Influenza prevention & vaccinations: 

The study "Live Attenuated and Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness" in the February 2019 issue of Pediatrics highlights the performance of both the nasal flu vaccine and injected flu vaccine. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the research shows that the combined results of five studies conducted from 2013 to 2016 revealed the nasal spray or live attenuated influence vaccine (LAIV4) was less effective against influenza A/H1N1 than the injected, inactivated form of the flu vaccine (IIV) in all pediatric age groups. 

Following the study results, the AAP recommends IIV as the primary choice for children due to the effectiveness of the injected version.

Pediatric flu-related complications: 

IIV is recommended to prevent children from battling flu-related complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children younger than 5 years of age -especially those younger than 2 years old- are at high risk of serious flu-related complications. These complications include pneumonia, dehydration, ear infections, and even death. The CDC further emphasizes the importance of flu prevention and recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a seasonal flu vaccine each year. 

Appearance of pneumonia on x-ray: 

Sources:

"Live Attenuated and Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness" Study: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/143/2/e20182094.

American Academy of Pediatrics website: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Nasal-Flu-Vaccine-was-Less-Effective-Than-Injected-Version-Among-Children-and-Teens-in-Recent-Seasons.aspx.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/children.htm.

Pneumonia image: Stone C, Humphries RL, Drigalla D, Stephan M. CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatric Emergency Medicine; 2014.