Flu Season Nears: Should Preschoolers Be Required to Get Flu Shots?

Parents in New Jersey are protesting a state law that requires children in pre-kindergarten and center-based child care programs to have flu shots (hat tip: Alexander Russo). States typically require children to receive certain vaccinations, such as vaccines for whooping cough, polio, and diptheria, in order to enroll in school. But New Jersey is the first state to require preschool-aged children to get the flu vaccine. The rationale for the requirement is the flu virus can spread quickly in environments, such as day care centers, where many small children are together, and then young children are more vulnerable to serious health risks from the flu than older children and adults are. The New Jersey law provides exceptions for children who have health conditions or whose families have religious beliefs that would preclude them from being vaccinated. But some New Jersey parents whose children don’t fall into these categories are resisting, in large part due to concerns about possible links between vaccines and autism and ADHD. New Jersey officials argue that there’s no evidence the vaccines have serious risks for most children, and the benefits outweigh any potential risks, and the CDC appears to concur. Parents also argue that the decision should be left to families, rather than imposed by the state. What do you think? Should states require children in pre-k and center-based care to receive flu shots? Should the shots be required for adults working in these settings?