Let me set the scene for you. It's mid-August, my son Aiden, is about to turn three years

old, and like most kids his age, he goes to the doctor right around his birthday for an

annual checkup. I took him to his pediatrician, everything was fine, but as we were about

to leave, the nurse stops me at the door and says, don't forget to come back in a few weeks,

we'll have the flu shot ready by then. Your son can get his.

I thought to myself, man, if only Aiden had been born in September, if he had, we would have walked

out of that office all set, flu shot an arm with no need to return for another year if we were

lucky. But okay, okay, we can call and schedule him to come back, fast forward a few weeks.

The flu vaccine is ready, but appointments at his pediatrician's office fill up in a

couple of minutes. I call, I call again, basically no appointments are available until November,

and that's three months away. So I try Walgreens, CVS, you name it, but no, they only

vaccinate the adults and kids who are older than Aiden, at least in the state where I live,

Massachusetts. Now, I know states do vary in their policies, but lots of them insist that you get

vaccinated at your doctor unless you're over four years old. While my wife and I were scrambling,

trying to find him an appointment, that's what it occurred to me. This is actually a real pain,

and it made me start to wonder if being born in the summer means a kid might be more likely to

actually get the flu. Welcome to Freakonomics MD. I'm Bob Lugena. I'm an economist, but I'm also a

medical doctor, and in each episode, I dissect a fascinating question at the sweet spot between

health and economics. Today, we're tackling flu shots, a seemingly straightforward,

easy to come by, run-of-the-mill vaccine, unless you're a baby or a toddler. As an adult,

if I want to get my flu vaccine, I can get it at my doctor's office, I can get it at a walk

in flu clinic, I can get it from my employer. But little kids can usually only get a flu vaccine

...