers vaccinated.

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