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Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Monday that most influenza deaths happen in unvaccinated children. This underscores the importance of getting vaccinated than none at all.

The report by Dr. Alicia Fry of CDC and her colleagues' details how at least three-quarters of children died from influenza between the years 2010 and 2014. They got the percentage from 358 cases of pediatric deaths and found that these children had not been vaccinated months before they contracted the sickness.

Most Deaths Happen in Unvaccinated Children

The vaccination status is reportedly determined on 291 deaths. Meanwhile, 71 deaths secured the vaccine before the illness' attack, as reported in the NBCNews.com.

Deaths can take months to be recorded. But so far, the CDC has already gathered information that 61 children have expired from influenza.

The CDC can only count the deaths of children since there are too many adults who die from the flu. With that, they can only provide estimates from 4,000 to 50,000 lives taken each year depending on the strain.

Importance of Being Vaccinated

Flu vaccines activate the antibodies to develop in the body a few weeks after getting the flu jab. Flu season has different strains and the vaccine activates the antibodies to protect the body from infection of the viruses.

The vaccine of today still has so much room for improvement. Dr. John Treanor, a flu vaccine researcher from the University of Rochester Medical Center, said they recognize the flu vaccines currently available are not perfect.

However, being vaccinated is better than not receiving the shot at all. Even though the vaccines did not reduce deaths by 100 percent, there is still significantly 65 percent of lives saved.

The report also stresses how annual influenza vaccination is critical especially for high-risk children with medical conditions. Because of their underlying risks, they are more prone to severe complications and even death.

The fact that CDC's report reveals the majority of deaths happen in unvaccinated children serves as a wake-up call for each person, young and old, to get the flu shot. Despite the controversies of vaccines like FluMist not being very effective, having a shield is better than leaving one's self vulnerable especially during the flu season.