To not vaccinate my children against flu this winter?

[Isseyesque]

We have been offered flu jabs for DDs age 2 and 4. Neither have any respiratory/asthma type issues, and generally very good health (have been very fortunate in that to date they have rarely gotten ill and never seriously, not been on antibiotics etc).

AIBU not to vaccinate them as they don't appear to be high risk? My understanding is that flu is most dangerous to people with weak immune and weak respiratory problems. If they do get it, they'll be unwell but ok, and develop some resistance/ resilience etc.

However, I'm now wavering as someone said they heard on the radio that it recommended small children DO get immunised as it will reduce the spread of flu and therefore be better for others who are more compromised. I hadn't considered that previously, not sure what to do now.

DD1 point blank refuses to have hers. (She's on the list for ridiculously mild asthma).

Both times she's had a week of not sleeping properly because her arm hurts and she feels vaguely like she's got flu.

She says she'll take the chance of having flu (which she's had once in 16 years, when she was a toddler) VS definitely feeling rotten for a week.

I've no idea if the nasal one has the same effects. Given DD frightened* me when she did get flu, I would be tempted to give it a toddler.

*I'd have been much less scared if I'd known that was what was wrong. She caught it just before the rest of the country.

I was offered it last week as I look after my elderly mum. I snapped the nurses hand off.
I must be the only person not to remember the millennium without the help of drugs or alcohol because I came down with flu a few days after boxing day 1999 and was out of if until new years day 2000. Thankfully I have never been so Ill since.

I wonder how many healthy, unvaccinated children end up in hospital, or worse, with flu

An otherwise fit and healthy dc at my children's school died of flu and whilst I appreciate this is rare, for me, it is one too many. Ds2 missed 4.5 weeks of school with flu several years ago and was "not right" for months. Mine will be vaccinated.

I'm not 'at risk' particular but work offers the 'flu jab' for free as part of our benefits package (ha ha) so I'm going to take it. I had real to god honest flu a few years ago (not a cold with flu-like symptoms!) and I will do everyhing to avoid it now!

I'm all for it - one of my DGC aged 2 had the nasal spray last year and had no side effects at all.

As a layman, I do wonder about the effects of combining lots of vaccines together, but I don't have enough information one way or the other about it. However, if the vaccine/immunisation is available I really think they should be taken advantage of. What on earth is the point of being ill if you don't have to be?

(Ps to the experts on here - what is the difference between vaccination and immunisation?)

poolomoomon swine flu didn't magically disappear - for instance we had it in December 2010. Just because something isn't reported in the news doesn't mean it isn't happening. Also, flu mutates.

A poster further up said that as a society we don't accept illness, and that's very true in a way. Try ringing in to work and telling them you have flu and won't be back for at least a week. You will, I almost guarantee, have at least one collague (and probably more like 10 of them) who announces that they had flu just last week, but they don't believe in taking time off, because it's only a sniffle, and anyone with any work ethic just works through.

I last had flu about ten years ago. I was off work for a week and a half then dragged myself back to work, against medical advice, due to pressure from my manager. I managed a week at work and had a huge relapse and missed another week of work. And for that I received a nice threatening letter from HR to tell me I was to get back to work asap and that any more time off would result in disciplinary action. So I dragged myself back and suffered for several months (aching limbs, headaches, wheeziness) from the after effects of not being allowed to recuperate when I first got the illness.

In the modern world of employment is it simply not acceptable to be ill. Ever. I'm surprised more people don't jump at the chance to be vaccinated.

Oh and as for wasting money - when we had swine flu, all four of us saw a doctor, Ds and dd needed antibiotics, I needed steroids, I saw a doctor twice and Ds saw a doctor at the surgery 4 times and was admitted to the paed ward twice had 2 lots of blood tests and finally, a chest x ray. So I'd reckon that all cost quite a bit.

Just wanted to says thanks for all of the really constructive comments on here which precedent different sides to the argument. I've found it really useful.
I am not anti vaccination - I am Pro, but had thought that as my kids aren't high risk maybe this wasn't necessary. However, I think I giving them a nose spray which could potentially prevent them from a really nasty bout of flu, and therefore reducing the chances of the flu virus being passed onto other more vulnerable adults and children, is a good thing. Going to book them in for it.

34, never had flu...several bad colds with flu like symptoms but surely id have known if it had been flu...dont see the point in my 2yo having the nasal spray, yet my 8yo and 5.5yo going unimmunised against it (as well as myself and dh, I've had the flu jab in the past and don't feel it made any difference)

We are very vigilant with handwashing and avoiding ill people though, even just those with a cold, and we love nothing more than keeping our germs at home when we are poorly ourselves!

"I've had the flu jab in the past and don't feel it made any difference"

"never had flu"

Right then...

My older children, 5 and 7 are too old to have access to the flu vaccine in my area on the NHS. Is it possible/ how do I go about getting them vaccinated? It would be great if I could reduce the chance of ds3 (8mo) from getting the flu by all the rest of us getting a jab.

Sorry rubbish perhaps I wasn't clear enough - I've had the jab in the past, about 3 recent years out of my 34, and I don't feel it made any difference to my catching flu or not, in the winters where I took the jab. Thanks for asking me to clarify that

I've had flu once and it was horrendous. I've been been vaccinated.

My mother got the vaccine a few years ago and it floored her, she was ill for six weeks and ended up in hospital. That makes me wary of it.

Clarify what? I understood what you said. You've never had flu. How do you know the jab didn't stop you getting flu any of the years you had it? What more did the jab have to do to make you feel like it had made a difference?

I have never had the option of my vaxxing my children.

I would take them if it was offered. Mainly because when my ex husband was alive we were scared sick that he would catch flu and die when he had cancer. He did die but not because of the flu, but it did make me realise how important it is to protect the vulnerable when we can and if vaxxing for flu would help those with comprised immune systems then I am willing to do it. I do believe it is our duty to vax when we can to protect those who are vulnerable.

The only one which would give me pause is chicken pox.

I'm 48 and only thankfully had flu twice. First time I remember feeling terrible on a London train in rush hour. Other passengers looked at me like I had the plague.

DD2 is in the at risk group. She has the jab each year and so far hasn't had flu like symptoms afterwards.

Lol at 'the jab didn't make any difference.' !!! Um, you didn't get flu. Great that you've never got it before, but you're missing the point somewhat.

How do you 'avoid ill people'. Do you live in a bubble?

I live in a bubble.

I am generally very pro vaccine. I am 35 weeks pg and have been offered the whipping cough vaccine as apparently there are raised levels of this in our local population.

The flu vaccine is a difficult one. I have had it twice. Both times I developed a horrible hacking cough that went on for 3 months. I also had really dodgy liver function tests for ages after the 2nd jab. I felt drained for ages. So I' m really torn as to what to do.

Its not difficult for ME to avoid ill people...im a sahm mum, I don't go to the gp surgery or any hospitals on a regular basis, I shop online frequently, or do click and collect, don't go to church or many social events, happy to socialise with friends in open spaces, woods, beach, park etc and avoid soft play, and all my friends and family know to keep well away if they're under the weather...so you see for my family personally, its not hard to avoid ill peoples. I understand its not the same for others!

If I didn't get flu in any of my 31 unvaccinated years, what makes you think the vaccine did such a good job of protecting me in the 3 non consecutive years I did take it?

Should read "whopping cough" not "whipping cough" and I plan to get the vaccine.

Op your second post is right- your kids not getting it means others around you won't get it. Herd immunity, what's not to like?

Same for resistance, having had one flu doesn't gove you resistance to another flu virus.

There is no possible positive spin on having the flu.

It's a free world of course and I'd defend that too. I haven't been offered it but maybe my kids a bit older.