To think dd is immune to swine flu

[Unrulysun]

...because I had the jab when I was pregnant and I breastfeed?

Will she be? And if not should I get her immunised?

[ilovemyhens]

is she in an at risk group? If she's not then they're not currently vaccinating children.

[mumtoabeautifulbabyboy]

I don't know if your dd is immune but as far as I am aware 6months is the minimum age for the vaccine.
We got the jab vaccine for our 16month old and paid £15 as our GP couldn't do it (limited amounts of vaccine).

[Dylthan]

How old is your dd because it is only available for children over 6 months? Is she in an at risk group?

I know babies get some immunity when the mother is given the jab while pg but not sure how much. you really would be best speaking to your gp if you're concerned.

Sorry I've not really been much help have I

[Unrulysun]

No not an at risk group - she's nearly 8 months. I haven't thought about it myself but MIL has been on about us doing it and I thought I'd check it out although I don't want to be part of a DM type panic.

[Unrulysun]

It's the limited amounts of vaccine which would worry me - if she has it 'unecessarily' does that mean someone else who needs it doesn't?

[compo]

just wait until your gp contacts you

[ilovemyhens]

I don't think the govt has even given the go-ahead for not at risk children to be vaccinated.

[Seona1973]

healthy under 5's are not being offered the vaccine this year (so far!) and there seems to be a shortage of vaccines for the at risk people that do need it.

[onimolap]

I don't think there's much evidence on transferred immunity (but standing ready to be corrected).

If you had the jab whilst pregnant, then the immune response your body formed would have transferred via the placenta, but how effectively and how durably are moot points.

The protective effects from BFing occur when you have been in contact with the disease, your body mounts its immune response and the antibodies are transferred via the milk (on one level this seems weird to me, as I don't intuitively "get" how they survive the GI tract, but they do). But again, level of protective effect is uncertain.

Single swine flu jabs are unlikely to be released again (unless there are further supply difficulties in future flu seasons). It is now incorporated into the seasonal flu jab. This jab has never been offered to children in UK (unless they have underlying conditions).

The flu jab is usually available from about October (in the northern hemisphere). I suggest you put a nte in your diary now to enquire then.

[mumtoabeautifulbabyboy]

Children older than 6 months are allowed the vaccine. You will probably have to pay for it though (£15 in my case).
The dr I went to said that they had been swamped with under 5s over the last month or so.

[canyou]

I am in Irl and all my DC were offered it [no underlying conditions] My GP is in the better safe the sorry category, he feels that at an age when they are interacting with other DC or parents are in jobs that bring them into contact with swine flu [DP is a paramedic] why take the risk. But the Dc who was due his 4 in 1 had that delayed to get the flu vaccine. Gp said wait six weeks. it was one or the other and swine flu has killed some young children in the UK which is further into the flu season then we are according to HSE we choose to vaccinate. If it makes you feel better about paying £15 it cost me Euro 120 .

[Beveridge]

What about a child that had the swine flu jab last year? Has H1N1 mutated much at all?

If not, does this mean that those who had the jabs last year are still protected?

[onimolap]

AFAIK it has not mutated - that is one reason why the Government was prepared to authorise the use of the single swine shot where stocks of the seasonal vaccine have run out.

The swine flu shot was only available from summer 2009, less than 2years ago. I don't know if there's sufficient research to show how long the protective effect lasts, but over such a short time frame, it's unlikely to have worn off (if indeed it does).

[Unrulysun]

Hmmmm. Worried that in Ireland you're getting vaccinated and we're not.

OTOH I don't know that this isn't completely normal and just being overreported because of some slow news weeks. :(

[annapolly]

I searched the internet to find the answer to your question, when DD asked me the same last week.

I read that it is believed that if the mother had the jab whilst pregnant then it protects the baby for several weeks after birth and the baby should be immune for as long as it is breast fed.

However the virus mutates so there is no guarantee.

[onimolap]

The CDC website says that if a pregnant mother is vaccinated, then the baby is protected for around 6 months.

[canyou]

Unrulysun last year there was a national role out of centres and people could make an appt and go, we did not take it up then.
There was a report last week on RTE morning radio encouraging people to take the vaccines and stating there was more then enough to vaccinate all high risk, it seems that here they are watching what is happening else where and adjusting their policy to suit current trends. Which means we are lucky to be able to possibly pre-empt some of the tragedies happening else where.
There was also a warning to GP's not to give out so many antibiotics and pharmacies are really drilling into people the correct way to take them.

[Unrulysun]

Thanks for all replies. Texted my friend who has a phd in anatomy and physiology and asked her and she didn't know either (and she knows everything ). Will see a gp I guess.