Brandon Williams and Dimitri Aston
Brothers Living with Asthma
Brandon, 11, and Dimitri, 6, have asthma. Their mother Lakisha says this chronic respiratory condition is a looming threat for her sons, but never more than during influenza season.
Lakisha has learned this the hard way. “As a parent, I'm really scared. Asthma can kill a child. When Dimitri and Brandon got influenza, their asthma got much worse.”
For children with asthma who haven't been vaccinated, influenza can worsen symptoms of asthma like wheezing, and make breathing even more difficult.5-7
Rates of influenza are highest among children.1 Asthmatic children, in particular, face increased risks from influenza infections, yet approximately 70 percent are not immunized and go unprotected each year. These children are 5 times more likely than healthy children of the same age to be hospitalized with influenza-related illnesses.5-7
Lakisha is amazed at how many parents fail to immunize their children.
“I recently had a friend—who has three kids with asthma—who said the influenza vaccine was just for older people. Everyone needs to know how important the vaccine is for children and to get their kids vaccinated, whether they have asthma or not.”