New Jersey becomes first state to require flu shots for preschoolers

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey on Friday became the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers, saying their developing immune systems and likelihood of spreading germs make them as vulnerable to complications as the elderly.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Fred M. Jacobs approved the requirement and three other vaccines over the objections of some parent groups.

Starting in September, all children attending preschool or licensed day care centers will have to get an annual flu shot, Jacobs said. That makes New Jersey the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers or older students, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Preschoolers are being targeted because their developing immune systems make them as susceptible to flu complications as senior citizens, and because they are more likely than older children to spread the virus, state health officials say.

A health advisory board Monday backed the new requirements on a 5-2 vote with one abstention after parents said they worried about the safety of giving young children dozens of vaccine doses.

New Jersey also will require preschoolers to get a pneumococcal vaccine and sixth-graders to get vaccines against meningitis and a booster shot against whooping cough.