For more than 30 years, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva has served as a physician, public health expert, and health care executive. In addition to his medical degree, he has earned a master of science in biostatistics from the Medical College of Wisconsin and a juris doctor from Marquette University, among other degrees. In his current role, Dr. Ramesh Sachdeva is the associate executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

A recent study published in Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, shows that most flu-related deaths in children for the last four flu seasons have been a result of the children not being vaccinated. Titled “Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness against Pediatric Deaths: 2010-2014,” the study looked at data from 291 fatal cases of flu in children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years old over a four-year period.

According to study data, only 26 percent of deaths occurred in children who had received the flu vaccine before falling ill. That number increases a small bit (31 percent) in children who have exacerbating medical conditions that could complicate the illness. Overall, study data continues to fall in favor of children older than 6 months receiving the flu vaccine annually.