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A distinguished pediatric professional with more than three decades of experience, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva serves as associate executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In this role, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva helps support policy initiatives and oversees education outreach efforts.
The AAP recently recommended that children over the age of six months get the flu shot. The severity of the 2017-2018 flu season saw the most pediatric deaths in recent memory. Vaccination remains the most effective method of preventing the flu, a disease that can have a devastating effect on even healthy children. The vaccine also provides “herd immunity,” in that it protects immunocompromised children who, for one reason or another, can’t receive the vaccine.
Nasal sprays are also an option, though in recent years they have not been as effective against the A/H1N1 strain of the infection. In the interest of having the most people vaccinated, the AAP and the Centers for Disease Control support the use of nasal sprays, but still urge the shot as the most comprehensive form of vaccination.
To read the AAP’s recommendations in full, visit pediatrics.aappublications.org.
Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva 