2025/26 Respiratory Vaccine FAQs for Parents

Are there vaccines my child should get every fall? If so, which ones?

Yes. Nationwide Children’s Hospital recommends that all children 6 months and older get a flu shot every year.

If your child has certain health conditions, they might not be able to get it. It’s best to talk to your health care provider first.

The flu vaccine is particularly important for children who are more likely to get very sick from the flu. It also helps when family and close friends get vaccinated too. Having everyone in a child’s circle vaccinated helps reduce the risk of spreading.

Getting the flu isn’t a big deal. Why is it so important to get vaccinated?

Some children are more likely to get very sick from the flu. These children include:

• Children under 5 years old, especially those younger than 2.
• Children with any of these conditions:
  • Weakened immune systems
  • Lung, heart (cardiovascular), kidney or liver problems
  • Blood disorders
  • Metabolic disorders (such as diabetes)
  • Obesity
  • Brain (neurologic) or developmental (neurodevelopmental) conditions
  • Born early (premature or pre-term)
  • Receiving treatment with aspirin or taking aspirin regularly
  • Living in long-term care facilities

What about the COVID-19 vaccine? I’m not sure if it’s right for my child.

Talk with your child’s health care provider about the COVID-19 vaccine. They will be able to help you determine what’s best for your child. The COVID-19 vaccine is available for all children 6 months and older.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a group of tens of thousands of pediatricians, recommends that children with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 receive the vaccination. This includes all children ages 6 months through 23 months as well as those with higher-risk conditions below.
• Parents or guardians also should consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine to reduce the risk of spreading it to your child.

Some children are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) this includes:

• Children under the age of 2 years

Children with conditions such as:

• Weakened immune systems
• Lung, heart (cardiovascular), stomach (gastrointestinal) or liver problems
• Blood disorders
• Metabolic disorders (such as diabetes)
• Overweight or obesity
• Brain (neurologic) or developmental (neurodevelopmental) conditions
• Certain mental health conditions, including depression
• Rheumatologic or autoimmune issues
• Residents of long-term care facilities or other congregate settings
• Children who have never received the COVID-19 vaccine

It’s important to note that children not included in the risk groups above may still benefit from vaccination.

• Nearly half of children with severe COVID-19 have no risk factors.
• Getting vaccinated also may reduce the risk of Long COVID and/or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which can cause serious health issues.

I’ve been hearing that babies and young children are at risk for RSV. What is that?

RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. RSV symptoms make it difficult to distinguish it from the common cold or other respiratory viruses (like the flu or COVID-19) in older children. In babies, RSV frequently causes infection of the lungs which may be severe. RSV spreads in the fall and winter along with other respiratory viruses. It usually peaks in December and January in Ohio.

If its symptoms are like a cold, why does my baby need to get an RSV antibody shot?

• According to the CDC, RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants.

Which babies should get the RSV antibody shot?

• The CDC recommends the RSV antibody shot (nirsevimab or clesrovimab) to protect infants and some young children who have certain risk factors that increase the risk for severe RSV.

Babies younger than 8 months who are entering their first RSV season should get the RSV antibody shot if:

• Their mother did not get the RSV vaccine during pregnancy
• It is not clear if their mother got the vaccine
• They were born less than 2 weeks after their mother got the vaccine

Which babies and toddlers need to get another RSV antibody shot prior to their second RSV season?

Children ages 8 through 19 months who are at high risk for severe RSV, and are entering their second RSV season, should get a second RSV antibody shot. They should get this even if their mother got the RSV vaccine or they received the RSV antibody shot last year.

Children at high risk include:

• Children with chronic lung problems from being born early, especially if they needed medical help in the past 6 months
• Children with weakened immune systems (immunocompromised)
• Children with cystic fibrosis who have either:
  • severe lung disease, or
  • are very small for their age (under 10th percentile)
• American Indian or Alaska Native children