CHAFFEE, MO (KFVS) -
Two new studies are reminding parents that getting children vaccinated for the flu can save lives.
One study shows the flu vaccine is critical not just for children with existing medical issues, but also children without health problems.
Researchers at the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention looked at pediatric flu-related deaths and found that 43 percent were in healthy children.
"Children die of this," Stacie Davis, a school nurse in Chaffee, said. "It's a very serious illness."
"It's just protecting them," Shawn Nix, a parent of two, said. "A lot of bugs flying around here. Anything we can do to protect them."
A second study shows that schools that offer vaccinations have higher rates of attendance and lower rates of flu. Something Jakob Carndell says it important to him.
"Because I'm an A+ student," Carndell said. "I have to get all A's."
He says the vaccination allows him to focus on school rather than being sick.
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