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 read through this thread, and realised that the cultural divide isn't the usual anti-vaxxer one, but a divide between people who've had the flu and people who haven't!

Flu is not just a nasty cold. It's at least a week of feeling like you have been run over by a lorry. You feel like you should be in a hospital bed, covered in bandages, but you're not, and you still have to take care of yourself, your children and pets.

Even after it's over, the post-viral fatigue can take another few weeks to shift.

I don’t think I’ve ever had flu. But I don’t really understand the whole ‘I have had flu so I’m not going to have the vac’ because surely that’s true of all vacs? I get that it only covers some strains - but so what? If there’s ten strains and the vac covers one, then you’re only at risk of the other 9?!

Am I missing something here? Has there been mass examples of vaccination injury from the flu shot or something?

The whole class who had the flu ended with a bad case of flu/croup. The ones who didn't were fine. My friend works in a private school think elites etc its banned there.

@Crunchymum @DaisyDreaming
I didn't know this about the nasal vaccine. My daughter is due to have hers in the morning but we have a week old baby at home. Do you think it's best for her to not have it in this case?

Our local Boots won’t give the flu jab to anyone under 16. It’s impossible round here to find someone to give my 11 and 14 year old the flu vaccine (we aren’t near any private clinics who do this any more). The 9 yo has the nasal one if offered by the primary school, and I pay boots to do mine.

I had proper flu as a child one year over Christmas. It was one of the only years it was ever a white Christmas. I remember my sister trying to wake me up to see the snow and my presents and I just stayed in bed. now imagine your excitable children over Christmas being so ill they literally don’t give a crap that it’s snowed and Santa has been. Proper flu isn’t just the sniffles.

My toddler has been floored by vomiting bugs. There is no way I want her getting flu if there is something I can do to prevent it.

.... I’ve just checked the website for my local nhs health authority and it does indeed say that all Primary school children will get offered the nasal spray at school. Followed by a video of a bereaved parent who lost their child aged 13 to flu. Which I can’t quite get my head around - children aged 13 are not entitled to a flu vaccine on the nhs

I’ve had flu twice. Both times I actually had moment where I thought I might die. Almost hallucinating. Alone and unable to call for help.
I am now immunosuppressed so I get the flu jab. Side effects? Well my arm ached a bit and was a little red and swollen. I’ll take that over possibly dying.

I don’t think I’ve ever had flu. But I don’t really understand the whole ‘I have had flu so I’m not going to have the vac’ because surely that’s true of all vacs? I get that it only covers some strains - but so what

Mostly seems to be people who haven't had it, who are a bit unsure of the need for a vaccine. The people who have had the flu would snap the Queen's hand off to save their child from it!

How long does the nasal spray vaccine last on young children ? Are they supposed to have it yearly ?

I have had flu once, over xmas I was floored for two weeks. I couldn't lift my head off the pillow it was that bad. Luckily I was a student at that time and on holidays, now I would struggle to get that time off work. I get the flu jab free from work and have done since I was pregnant with my dd. It would not only impact me but my two little ones and dh therefore I get it. I occasionally get a bit of an achey arm but never any other side effects. There is a wealth of information out there on the NHS website, I would have a read and then go from there. There is a very real threat to children from flu.

@Justgorgeous, yes. I live in the States, and my two children have the nasal vaccine annually. Never once had a reaction, and I would consider the eldest a bit sensitive in terms of his reactions to vaccines.

To add, one year recently it wasn’t available, and this year there has been a mad scramble to deliver the flu vaccine on time, and supplies of the nasal mist are unusually low.

"How long does the nasal spray vaccine last on young children ? Are they supposed to have it yearly ?"

Yes you have it yearly because of thebway the flu virus rapidly mutates and how different strains come to the fore. Scientists study which trains are dominant as the flu season moves round the world, do a huge amount of modelling and make predictions bout which strains are in the ascendant and will be in the next season's jab.

That is also a reason why the effectiveness of the jab can vary. It's not simply because doesn't work against those strains of flu, it means that what is actually circulating is not exactly what was predicted