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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AiBU to be hesitating over whether toddler shld have the nasal flu vaccine?

120 replies

heatherscot · 10/10/2018 12:03

Have you guys done it, what are the side effects, is it effective, is flu that bad (usually)? Toddler in question will be around old people, new baby and preggo people quite a bit so is it irresponsible not to vaccinate?

OP posts:

cptartapp · 10/10/2018 19:16

Hungry There's an inactivated flu vaccine (injection) licensed for use age 6 months upwards, its called Fluarix tetra. Your nurse should be able to order it in if fluenz is contra-indicated. No need to go private.

Jammysod · 10/10/2018 19:18

Mine had his last year with no side effects & had this years yesterday, again no side effects so far. He has asthma though so it was a no brainer for me.

Elephantinacravat · 10/10/2018 19:26

I never used to do it as it was offered to such a small section of kids that herd immunity wouldn't work. My kids are super healthy with no issues that would make them extra vulnerable in the fairly unlikely event they did catch it, and while I am in no way anti vax it only protects against one strain which is a bit of a lottery in itself, and it just felt like a sort of unecessary extra vaccine to be giving them.

However, now it is open to a much wider range of children so I am getting them done mainly for herd immunity reasons, plus there are health issues in my family now which mean it is more important to keep the flu away.

Stupomax · 10/10/2018 20:28

A school closed due to flu... might have been due to all those viruses being shed by those who had received the nasal flu vaccine.

@ForgivenessIsDivine. Oh dear. It's a high school. Not one student there had had the nasal vaccine. They closed because so many kids got the flu. I appreciate this doesn't support your crackpot theories and I do apologise for that.

Stupomax · 10/10/2018 20:33

As long as you know that last year it had an effective rate of just 26% then go agead.

DD had the vaccine but got the flu anyway. She had a short dose of it, and was better within a few days.

HungryHippoMummy · 10/10/2018 21:10

Thanks for answers! Unfortunately our surgery refuses to think it's a problem, but I'm inclined to hunt around for private jab over spray.
Also, OP, def get your child vaccinated! Flu is horrendous, I've had it 3 times despite jab. Luckily the vaccine can shorten it/make it marginally less hellish even if you don't get full prevention.

Goldenbug · 10/10/2018 21:18

I had my jab yesterday and got a lollipop. Well worth it.

HellenaHandbasket · 10/10/2018 21:18

I was vaccinated last yr in pregnancy, and the kids have always had it. The 8 yr old has it at school, and the home educated 6 yr old will have it at the surgery. It was surprisingly hard to arrange the latter, you'd think they hadn't come across a child who didn't go to school before. 🤔

Not sure what will happen with the 1 yr old though.

EmilyRosiEl · 10/10/2018 21:27

Real flu poses a huge risk of pneumonia to little kids.

The vaccine isn't messing with an immune system- it's just presenting it with a harmless version of flu viruses that it's vaccinating against. So the immune response it produces is just a lesser version of the response that it would create if posed with full flu.

GoJetterGirl · 10/10/2018 21:31

Sorry to jump on someone else's thread, but someone up thread mentioned an immunocompromised person in the house? I'm trying to decide whether to get my toddler the nasal spray or whether to see if she can have the jab privately because I'm immunocompromised. I asked the surgery and the nurse knew nothing. I'm also wary because the last live vaccine she had (rota) made me really ill despite all the handwashing in the world. Any advice appreciated!

Oncology parent here, anyone who has the flu nasal spray runs the risk of infecting you as it’s a live virus... they need the injection as it is a deactivated strain and won’t cause you to become ill...

Crunchymum · 10/10/2018 21:34

I'm immunosuppressed and my surgery have given both my school age kids the injection with no issue.

OvO · 10/10/2018 21:43

I think all primary children get it in Scotland. Mine have had the nasal spray given at school every year. Oldest is now in high school and thinking about paying for him to get it.

I get the jag (asthma and diabetes!) and it’s bloody sore but better than getting the flu!

FlamingJuno · 10/10/2018 22:26

The problem with flu is that most people who are infected with it don't show symptoms, but remain contagious, thus putting others in danger. For the sake of all those folks who can't have the jab for good reasons, get the vax. No, it's not massively effective, but it's the best defence we have.

AiBU to be hesitating over whether toddler shld have the nasal flu vaccine?

HenSolo · 11/10/2018 04:41

Just posted on another thread as well - my son nearly died from flu last year at the age of 11 months. Hospitalised for weeks. Please consider babies like him.

penisbeakers · 11/10/2018 05:11

Christ.

Nomad86 · 11/10/2018 05:46

Sorry to detail but does anyone know if you can pay privately for the nasal spray. DS is 2 but a September birthday so a week past the NHS cutoff. I'd really like him to have the nasal spray and happy to pay for it.

cptartapp · 11/10/2018 06:53

It's not licensed for under 2's.

cptartapp · 11/10/2018 06:55

Sorry, just seen his is 2. Don't think you can source it privately. If he isn't in a risk group then don't sweat it for this year. Practice nurse here.

TheOneWithTheBaby · 11/10/2018 07:02

I'm pregnant and am getting a free flu vaccine.
Should my DH consider getting it privately? We've never had it before but our baby is due in March.

mrsjackrussell · 11/10/2018 07:15

Hi. Yes there can be side effects as its a live vaccine. Headache runny nose etc. Kids this age have it to protect the wider community as theyre germ spreaders.

mrsjackrussell · 11/10/2018 07:17

I meant the nasal spray is a live vaccine. The injection isn't.

Metalhead · 11/10/2018 07:25

DD2 just had the spray on Tuesday, so far no side effects. She’s prone to getting a really high fever when ill so wanted to protect her from flu as much as possible. DD1 will get it at school soon, she’s never had more than a bit of a runny nose from it either.

LittleSwede · 11/10/2018 07:27

DD had the vaccine last year but still caught the flu. Although from what I heard the strains used in the vaccine last year wasn't the same as went around and it was only effective against a certain percentage of flu viruses (there are usually more than one strain doing the rounds each year). I'm not a health professional and there are people who are probably able to explain this a lot better than me.

I will still get her vaccinated this year and onwards. She was very ill and we ended up in A and E (on advice from equivalent of 111 - we were in another European country at the time, Christmas visit). Luckily we could treat her at home but took a good two weeks to recover. I also had flu with complications (another hospital trip) and my mum developed pneumonia. We were a sorry lot!

So, in short, if there is a chance of getting her vaccinated against some of the strains and avoid her getting so I'll again the. I will definitely have her vaccinated again each year.

IceBearRocks · 11/10/2018 07:28

Severely disabled DS had it at school SEN School. I forgot he'd had it!!! Also no side effects!

twattymctwatterson · 11/10/2018 07:43

Dd has it every year and has never had any side effects. Flu can kill

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