Why are children at higher risk for getting the flu?

Children are more likely to get the flu or have flu-related complications because their immune systems are still developing. A recent CDC study shows that treating children with the flu can be costly. Each year in the U.S. an average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized for flu-related complications. During the 2011-12 flu season, 26 deaths in children were reported to CDC. Severe flu-related complications are most common in children younger than 2. Young children, 6 months to 5 years, are at risk of febrile seizures. Children with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes have an extremely high risk of developing serious flu-related complications.

[framed_box]Source – http://www.flu.gov 2013[/framed_box]