Theory Stirs Dispute on Flu Shot Advice

Some Dutch scientists have stirred controversy by saying that maybe kids should skip seasonal flu vaccine this year. But other health experts reject the idea, the Associated Press reported. The theory came from a group of scientists at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. The journal Lancet published their commentary online October 30. The scientists cited the 1957 Asian flu pandemic. They said people infected with seasonal flu that year were less likely to catch Asian flu. In mice and ferrets, having seasonal flu also seems to increase immunity to other types of flu, they said. But health officials said there’s no proof that letting children get seasonal flu will protect them from the current pandemic, H1N1 (swine) flu. Children are one of the groups most likely to get seriously ill from flu. Also, experts noted that most people in Mexico don’t get flu shots.