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.

No. We don't have any elderly relatives etc. I guess after doing just some research, I'm feeling what's the point if it's not guaranteed to be successful? They 'guess' which type of flu is going to be doing the rounds?! What. So you can have the vaccine and it's useless as it's the wrong strain of flu infecting people.

So whack a load of god knows what into your child on the off chance they get the strain correct?

I have had a couple of jabs myself in the past and felt like complete shit for 2 weeks afterwards. I guess that it somewhat tainting my view admittedly.

Erm. Yes they do. And even the NHS leaflet that comes with this says you need to avoid contact with vulnerable people for a minimum of 48hrs after being vaccinated..

I would love to be able to get DS vaccinated, because it looks like this year's flu strain is a particularly nasty one (admittedly there's no guarantee that the vaccine - which is based on a best estimate of what the coming season's flu will look like - will do the job). The southern hemisphere is just coming out of its winter and they've had a massive number of cases in Australia, with a higher than normal mortality rate, including an 8 year old girl.

:( I guess that's what makes this difficult for me to just do. It's a best guess. Could be completely wrong!!!!! And therefore giving our kids toxins they don't need for no reason whatsoever. Plus just read on the NHS that even the 'right' vaccine only takes in about 50% of kids. So the other 50% are left vulnerable anyway.

Believe me, if it was a 100% cert that it would protect, I would be having it.

Never had flu. Will probably never have flu vaccine.

I will have it as I have asthma. DD1 will have the nasal spray. DH will pay to have it at the pharmacy.

DD2 had a significant allergic reaction to the low albumen injection last year. We have been advised not to vaccinate her this year. If she gets it again, it has to be in the hospital in case of a catastrophic reaction.

I refuse the nasal flu vaccine for my DS as he has asthma and it seems to trigger an attack. However he does have the flu jab.

ravioli Have you got a link for that? I can't read the important bits on there ;) It's definitely what I'm asking though which is great!

Flu can have awful complications even for perfectly healthy people. I know this from experience. Think how dreadful you'd feel if you didn't give your kids the vaccination (will be nasal spray) and then they got awful flu complications.

Some vaccines DO shed. The flu jab doesn't, the flu nasal spray does as it's live

I absolutely would this year - the flu season in Australia has been bad.

It was a Google search job - sorry! If the leaflet says they do shed though then maybe they do

We have just moved and in new location all children are offered it at school. Brilliant. The more small children who dont get it, the less chance there is of it being spread to elderly and immuno compromised. Its not even a jab. When you think of how many people used to die of flu its a no brainer.

d27 Think how dreadful I'd feel if my child had a severe reaction to it and was hospitalised ! For a vaccine that is pot luck at best!

This year's nasal spray has the same strains as last year in it and the H3N2 strain does not appear to have been effective in Australia.

The US have withdrawn the nasal flu vaccine for this year due to the fact that it was deemed ineffective.

The nasal vaccine is live and can shed for up to 28 days, putting all those around the recently vaccinated at risk.

Yikes! My original link has been withdrawn and updated as below. I stand (slightly ) corrected:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-flu-programme-qa-for-healthcare-professionals

Page 9: The amount of virus 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

The nasal flu vaccine is live, and does shed. They warn you on the leaflet 48 hrs after it can shed.

The injection vaccine isn't live.

I gave the dc the nasal vaccine at 2 with out issue. At 3 yrs old I took them for the vaccine then they became very ill and it took six months to recover. The medics said it was a result of the vaccine and they had had similar that year, since then I don't vaccinate.

I do appreciate it is a good thing to do, but after what happened I don't know if I want to.

The strains are mutating constantly and it may not work if you come in contact with the flu.

Is it work the risk. I don't know, I hate having to make the decision each year. It bothers me, I worry if I don't, but when I did vaccinate I regretted it when they became so unwell.

So if it's live and can shed for 28 days, what the hell are they doing giving it out in a contained environment such as a school (and risking giving it to every other child who hasn't been offered it)

Honestly. The more I read, and think about this, the more I'm convinced they only do it to stop elderly people getting it and bed blocking the system. (cynical)

I'm about to start a new job carrying out the nasal immunisations in schools. There are some very scary opinions on this thread.

I'll be interested to see what the uptake is like.

That's the thing. A school is for education not mass vaccination programs. If there is a pregnant teacher in a class with 30 vaccinated children sneezing all over the place, I'm sure it would be a risk.

I think it is to prevent the elderly from catching flu. No bad thing I agree, but my dad caught flu twice one year. Once in Australia
, then again in the U.K. A few months later. Nether were passed on by small children.

choc Elaborate?

Flu is NOT like a bad cold. It is a serious illness that I have had several times, including once when I was hospitalised. Not had it since I started having annual jabs. DS had had problems with pneumonia and swine flu so I pay for him to have a jab every year when I do. DH is being offered a free jab because of his age and he's dithering because he's never had the flu so thinks he's immune. If you're offered it, please consider having it- flu doesn't only affect the person who has it but also those who have to look after them.