To not let dd have flu nasal spray this year?

[blueraindrop]

Firstly I'm very pro vaccine dd 6 has had everything offered to her so far.
But every year without fail she succumbs to illness straight after the flu nasal spray.
One year was a whole week off school and this year both me and dh have new jobs and we just don't have time to take the time off for effectively a planned bout of illness!
We live pretty boring lives rurally, other than school we don't really go many places so I'm not sure it's really worth it. Not to mention poor dd being ill every year.

She's not high risk other than being a dc so I really don't see how I can justify it. I don't actually no anyone personally who has had the flu. I know it's awful etc but just not sure.
Feel free to highlight my ignorance though!

You could get her the injected vaccination - it's not a live vaccine?

It's through her school so I'm not sure if that's an option. I will ask though.

The school wouldn't give the injection. Somewhere like superdrug might do it though

It may just be coincidence. It’s that time of year. I work in primary education and my class have this every year. I’ve never noticed an increase in illness afterwards.

I’ve had the flu once, it’s horrific. I wouldn’t wish it on my DD. And as a friend of mine, a consultant in A&E said, she regularly sees people die from the flu but has been we seen anyone die from the flu vaccine.

has never

What sort of illness does she get?

@Redspider1 there were 14 dc in dd class last year. The teacher pointed out to me the effect of the nasal spray as hardly anyone was in after they'd been given it!
Definitely the spray. Dd attended same school since 3 years old in nursery and had same issue since then.

It could just have been a virus going round. We’ve just had a succession of horrible chesty coughs in class in the last fortnight. No vaccine was given prior to them.

Healthy school aged children aren’t really vaccinated to protect themselves though, it’s because they spread flu to others who may be more vulnerable and susceptible.

One of the reasons young children are given the nasal vaccine is to limit the spread to more vulnerable people as well as to annoy parents who have to take a few days off. (Though I’ve not come across children needing to take time off from school afterwards; have spent years in a primary school.)

It's really not the spray making the whole class ill. It's just the time of year for them to catch colds. It's been a really bad year for flu in the Southern Hemisphere so we are predicted to follow. I'd make sure they were protected if I were you

My dd's class were hit bad after the spray last year. Same this year, plus a couple of teachers off with same illness. All throat based....cough, swollen glands, swollen tonsils.

But the teachers didn’t have the spray did they? So even if op doesn’t give it to her child, if there’s a class illness, they’ll still catch it.

My dd's class were hit bad after the spray last year. Same this year, plus a couple of teachers off with same illness. All throat based....cough, swollen glands, swollen tonsils.

That’s a virus then, not flu. Adults are given an injection and it’s not live; children are given a live nasal spray.

She's not high risk other than being a dc so I really don't see how I can justify it

Herd immunity protects those that cannot have the vaccination. The actual side effects of the vaccine are short lived so it will be a coincidence that she has been ill for a week following it.

like adults saying the flu jab gave them flu-it can’t-but immunity isn’t instant.

I didn’t give it to DS two years ago and have regretted it ever since. My reasoning was that the flu vaccine isn’t as effective as other vaccines and he’s a generally healthy child etc etc... He got the flu and was terribly ill in hospital. Not in a high risk group... just a normal child who got a terrible round of flu. It was scary.
Your child will joy be as sick from the vaccine as they would be from genuine flu.

My dd was Ill for a week after having the nasal spray. The side effects state you can get a sore throat, headache, runny nose which is exactly what she had! 4 days off of school, not sure I’ll be giving it to her next year.

*not

I've worked in a primary school for years now and we've never seen increased absence after the nasal flu spray.

I think you've been unlucky so far that you dd has picked up a virus after having the spray but I don't believe it's anything to do with the vaccine.

The problem is the school vaccinations are given too late, usually in late October and November. They should be done earlier before bugs and germs start doing the rounds.
I had mine in mid September. My dc school haven’t done theirs yet, they been delayed till the end of the month.

We’re still waiting for the vaccine, I think there’s a shortage? So you might not have to worry anyway. Can’t help thinking by the time they get it to give to to school kids it will be a bit late in the flu season.

children are given a live nasal spray

It is a live vaccine but is attenuated so is weakened.

There is a perpetual myth that the flu vaccine gives you the flu. This is not possible since the virus contained in the nasal vaccine is attenuated (altered such that it is unable to reproduce). The injectable vaccine contains "dead" viral particles.

Following vaccination, the body mounts a response to the vaccine. The immune system activates and learns to recognise the virus so it can fight it off if you ever come across it 'in the wild'. The immune system activating can make you feel a bit grotty and flu-ish, but importantly this means the vaccine is working and your body is responding to it properly

The flu season has been particularly bad in the Southern hemisphere this year, so it would be prudent to make sure the whole family is protected.

DOI: doctor.

Working In healthcare we had a discussion the other day, not all of us have the jab we are entitled as more at risk due to the nature of the work
One person had it and said she thought it gave her a mild cold. It's not a live vaccine so it's not really possible
I don't know the ins and outs of the nasal as I don't need to for my role. However the only issue I've had with the injection is it's a needle into my muscle which of course aches the next day.

I think it's wise to have the vaccine as a slight cold after is better than the flu. However your daughter your choice.

It's encouraged for a reason to certain age groups and offered without charge to those groups for a reason and I think that's an important thing to consider.