London parents - will you be giving your kids under 10 the polio booster?

[Digimoor]

I just got a text with details of the polio booster they are offering
Dependent on age it will be a 6 in 1 or 3 in 1/ 4 in 1 jab with the other childhood vaccines included (eg Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping cough etc)

IABU to think my kid is fully vaccinated so why bother?

YABU = I will give my kids the booster
YANBU = I won't

@GabriellaMontez they wouldn't be bothering if 95%+ of the children in London had their vaccinations but there are massive gaps. As children - due to the fact they are children - have poor hygiene they want to ensure as many children as possible are vaccinated so there is minimal community spread.

polioeradication.org/where-we-work/polio-endemic-countries/

Polio remains endemic in two countries Afghanistan and Pakistan. Until poliovirus transmission is interrupted in these countries, all countries remain at risk of importation of polio, especially vulnerable countries with weak public health and immunization services and travel or trade links to endemic countries.

If my 4 year old child is not fully vaccinated then why do they wait until they are 14 years old before giving another dose in the 3 in 1 teenage booster?

I hadn’t heard about this booster before seeing your post, so will be researching it.

I don’t agree with all the “just get it, get it, get it” posts though.

If you don’t have time or inclination or ability to research, then just follow the blanket advice and “get it” and chances are all will be fine. But don’t belittle people who are interested in the risk/benefit tailored to their child’s individual circumstances.

The overall best strategy to prevent deaths may well be rolling out a blanket booster. By offering a blanket booster it will be easier to catch all the unvaccinated, than trying to do a more targeted campaign.

However I will want to check whether the benefits outweigh the risks for kids who are already recently vaccinated, including any allergy risk factors specifically relevant to my DC - if the benefits do outweigh the risks then great, we’ll get it.

@GabriellaMontez
@Twizbe

This article is a good explanation. Here's a screenshot of the relevant page.

New strain, dangerous, circulating beyond a few close contacts...

Most people with polio don't know they have it. Noone's yet been to the dr with it, it's like having a cold. If we do nothing, sooner or later, if it's endemic, children will get really ill.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62492784.amp

Forgot the screenshot.

My FiL, who is in his mid-70s, had polio as a child and has a withered leg as a result - he's also had to have both the hip and knee joints replaced in that leg.

Two of his school friends who also contracted it at the same time died as a result - and this was within living memory, in the 1950s.

It's such a horrible disease that I can't fathom why people wouldn't jump at the chance to avoid it.

If my 4 year old child is not fully vaccinated then why do they wait until they are 14 years old before giving another dose in the 3 in 1 teenage booster?

I assume the people with advanced degrees and post graduate education and training in epidemiology, medicine and related fields know this. Why don't you either listen to them, or get your own qualifications? I suspect you, me and many others wouldn't be capable of qualifying as they have.

It's only because polio was almost eliminated that people forget what an awful disease it is. My own godfather couldn't attend my christening because there was a polio outbreak where he lived & so fear that he would pass it on to baby me. Later, I had the vaccination, as did all children for many years, & that greatly helped in removing polio from the UK. If health authorities feel that polio vaccinations/boosters are needed again, then please make sure your child has them - I just don't understand why anyone wouldn't.

If you don’t have time or inclination or ability to research, then just follow the blanket advice and “get it” and chances are all will be fine. But don’t belittle people who are interested in the risk/benefit tailored to their child’s individual circumstances.

Googling shit isn't research. I have a science degree and did statistics to degree level and I still find reading the actual research challenging. I'm willing to bet quite serious money that the people 'doing their research' aren't even as qualified as I am.

My DCs would have this if offered, no question.

As an aside: is this the knock-on effect of the whole "only have it if you feel comfortable with it" narrative that emerged around the Covid vaccine in kids? Are there now parents who think all these things are not really essential? I don't mean committed anti vaxxers btw. V worrying if so.

To be fair @MrsTerryPratchett , she mentions her children's allergies. She does have a responsibility to check that it's the right choice for her children. It's not 'research' research, but it's researching the bit that applies to your dc- what's in the vaccine, does my child need the booster right now or can they wait a bit.

This - I am a great proponent of critical thinking, challenging assumptions and asking questions, but there comes a time when you have to trust that there are people out there who know a lot more than you could ever possibly hope to 'research' about a very complex matter.

I too am educated beyond degree level in statistical analysis and work in systems and data management, but I am not a qualified health care professional or scientist (in the same way I'm not a dentist, or a plumber, or a pilot).

There are times when we do have to assume that the experts know best, particularly when it comes to a very costly public health care campaign. Presumably they're not doing this for shits and giggles.

True. But me child reacted to one of her childhood vaccines. I discussed it with the doctor, SHE did the thinking, we slightly modified the timings and gave her antihistamines, and DD has all of hers.

No 'research'.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaccination-strategy-for-ongoing-polio-incident-jcvi-statement/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation-statement-on-vaccination-strategy-for-the-ongoing-polio-incident

They explain it here if that helps. It's essentially a combination of reasons.

They don't go round recommending extra vaccinations for the fun of it, so you can be sure there is a reason.

I don't know why anyone wouldn't. Polio is horrific and I'll be dammed if I let my children die/become disabled because of it.

Yes I absolutely would/will be taking up the vaccine if it is advised in our area.
I would never take chances with Polio. Awful awful disease.

We live in one of the named boroughs, in a deprived area with a highly transient population and relatively low uptake of childhood vaccines. I absolutely will take the booster when offered, for my child who is under 10. Older child is 10 and I'm trying to decide how concerned I am that he's just outside the cutoff and whether I want to look into getting him a booster privately.

Aside from known reasons for being cautious about vaccines (allergies, immune system issues etc) I can't fathom why you wouldn't. Unlike covid, chickenpox, MMR, where I can see some debate re: whether natural immunity is worth a punt (mine have had all NHS imms though), I can't see why you'd run even the smallest risk of polio when it's such a longstanding vaccination and such an utterly horrible disease.

@Augend23 Thank you for the JCVI link - it is very helpful

If mine were that age then absolutely. I did know someone in a wheelchair from polio. Why risk it?

Polio has been found in the sewerage system in London very recently so I would absolutely be making sure my kid was protected against it. I had a relative severely disabled by polio and then the poor thing went on to get post polio syndrome and ended in an iron lung with legs that no longer worked properly.

I actually found it a very interesting read, about the balancing act between vaccinating pregnant women and young children and the benefits of both etc.

Covid vaccine for kids has a genuinely debatable risk / reward profile though, and it is totally OK to question whether it is really essential.

My children will have a polio booster, and had all usual vaccines + a couple private not offered by the NHS too.

Take it FFS

Please, if you're offered it, get the polio vaccine.

I worked with someone who contracted polio. It's really debilitating and it altered him physically.
He really struggled.

Please get the vaccine.

Yes.

They haven’t had the covid jabs, but this is a disease that is a real threat to them. Same with TB.