By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

Marvin Jennings and his wife, Lena, believe an ounce of prevention is preferable to a pound of cure.

On Wednesday morning, the Joplin residents were among the first in line at a branch office of U.S. Bank to roll up their sleeves for flu shots.

“We get them every year,” said Marvin Jennings, who says he’s crowding 80. “I had the flu back before they had shots. I have not had any problems since I have been getting the shots.”

Lena Jennings, 76, said, “I think all of our kids and our grandchildren will be getting them — except for the baby.”

The Jennings family is doing exactly what the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes all families in America will do this year: seek out vaccinations for influenza. That includes their children. The federal health agency is hoping that 30 million more school-age children get vaccinated than have done so in the past.

For the first time, the CDC is advising that every child age 6 months to 18 years be inoculated, unless they have an egg allergy. Before, the vaccine was recommended only for children under 5 and those with chronic health problems, such as asthma.

The reason for the change stems from new research that shows children have higher rates of the viral infection, and that they spread it to others. And, young people can die of the flu. Last year, 86 children and teenagers died as the result of flu.

Until recently, the group at highest risk were those 65 and older with chronic health problems. New data, recently released by the CDC, show that only 72 percent of Americans in that category obtained a flu shot last year, though free shots are provided to them through Medicare.

Lena Jennings said: “We know it’s especially important for elderly people. When the flu hits, the hospitals are crowded with elderly people who didn’t get their shots.”

The Jenningses also get pneumonia shots every few years.

Months before the official start of the flu season on Oct. 1 each year, the vaccine is modified to reflect the virus strains most likely to be circulating. Three virus strains are selected for the vaccine, with one or two of them carried over from the previous year.

Last year, the strains included in the vaccine missed the mark, providing only marginal protection. This year, the Food and Drug Administration took the unusual step of changing all three strains.

Two of the strains are now circulating in the Southern Hemisphere, a precursor of what can be expected when the flu season peaks in January and February in the Northern Hemisphere.