To be unsure about flu nasal spray vaccine?

[Jinxed2]

My son is now two and I have had a text message inviting me to make an appointment for him to have this. AIBU to not want him to have it? I am not an anti-vaxxer however I have 2 older children and when they were small this wasn’t a thing.... I’ve never had flu in my life.... thoughts please

@FUcket
Lol, sorry it’s stupid late for me. You have the asthma not your kids.

The nasal spray is a live attenuated virus and so after they’ve had it, they will be shedding flu virus for up to 48hrs. SO you will be exposed to 4 different live (but very very weak) flu viruses. If you have had the flu shot several weeks before they get their spray, you should be ok. But if you, like most families, get it all knocked out in one Dr visit it would be best for them to get the flu shot too because then that lowers the risk of you catching flu from them when they go through viral shedding.
Asthmatics usually have ok immune systems and won’t get sick via viral heeding, this is a 1 in 500,000 risk. But if YOU are on steroids, your immune system is compromised and your risk higher of catching flu from viral shedding. And, if you do get it, you will get much sicker than a asthmatic. If you can get them the shot, that will lower the risk to you.

*grrrr. If your kids get the shot that eliminates all risk to you because you cannot catch flu from flu shot. I reread my post and realised I said “lower” in stead of “eliminates”
I need to get some sleep. Good night all.

If your child has the nasal spray check if it’s a live vaccine. If it is stay away from anyone vulnerable for a few days. The virus can be ‘shed’ from the vaccine for a while.

I had flu last year it floored me for two weeks.
My son also got it. He was extremely poorly for 4 weeks. Turned into pneumonia and they tested him for sepsis.

He was 19 , fit and healthy lad. I was a healthy 50yr old. If it got us like that I dread to think what would have happened if we were one of the vulnerable people listed.

People call a bad cold flu. You soon realise it's not if you're unlucky enough to catch it for real. It's awful !

Yes YABU. And sort of an anti-vaxxer.

Why do you think a doctor would want to give your child something that would do anything other than help them?

Would you rather he got flu?

Or what if he was a carrier and gave someone else flu? Then how would you feel?

Thank you doctorallcome, I’m not on regular steroid tablets at moment but have had a couple of nebuliser and steroid treatments this year. I will speak to my GP today and see what he says as the flu spray they get will be from school not the practice surgery.

I do find it odd that people won’t get flu vaccines for their kids. It’s like chickenpox vaccine. People I know who can afford to vaccine against won’t bother because chickenpox isn’t that bad.

If I could prevent my kids from catching so much as a cold from a vaccine I would do it. Why wouldn’t you?

Fucket, because getting a vaccine is not a totally risk free enterprise. I’m not anti vaccinations at all, but I still wouldn’t get each and every one ‘just because.’ We are probably coming at this from very different angles as that is as strange to me as my stance probably is to you, but for many illnesses the disease is actually better than the vaccine because it awards lifelong immunity.

Flu can kill, even without that it's a turkey horrible thing. Get vaccinated!

I have mine to protect myself, because if I get it I cant work for weeks & I have no one to look after DC.

I have it to protect my DC from getting it from me & to protect the children in their class.

I also do it to protect my colleages & people I work with in the community.

My DC are having it without a doubt.

‘’*The nasal flu spray was literally pulled off the market in 2016 after studies of the 2009 swine flu outbreak found that it provided zero protection to children against the flu.

So for two years- 2016 &2017 young children were getting the flu shot instead.’’*

Firstly I think people need to be careful about language here. ‘Pulled off the market’ implies a withdrawal for safety concerns. Secondly I cannot find much to support this claim other than recommendations from the CDC in the USA that the injection may be more effective against a particular strain that season.

I cannot find any evidence of the NHS doing this. Happy to be corrected with evidence of it exists.

‘but for many illnesses the disease is actually better than the vaccine because it awards lifelong immunity.’

Lifelong immunity to flu is not possible. The virus frequently mutates and there are many different strains. Also, all the diseases we vaccinate against are definitely much worse than the vaccine.

lilac herd immunity is one of the key proponents of mass vaccination.
It's also called being part of a society. Unless there are medical reasons, not vaccinating is the height of selfishness.

Not really jenni but this discussion has been had before and will doubtless happen again with no one changing their mind.

In your opinion benes, I tend to think it’s more sensible for people to get vaccines for the diseases that are potentially harmful to them.

It's not just my opinion though. It's the opinion of medical professionals...you know the people who actually know about this stuff.

Also, whoever shared that leaflet produced by Arnica....that should be deleted. That group does nothing but peddle dangerous misinformation which puts people at risk.

What is best for the population en masse and what is best for an individual aren’t always the same thing.

To add to Allcome’s list, DC also get the injectable if they are close household contacts of the immunosuppressed

I have
leukaemia and my DC qualify for NHS injection.

I'm not an antivaxer (we've all had every other vaccine going) but I don't do flu jabs, didn't do in pregnancy and I'm not letting my children have it either. My mum is a nurse who is encouraged to have it, she too refuses, has done for years. People who have it appear to get some sort of cold/ill. It hasn't been very effective the past few years anyway so I'll continue to take my chances as I have the past 36 years.

I’m assuming here that your mum is not working in an ICU, PICU or ECMO unit and hasn’t seen the damage flu can do even to previously healthy people. I’ve got a close family member who’s spent years working in these areas. Her advice would be get your flu jab.

On the whole it is though. If you are medically unable to be vaccinated you are relying on herd immunity. If you choose but to vaccinate you are still relying on herd immunity.

As for the actual diseases being less dangerous than the vaccines .....well that's just complete and utter rubbish. As for lifelong immunity, you know you can't build an immunity up with regards flu right? That's why it's an annual vaccination schedule.

*not to

My dc is asthmatic and the nasal vaccine has triggered a crisis twice. As a result He doesn’t have the nasal flu vaccine, I do however arrange for him to have the jab at the doctors.

My thoughts are great fully grab it and get him booked in.

You should be great full that this is a thing now
. I've been scrabbling round having to get my dc privately injected at private clinics.

Even when nasal spray introduced sometimes it was only given mid December so I've still had to beg doc to let my dd have it earlier!

For the rl first time it was actually dished out in a timely manner this year!

Flu is horrific and most people who have had flu run and get anything that may help us..

Why wouldn't you protect your child from a potentially fatal illness?

I am not sure about the vaccine either, but its better then getting the flu. I've had the flu once as a child and it was horrible. The only way I can describe it as a cold × 100, it is the worst I have ever felt and I'm 31.
I get the vaccine now for my job and because I have older family and one with COPD. When I have children they will also get the vaccine.

Also the rudeness on this thread is a bit much. You can question something without being an anti-vaxxer.