To have no idea about this flu jab immunisation programme?

[GeeTeeEff]

My 2 youngest dc's came home from school on Friday with letters saying their school is part of a new programme to start immunising all primary school pupils against flu.

It has never crossed my mind to have them immunised, they are rarely ill, never had flu so I'm thinking of not signing the permission forms.

Is it something everyone is doing? (Vaccinating that is) My mil said she wouldn't have them immunised as she felt quite ill after it.

DS2 had the nasal vaccine on saturday. Right afterwards he sneezed all over me and now I have a hell of a cold. I don't know if it's related or just a coincidence, but he's fine!

tailtwister it must be a coincidence! Cold isn't flu, and surely he has a weaker immune system then you? Also more of the live virus would have been squirted up his airways?

Mine have been offered the nasal vaccine. I refused the offer.

I have a two year old and I'm pregnant. I haven't been told anything about the flu jab for either of us. I'd expect a letter or something but maybe need to chase it up?

jelly both of you should be given free flu vaccination under the NHS this year. Ring your GP clinic and see if they have sent out the invitations yet?

Sorry to hijack but my gp surgery have said egg allergic ds can have the nasal spray but everything I've read says neither the jab or spray are suitable, is this correct? I'm confused.

Don't want him to get flu but def don't want to vaccinate him and have a reaction to deal with .

ring healthy people rarely die of flu Really? Tell that to this lot:
The 1918 flu pandemic (January 1918 – December 1920)[1] was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic, the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus (the second being the 2009 flu pandemic). It infected 500 million[2] people across the world, including remote Pacific islands and the Arctic, and killed 50 to 100 million of them—3 to 5 percent of the world's population[3] at the time—making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.

And whoever said they would do their own research - why would that be better than research by experts in the field? Because that is who will have recommended the programme. I'm also confused about the comment about smear information being based and patronising - what possible argument against smear tests could there be?

nhs says egg allergic children should not have the nasal flu vaccine

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/Which-children-are-eligible-for-the-flu-vaccine.aspx

I got (swine) flu when I was pregnant with DD. I was admitted to hospital at 13 weeks and sedated & ventilated for two weeks. I then developed pneumonia so they then took me off the ventilator and did a tracheostomy instead and kept me sedated for another five weeks. They woke me up about three weeks into that five week stint but both my lungs collapsed (I don't remember this) so they sedated me again for that final two weeks. I woke up and had my 20 week scan in ITU a couple of days later. After 7 weeks sedated and being on a feeding tube, I had lost over 2 1/2 stone and couldn't sit up, wash myself, walk (due to muscle wastage). I was in hospital for another four weeks and left being about to walk about 5 or 6 steps at a time with a zimmer frame. I had physio three times a week for the rest of my pregnancy and had to be at the hospital 3 times a week for heartbeat monitoring (of DD) and once a week for growth scans. Over two years on, I still don't have the strength I had before and my chest pains me in cold weather. DD has been diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, developmental delay and has hearing loss (wears hearing aids) and they attribute this to the fact that my oxygen levels were so low when I was pregnant (72% at their lowest) and potentially some of the drugs I was given.

I hadn't had the flu jab as at the time there was nothing in the papers about it (so I didn't read anything about the dangers) and my midwife didn't tell me that as a pregnant woman, I was high risk. I had never been ill before (mild colds if anything) but being pregnant totally compromised my immune system.

I am practically evangelical about the flu jab now.

LadyK

Anyone know how effective it is?

I've decided not to do it. Seriously, which flu do tey mean anyway and how many people actually die? I'd rather not thanks.

ladyk you poor thing.

which flu do tey mean anyway

Here's your answer, and also for anyone who is interested on how they select the flu variants to vaccinate against

www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/virusqa.htm

I'm sorry to repeat myself, but I find these immunisation threads so frustrating.

How about you recognise that it isn't all about you. Herd immunity stops epidemics. This requires as many people as possible to be immunised. This protects the vulnerable people in our community - your children's grandparents perhaps, children who are immuno-compromised, or those who can't have the nasal spray or jab due to egg allergies.

There are many strains of flu, and they make each year's vaccine based on which strain is likely to be around. They don't just guess.

I really hope those of you who aren't going to take advantage of the immunisation programme are lucky and stay flu free this winter. Flu is really nasty.

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/flu-influenza-vaccine.aspx - gives details of the flu strains vaccinated against this year

Anything I can understand why people don't understand flu vaccines. I wondered about it many years ago. But being a scientist, I was more interested in why we needed a new flu vaccine each year, how they are selected etc. I did the research and found it fascinating how much effort have been put into selecting the strains in the flu vaccine. (See the US CDC webpage I've posted).

But then there are many who don't believe in vaccination on mumsnet, and in the UK in general. I don't want to go into an argument about this. I just want to spread the word to those who would take up the vaccine, but who wants to know more, or those where their GP hasn't informed them.

I am wondering whether to get my baby done she is nearly a year?

Under 2s can't have the nasal spray I don't think, and she would only be eligible for the vaccine if she had a medical condition.

The link above helpfully tells us

it's not a 100% guarantee (against getting flu)

But doesn't mention how effective it is...

Do those of you who've had it or plan to have it, know?

No I mean pay for it privately, am going to get my other one done privately, its about 15 quid.

they can do babies over 6 months. Am just wondering whether to or not.

It's not compulsory though. People can make up their own minds based upon whatever evidence or reasons they have. Herd immunity or not it is still a choice and many people choose not to vaccinate at all or to only have some. There's nothing anyone can do about it and for many people flu is not considered a huge danger.

Unless they tested everyone who showed flu like symptoms to see what strain they had they could never say how effective it is as there is always a risk of getting a strain which isn't going to be vaccinated against.

it does massively reduce the chance of getting flu though, and as the parent of a child who is often hospitalised with a common cold then I will do anything to minimise the risk of something as horrible as flu.

I wouldn't be so worried about flu, "if" we had a good network round us who would help with the children if we were ill.

If we had family could take the children over night, or help in anyway I have to admit it wouldn't be such an issue for me.

We do not have anyone who could take them, so I really want to try and avoid major sickness.

Where can you go to pay for a vaccination for an under 16yr old? I just can't find anywhere near me that will do it for my dds. I had mine today at work.