What happens if we skip the flu shot this year?

Skipping the Flu Shot: What Ontario Parents Need to Know

Thinking about skipping the flu shot this year? While it's not mandatory, missing it leaves your family more vulnerable to influenza and its complications. The flu vaccine remains your best protection against a virus that sends thousands of Canadian children to the hospital each year.

What's going on?

Every fall, parents face the same question about flu shots. Maybe your child hates needles, or you've heard the vaccine "doesn't work perfectly," or life just got busy. These feelings are completely normal.

Here's the reality: influenza isn't just a bad cold. It's a serious respiratory illness that can knock your child down for a week or more. In Canada, flu season typically runs from October to April, peaking between December and February. Even healthy kids can develop complications like pneumonia or secondary bacterial infections.

The flu vaccine isn't perfect, but it's pretty good. Most years, it reduces your child's risk of getting the flu by 40 to 60 percent when the vaccine is well matched to circulating viruses. Even in years when the match isn't ideal, vaccinated kids who do get sick often have milder symptoms and recover faster.

What you might notice without the vaccine

If your unvaccinated child catches the flu, you could see:

- High fever (often 38.5°C or higher)

- Severe body aches and headaches

- Extreme tiredness lasting days

- Dry cough that can linger for weeks

- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea (especially in young children)

- Loss of appetite

What helps protect your family

Getting the flu shot is still your best bet, even if it's later in the season. The vaccine takes about two weeks to build immunity, so there's still benefit to getting it in December or even January.

Beyond vaccination, good hygiene habits help too. Encourage frequent handwashing, teach kids to cough into their elbows, and keep sick children home from school or daycare. Make sure everyone gets enough sleep and eats well to keep immune systems strong.

If someone in your household is at higher risk for complications (like babies under six months, pregnant family members, or anyone with asthma or other chronic conditions), protecting them becomes even more important.

When to worry

Head to the emergency room if your child has difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain, severe dehydration, or seems unusually confused or lethargic.

Call your doctor or text Arlo if your child has a high fever lasting more than three days, isn't drinking enough fluids, or if you're concerned about their symptoms getting worse instead of better.

The takeaway

Missing the flu shot this year increases your family's risk, but it's not too late to protect them. You've got this.

You can always text Arlo and talk to a provider in 5 minutes!

References

- [Get your flu shot](https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-your-flu-shot)

- [Influenza (flu)](https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/health-conditions-and-treatments/influenza_flu)

- [Flu (influenza): For parents](https://aboutkidshealth.ca/flu)