Many children are born with defective hearts. About 1 in 100 children have heart disease at birth. Most of these children have only minor heart problems, but some of them can be gravely ill from their heart defects. A small portion of these children require surgery to allow them to survive past childhood. Having heart defects make these children more vulnerable to certain infections involving the lungs, especially the flu and RSV infection.

The Flu Vaccine

It is recommended that babies born with heart defects are vaccinated against the flu each year because they are more likely to suffer serious complications from the flu. The flu vaccine is normally recommended for children older than six months of age, and it is no exception for children who have heart problems.

Most children with heart defects eventually outgrow their problem. Once their hearts repair themselves, the risk of serious problems when they get the flu is reduced. If your child was born with heart defects, your child's cardiologist should be able to tell you whether he still needs the flu vaccine each year.

The RSV Antibody

Similar to babies born prematurely, infants who are born with serious heart defects are also susceptible to RSV infections. These babies are also recommended to receive the RSV antibody injections during the winter. As these babies grow older, the RSV injections may no longer be necessary. Since each child has a unique heart problem, you need to consult your doctor to find out whether she still qualifies for the RSV injections.