Flu shots for toddlers save lives

Just one of five U.S. children ages 6 months to 2 years got government-recommended influenza vaccinations during the 2006-2007 season, health officials said.

The elderly - about two-thirds of whom were immunized according to government guidelines in the 2006-2007 season - and toddlers are among the most vulnerable to illness and death from flu virus infections, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said recently in an e-mailed statement.

At least 86 children died of flu, the most common cause of death among diseases that can be prevented by vaccines, in the most recent season, 2007-2008, the Atlanta-based agency said.

"Influenza vaccine saves lives by not only helping to prevent flu, but also by preventing the serious complications that sometimes result from infection with influenza," CDC Director Julie Gerberding said in the statement. The flu-shot makers predicted in May to have a supply of at least 143 million doses this season.

Paris-based Sanofi, the biggest supplier, is expected to make at least 50 million, followed by Switzerland-based Novartis, planning to make 40 million, and London-based Glaxo, expecting to make as many as 38 million.