Nasal flu vaccine

[IncyWincySpiderOnRepeat]

Hi ladies

DD (2 years) is booked to have the nasal flu vaccine on Saturday but I'm having a bit of a wobble as to whether it is the right thing to do...

Anyone have any experience of this? Did your little ones suffer any side effects from this vaccine?

Any advice greatly appreciated..

[PamDooveOrangeJoof]

My son missed his flu vaccine one year as he was in intensive care with the flu. He was on a ventilator, he was only 3. We always make sure we book him in asap now.
I am asthmatic so get the vaccine too.

[KingIrving]

If the flu that is going to hit UK is anything like the flu we just had in Australia, go for the vaccine without even thinking about it!
So many deaths! even children, young and healthy people, young mums, students, ... and so many sick. One of the worst to remember.

[HeyMicky]

No side effects at all here

[shewolfmum]

Read package insert. It has black triangle so is still being monitored.

[eBaydrama]

Current flu vaccine doesn't cover the Australian one we supposedly have coming our way...

When the one that covers all strains finally comes out... we will start getting them. Till now we don't.

[BlackInk]

I'm torn on this too...

I was leaning towards not vaccinating my two (aged 5 and 8, both offered it through school) as everything I've read suggests that it is only likely to prevent flu in around 50% of cases, and fairly unpleasant side effects are listed as 'common' on the NHS website:

• a runny or blocked nose
  
• headache
  
• general tiredness
  
• loss of appetite
  

The PHE states that 'children are known to shed the virus a few days after vaccination, the amount shed is normally below the levels needed to pass on infection to others and the virus does not survive for long outside of the body'. So I'm thinking that if most of the others at school have been vaccinated my children are likely to be exposed anyhow...?

I know that flu is awful, and can be dangerous. But I also have my suspicions that we're heading for trouble in society as a whole if we start vaccinating against all common illnesses. What will this do to our immune systems? Will viruses simply mutate and become more dangerous? Would we all be better off occasionally having a dose of real flu?

If masses of vaccinated people are wandering around shedding a weakened form of the virus, are unvaccinated people in the high-risk groups (elderly, immune-repressed, babies etc) more or less likely to be exposed and catch flu?

I don't seem to be able to find peoper answers anywhere... Any help would be genuinely appreciated!

BI x

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Does anyone know if I could pay for my kids (5 and 7) to have the non-live jab rather than the (live) nasal spray? My son has tics and I would rather he didn't have the nasal spray (he has however had it the past 4 years). Interesting though that this years vaccine doesn't cover the Austrailian epidemic strain

[IncyWincySpiderOnRepeat]

Hi, thanks for the replies, we have decided not to go ahead with the vaccine tomorrow.

I feel that DD is (hopefully!) unlikely to catch flu...think I've only had it once in my 32 years so it seems quite rare... and that I would therefore be inflicting the symptoms described as common on the NHS information on her unnecessarily.

Also don't like that the nasal vaccine is still being monitored for extra safety info (black triangle)

Just got to hope that we have made the right decision now...!

[Ankleswingers]

King

That sounds horrific.

Have booked for my 3 year old to get it done. My 7 year old is having his at School and I am going to have the jab too this year.

Not worth the risk imo but each to their own.

[Chickpearocker]

No side effects here, had the vaccination on Saturday, ds is almost 3 x

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

unpleasant side effects are listed as 'common' on the NHS website:

• a runny or blocked nose
  
• headache
  
• general tiredness
  
• loss of appetite
  

Also from the NHS website:

Flu symptoms come on very quickly and can include:

a sudden fever - a temperature of 38C or above
aching body
feeling tired or exhausted
dry, chesty cough
sore throat
headache
difficulty sleeping
loss of appetite
diarrhoea or tummy pain
nausea and being sick

The possible complications are also worth a look. As well of course they want vaccinate your two year old not just for themselves, but because small children are great disease vectors .

[NotTheDuchessOfCambridge]

My DS had it today, no side affects as of yet. My DF will be having radiotherapy in Dec and his immune system will be compromised so this may I know my DS won’t be passing on any flu bugs. I get the vacs through work, as does my DH so that only leaves my DD. I wonder if she can get it anywhere? She’s 9.

[NotTheDuchessOfCambridge]

The side effects (if you get them) are really mild OP, what is it about them that would keep you from vaccinating?

[beautifulgirls]

NotTheDuchessOfCambridge I would talk to your GP surgery and ask if your DD can have it to protect your DF. Our household are all vaccinated to protect DD3 who was seriously ill when younger, on the advice of the GP. We all get vaccinated every year and have had no side effects.

[BlackInk]

>

Well, according to the NHS there's a 50% success rate for the strains of the flu virus covered by the vaccine each year. There are many strains of the virus about and the vaccine-makers make an educated guess at which strains are likely to be the most prevalent.

Of course we want to protect anyone vulnerable, but I can't shake the feeling that a whole class full of 4 year olds going about their lives shedding (weakened) forms of the virus may be more likely to put the vulnerable at risk than the odd couple of kids per class who might naturally get full-blown flu in a normal season...

I'm not pretending to be an expert. I'm just not sure.

I have made a decision for my children though and have opted out of their vaccinations at school this year. Just hope it was the right one.

[dementedpixie]

Ds got his last week. No side effects and hasn't had any the last few years he had it

[Muddlingalongalone]

Dd2 had it last week.
No side effects. She has been a little snotty this week but tbh until I read this thread I hadn't put 2 & 2 together.
Dd1 will have it at school after half term

[PrincessoftheSea]

For God's sake, you do not get ill from the flu jab. Statistically speaking some people who have the jab will get sick around the time they have the jab but this is not connected.

[bigfatbumfreak]

Theyve dropped the nasal flu vaccine in the US because its crap efficacy, they reccomend the needle one.

[Herbcake]

Nasal spray doesn't even work. The US have stopped using it.

[dementedpixie]

Even though it has not been effective in the US it has been more effective in the UK so it is still advised here

[nightshade]

UK has only been trialling it for a similar length of time as when America started to find it failing...or non cost effective...depending on which camp you choose to straddle...

[Sidge]

vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/nasal-flu-vaccine

This explains the children’s nasal flu vaccine programme in the UK, and how for some unknown reason it seems to be more effective here than in the USA. Just because the USA isn’t using it doesn’t necessarily mean we shouldn’t, they have different disease prevalence and use different vaccines for starters.