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

I've had swine flu it was hellish and I was on tamiflu to help relieve the symptoms

My kids get the vaccine

@Lilacviolet what do you mean ‘not really’? All vaccines are given as they are much preferable to people dying from disease. Some people can’t be individually protected so rely on the protection offered by the herd.

If you don’t want vaccinations then that’s your choice but I reserve the right to think it’s an irresponsible and selfish one. It also might come back to bite you on the arse, you never know when you could become immunocompromised and reliant on herd immunity. I doubt you’d be so pro individual choice then!

‘You can question something without being an anti-vaxxer’

Of course you can ask questions, just ask them to a healthcare professional not strangers on the internet. I tend to find that all the evidence in the world doesn’t satisfy some people, then they do fall into the bracket of ‘anti-vaxxer’

We the nasal fly vaccine was definitely given here in 2016-17.

I'm assuming @drallcome is in the USA.

The NHS is skint. It would not offer the vaccine if it didn't believe it was worth it. Example bring chickenpox. There's a vaccine. It works. NHS does not seem it worthwhile to roll this out due to the fact chickenpox though grim, is rarely fatal.

Flu kills people.

The nasal spray stock has been delayed this year in my area, my children have had their appointments rescheduled for end of November. It really worries me it's so late. I had my vaccination last month.

They switched to the injection in the US because they found the nasal spray was not effective, true BUT... from what I remember of the situation...
Children in the US have been receiving the flu vaccine for a lot longer than in the UK and they couldn’t show that there was any additional benefit for those years’ sprays. They did have evidence the “shot” was beneficial.

Similar studies in the UK and Europe showed the nasal spray was effective for those years for those populations.

Benes they're not aiming for herd immunity in respect of flu.

The NHS aim for the population is to sharply reduce the numbers of cases in the two age groups which get it most (children and the elderly) and to offer protection to the pregnant and medically vulnerable. And then they (and others) offer it to their staff, to reduce the chances of widespread absences causing disruption.

We haven't had a severe flu outbreak for many years now, and I think people have forgotten how serious it can be, and how many things we take for granted in daily life are rapidly disrupted when there is an epidemic

I was talking about vaccinations in general as a previous poster seemed to only be considering vaccinations on an individual level

I had the flu jab last year for the first time. I wouldn’t normally but was pregnant then.

I’ve had is this year (earlier this week) and am waiting for ds (age 2) to be able to have his nasal spray. His nursery aren’t offering them - that’s their policy - so I need to take him to the gp for it. But can’t until all schools and nurseries here have been done.

I probably wouldn’t have had it myself if I didn’t have Dd at home (11 1 weeks)

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.

Research seems to show that the chicken pox vaccine provides limited immunity and need boosting, perhaps every five years or so. So the cost isn’t the only negative.

My two year old was so ill with chicken pox. At the time I wish I could have afforded the vaccine. But now, with hindsight, I’m at least glad he’s properly immune.

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

Here’s your medal 🏅 (j/k)

I’m not sure how comfortable I am with vaccines being given to benefit people other than the person it’s being given to.

Based on this logic, no one without children should be paying taxes to support schools and the education system, as just one example.

I've had flu twice. Once as a child and I was so so ill, it was horrendous, the second time was a lesser flu virus a couple of weeks ago and it completely floored me for a week. I'm not entitled to the jab but seriously considering paying for it, I don't mind feeling a bit crap for a couple of days after if it stops me being that ill again. I honestly can't believe some people are saying I don't know anyone who's died from flu therefore I'm not bothering being immunised, why wouldn't you want to protect yourself and loved ones and hopefully prevent them being the first ones who succumb???
My daughters have both had the nasal spray more than once and so far (touch wood) neither have caught anything like the flu.
Please let your child have the spray.

They are two different things buttery

A vaccine is an invasive treatment with a small risk of a bad reaction.

It should not, IMO, be given unless it benefits the recipient.

Lilac, it always benefits the recipient unless for medical reasons they cannot be vaccinated.

In what world does a healthy individual not receive benefit from being protected against potentially legal diseases? The benefit to society is lovely too.

I am really conflicted. My DD will have nasal spray for sure. I have always been very pro-vaccine and sourced a private flu Jab for my 10 year old a couple of years ago. He developed a severe blood autoimmune response exactly a week later (itp. He had no platelets at all and was bleeding spontaneously from nose and mouth. The slightest bump could have caused a brain haemorrage). The consultants couldn't say if it was the jab or not though ITP has been recorded as a side effect of MMR before.
Now I don't know whether to risk flu or risk itp.

www.itpsupport.org.uk/index.php/en/16-home/43-influenza-vaccine-and-itp

Why, do people still conjecture that there is a conspiracy theory about vaccines?.
The NHS is on its knees , why would it be a proponent for an ineffective vaccine?
Yes, it will only protect against the 3 ( jab) 4 ( live attenuated spray) strains, but the WHO trace the most virulent strains across the world and come up with what is the best vaccine to target those.
Not 100 % as there are other nasties out there and also remember, it takes about 3 weeks to kick in, so get it ASAP as you'll be vulnerable in those weeks.
If you get the flu vaccine and go down with flu, there are 2 situations that could lead to this.

1). One might have been unfortunate enough to have collided with the flu virus, and your 3 weeks hasn't kicked in yet.
2) You've gone down with another virus.

What has NOT happened, is that you got flu from having the vaccine!

A friend of mine isn’t vaccinating her child (flu spray)because her dad had it a couple of years ago then developed incurable cancer and sadly passed away. She thinks there’s a link.

I suspect the cancer was probably there for a very long time and the fact he felt terrible after having the jab prompted him to go to the dr and then get the subsequent diagnosis.

Because of the itp thing with my son..I would really like it if everyone else we know gets the vacc.

By the time a drug or vaccine is being offered by the NHS it has gone through really stringent review by experts in the field. It is worth giving your son this vaccine.

I'm assuming @drallcome is in the USA.

Yes, yes I am. We had no nasal spray flu vaccine for two years so they could improve its effectiveness. Here is the CDC nasal spray vs shot briefing showing the low effectiveness vs. the shot.
stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/60667 (See esp. slides #17-19)

H1N1 is the nasty pandemic type strain of flu, so they usually study vaccine effectiveness against that first. A PHE study published a few months ago reported the NEW nasal spray vaccine has a 90.3% effectiveness rate vs H1N1 although the low H1N1 circulation was low so this rate is more of an estimate or initial finding.

Influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) in adults and children in primary care in the United Kingdom (UK): provisional end-of-season results 2017–18.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/726342/Influenza_vaccine_effectiveness_in_primary_care_2017_2018.pdf

Incase it’s not been said the nasal spray version is a live version, please don’t visit any immune suppressed people after for a while or if you have a close relative who is immune suppressed opt for the injection

I didn't let my two older kids have it last year (then aged 3 and 5) as I had a vulnerable baby at home [was in neonatal then diagnosed with rare genetic condition and was NG tube fed etc] and there is a slight risk of shedding. The nasal spray is a live vaccine.

I got them both the jab at the GP (non live vaccine)

They'll have nasal spray this year though

Actually I need to check if my kids can have the nasal spray this year as I take a medication to suppress my immune system!!

The Southern Hemisphere have had a very bad winter with flu and it is coming here next.

Who says? Is this scaremongering from a channel 4 documentary or something?

We have just had a virus very similar to flu..all the symptoms minus the high temperature. Temp stable at 37 or just below. Not the flu but a clever mimick.
I had swine flu in 2006(?) and as others say it floored me. Hallucinations from raging fevers. Hideous. I would always make sure DS gets his spray. I don't want to run the risk of that happening again