10 Year Old Struck With Rare Disease After Flu Shot

Oh that is so sad! That poor family. I hope they get some answers soon. However, I think this case highlights a few important points:

1. The media usually does a pretty poor job of providing balanced information, as this one did.
2. This segment in particular stressed that parents are “forced” to vaccinate. That is not true and exemptions are possible, but it’s important to understand avoiding a flu shot for this particular case (risk of 8 in 1 million) definitely puts your child at more risks than less (20,000 kids are hospitalized in the US from the flu and have complications like febrile seizures and death).
3. They said that doctors usually don’t inform parents of vaccine risks. In reality, doctors are required by federal law to give standardized Vaccine Information Statements before each and every vaccine (you can see them here: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/).
4. This segment also had a header that said this was from the flu shot. It has not been confirmed, and just might be, but that is not responsible, balanced reporting.

Thankfully, this poor mother was more balanced and informed than the reporters! She made an excellent point: she is not anti-vaccine, but just talk with your doctor first. Make a plan that is best for you!