This is a news release from the City of San Antonio. It was not written by NOWCastSA reporters. To submit a news release, email us at news@nowcastsa.org.

Emily Lastinger was three years old, secure at home with her parents and two older brothers. She was a healthy, happy kid. One day, though, Emily picked up the flu. Five days later, her heart stopped. And since that date, her father Joe Lastinger has waged a campaign to prevent this same type of tragedy from happening to other families.

It's back to school time again, and children of all ages are required to receive minimum immunizations in order to be eligible to attend school in Texas. Why are minimum vaccinations required? And what makes these and other vaccines important? NOWCastSA sat down with Dr. Dennis Conrad for a conversation on immunizations to find out.

Everyone six months old and older should get vaccinated. People age 65 and older, pregnant women, young children and those with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease or kidney and liver disorders are more susceptible to serious influenza complications, so flu vaccine is especially important for them. The latest available data from the Metro Health flu surveillance network showed that mostly flu A is circulating in our community.