PHOTO: Ashley Williams from the Miami-Dade Head Start program receives a nasal application flu vaccine through the Miami Children’s Hospital Division of Preventive Medicine. Administering the vaccine is MCH’s Melissa Gamez (center) and Dr. Gloria Riefkohl.
Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) is working to promote use of influenza vaccines among children in response to new Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines advising that youngsters between the ages of 6 months and 18 years receive the annual immunizations.
“Miami ranks last in the country among major metropolitan areas in terms of flu immunization rates,” said Dr. Marcelo Laufer, an infectious disease specialist at MCH. “Through collaboration with Head Start and other outreach initiatives, we hope protect this vulnerable population from this highly infectious virus.”
MCH and Head Start leaders held an influenza vaccination kick-off program this month in which a group of Head Start children received the vaccine. Head Start is a federally funded comprehensive child development program serving low-income families. In Miami-Dade County, the program serves more than 6,500 children.
“At Head Start, we are committed to providing children with opportunities for better health and education. We are pleased to work with Miami Children’s Hospital to promote vaccinations among the children we serve,” said Dr. Oscar Cambronero, a physician with the local Head Start program.
The CDC recently modified flu vaccination recommendations to include children. According to the CDC, in a typical year the flu causes an average of 36,000 deaths, 200,000 hospitalizations, 25 million physician visits and up to 60 million illnesses in the U.S.
Families are encouraged to contact their pediatrician regarding flu vaccinations for their children. Families may also contact Miami Children’s Hospital’s Division of Preventive Medicine at 305-669-5863.
ABOUT MIAMI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Miami Children's Hospital® is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists. The 289-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with several specialty programs ranked among the best in the nation in 2008 by U.S.News & World Report. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor.
Miami Children's Hospital Promotes Flu Vaccinations in Response to the New CDC Guildlines
About Nicklaus Children's Health System Where Your Child Matters Most™ (2026)
For more than 75 years, Nicklaus Children's Health System has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children. Nicklaus Children's provides pediatric care across a growing network of hospital and community-based partnerships, including care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center, select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units, and Nicklaus Children's Hospital Fort Lauderdale and Nicklaus Children's Hospital Coral Springs each located on the campuses of Broward Health. The hospitals and their network of more than 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin and Palm Beach counties. outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS).Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedic, Sports Medicine and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 474-bed system is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with more than 40 pediatric specialties and an ambulatory surgery center. For more information, visit nicklauschildrens.org.
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