Ask any mom, dad or teacher: When the flu spreads, the bug can often be traced back to school or another group setting. While kids learn and play together, they also pass along germs. Before you know it, parents, brothers and sisters catch and carry the bug to other schools and workplaces, and an outbreak is born.

So it's logical to adopt the wise suggestions of a federal panel that now recommends that all school-age children be vaccinated against influenza to keep more people of all ages healthy during flu season.

The panel is part of the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) process for establishing national health recommendations. Doctors and the CDC already advise that children 6 months to 5 years and adults 50 and over be vaccinated. Those age groups were targeted first because they're more vulnerable to severe illness and even death.

Though kids between the ages of 5 and 18 don't tend to get as sick as the very young or very old, they do get the flu at higher rates, according to experts. When they pick up the virus, they pass it on to parents and teachers, who often don't recover as quickly. That, in turn, affects worker productivity.

Last week, more than 40 Minnesota school districts reported flu outbreaks, defined as times when student absences are double their normal rate. Some schools even considered closing because so many students and staff were out sick. That's teaching and learning time that could be regained if fewer children got the virus.

When the flu strikes, it can cause symptoms that seem like a common cold. But influzena can be much more serious. More than 30,000 Americans die from flu-related illnesses each year -- many of them elderly and battling other health problems. Still, the flu has potential to be dangerous at any age. Just last week, a 12-year-old Minneapolis girl became the first Minnesota child to die from the flu this season.

Her death reinforces the need to immunize her peers. By taking the voluntary flu shot advisory to age 18, the CDC is recommending that an additional 30 million Americans be vaccinated each year -- one of the largest expansions in coverage since the 1940s, when the flu vaccine first became available.

The panel rightly suggests that families should start vaccinating children as soon as possible, although it recognizes that some clinics may not be able to keep up with the increased demand.

As a Minnesota Department of Health official noted, it's important to increase awareness now because it may take a few years for the public to get the message. The more shots given, the fewer illnesses and deaths. Across the country, the current winter flu season has been tough. Vaccinating more children is a sensible public health move that can save lives and keep more of us healthy, in class and on the job.