Health Officials Worry Fewer Parents Will Have Their Kids Vaccinated This Flu Season

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Health officials worry parents will skip having their children get flu shots this season, especially now that the nasal spray is no longer available.

Victor Hernandez, 10, told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond he still has bad memories from his bout with the flu a few years ago.

"Very painful. I couldn't move. I just couldn't do anything," he said.

Hernandez's mother said he missed about a week of school.

Now, she isn't taking any chances and had both of her  boys vaccinated at the Ryan Women and Children's Center on Amsterdam Avenue. 

"It wasn't that painful," Hernandez said of the shot.

The health clinic's assistant director, Dr. Claudine Mathieu, said some parents are reluctant.

"We explain there's 30,000 deaths every year, 100 of them children," she said. "And a lot of them are surprised sometimes when you do mention that."

Hernandez's mother chose to skip her shot though.

"Well in my experience when I've gotten the flu shot before, I've gotten sick right after," she said.

Mathieu said that is a common misconception.

"There are other illnesses, other viruses that are going around at the same time as the flu, so it could be related to another illness," she explained.

The shot is typically about 60 percent effective.