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!

The Doctors rang me this morning, DS3's flu spray appointment has been cancelled because they haven't got any left. They are hoping to have some more next week, but they wouldn't let me book an appointment because they aren't actually sure he will get any. Grrr.

Healthy school aged children are most definitely vaccinated for their own safety and the PP who claimed otherwise is clearly in the fortunate position of never having cared for a child who has died from influenza or who has required ECMO to survive it.

Whilst that is a blessed position to be in, it is not one from which to offer advice.

I wouldn’t give it to her.

Being pro vaccine doesn’t mean giving every single vaccination to your child. It’s always a judgement call.

Anyone can die from flu though regardless of your health and it is true that school aged children tend to pass on the germs to the more vulnerable, such as the elderly. There are various articles on it here, here, here etc...

It was one of the vaccinations I declined in pregnancy. I know Mumsnet insist otherwise but seriously the number of people who succumbed to flu like symptoms after having the thing put me off!

My little one was unwell for a week after having the nasal vaccination last year. Every professional I spoke to about it was insistent it wasn’t related to the vaccine. He’s booked in to have it again next week! Supplies are already out of stock locally, so I had to make a big push with GP for him to be given an appointment. I’ll see how he reacts this year.

NHS won’t vaccinate under 3’s and neither will the high street pharmacies. I’ve booked my toddler an appointment with a private GP where they have a flu injection for babies. The cost is £30.

@blueraindrop - it may be worth you calling around the private GPs near you to check if they have stock of the injection.

The school can give the injections. Well the nhs nurses who administer the vaccines can. It's completely separate from the school.

As the parent of an child with a compromised immune system please give the vaccine.

We have all had the injection (husband, myself, compromised child and our 2 year old, only the 13 year old hasn't as our area don't offer it apparently) and other than a sore arm for a day there are no side effects.

@mindutopia You post gave me chills! I love it when people actually know how to use a Patient Information Leaflet and why the side effects in it shouldn’t be taken as gospel!

Your post* that should read. I just got too excited 😂

YABU. Your daughter doesn’t need the vaccine only to protect herself. She needs to have it to protect others who can’t have it.
Being ill afterwards has probably been a coincidence but if it’s not and she gets ill she won’t be as ill as if she gets flu.
It’s also strange that you’ve mentioned a couple of times that you live rurally so illnesses rarely come your way. Do you never go shopping, to the dentist, out for meals etc? Anyone in your rural house can catch all manor of illnesses from going anywhere. Living in the sticks Doesn’t make you immune

And this year's flu bugs seem to be real doozies. I'm not a fan of vaccinations wherever they can be avoided, but am seriously contemplating the flu jab for this year (live with a nurse so they are exposed to all kinds of horrids).

Mine have it every year, each year they fall ill. However, not as ill as they my eldest didn't have it in time and spent two weeks in hospital with Flu, one week of which was in Intensive Care. flu is serious and yes the spray/vaccine can make you feel rotten, but Flu can kill, especially those immunity compromised/existing health problems.

Mine always get ill with some horrible chest infection in November, which is the same time as the vaccination campaigns. But even worse than having 4 days off for a cold is having to take 2 weeks off with a child in hospital with the flu

But isn't it complications from flu, such as chest infections, that are the reasons for hospital admissions? You wouldn't just go to hospital with "flu".

I've had proper flu twice in my life to my knowledge. No it's not at all pleasant and if you have young children or others depending on you it's probably a good idea to get the vaccine.

My husband gets it free at work. He hadn't had it for a few years because he seems to react a bit to it every time and felt grotty. But this year I thought he should as he had chest problems earlier this year and the last thing he would want is to get flu and end up in hospital.

I've told the school I wish to take her out for the day of the vaccines, and been told it will go down as unauthorized and I could face a fine for doing so fines only kick in after 5 days, one day is fine.

I was poorly the first year i had the flu jab. In hindsight, i had a sore throat and felt knackered the week leading up to it so i already was incubating something. combine it with a good immune response (from subsequent years) and i know now not to get vaccinated unless 100%. I know a few people who initially thought it gave them flu but when thinking back they realised the same.

Having had debilitating flu which took 2-3 weeks recovery I'll always go for the jab now.

Living in the sticks Doesn’t make you immune

No of course not, but it stands to reason that if you don't come into close contact with many people you are less likely to pick things up. Just as if you work from home you will come into far less contact with bugs (and vulnerable people) than you do if you are out and about on trains and buses and in offices. It's a risk assessment for anyone. I don't think I am high risk and I don't come into contact with high risk people so I don't bother. But DH commutes, works in a office and has had chest problems, so he did bother.

OP, my son is the same after getting the nasal spray. He gets hot, snotty and seems a bit under the weather but I think it's due to the body reacting to the spray in a good way. I find a couple of doses of calpol and a bath with some vapour bubble bath usually shifts it in less than a day. He's had flu before, when he was 1 and that was far, far worse

The teacher pointed out to me the effect of the nasal spray as hardly anyone was in after they'd been given it!

Our entire school (minus about a dozen) had the nasal flu vaccination on Thursday last week. Our attendance hasn’t been been affected. Yesterday we had one child absent (toothache), today we had two absent with sickness and diarrhoea (one of them didn’t have the vac at school as it contains animal product).

I've told the school I wish to take her out for the day of the vaccines, and been told it will go down as unauthorized and I could face a fine for doing so

Why take her out of school? Just say you don’t consent to her having the vaccine. The vaccination team won’t give it without your explicit consent. We had a few children with no consent... they just didn’t go to the nurses when the rest of the class went and it took about ten minutes (if that per class). Totally unnecessary to miss a whole day of learning.

First time my dd has it ,2 days later she got croup which when I searched said it was part of the flu virus .
Was so scary as she went to bed fine but then when I went to check on her she was struggling to breathe and I thought we were going to loose her (didn’t know it was croup at the time ) so was wary of letting her have it again but she’s actually been fine all the years since apart from a highish temp .
She still gets croup now and again though which is weird as at 8 is quite rare although an inhaler and a walk outside helps .
Flu is nasty so I’d rather she had the spray

Living in the sticks is MORE likely to increase your risk of getting ill as you aren't exposed to the germs and bugs to build up an immunity.

My 5 yr old is having the nasal vaccine, I am very pro vaccines and I am ensuring my family have the vaccine as their Dad has cancer and is receiving treatment and I want to ensure we do not put him at any unnecessary risk.

Flu can kill. I paid a private clinic to give DD the injection.

Champagne- if your DH is having cancer treatment and immunocpromised, your DC should not have the live nasal fluenz but rather the inactivated injectable.
Practice nurse.

cptartapp don’t worry we have been advised of what we need to do. Thanks for taking the time to post though