Single mums should be offered a free flu jab?

[Journeyintomelody]

This is off the back of a very hard week. I picked up a nasty dose of flu, probably from a baby group. I have a super high pain threshold but when I have a cold I'm utterly useless. I need two or three days to hibernate and recover.

Last week I discovered that you can't do this as a single mum. DD (7.5 months) needed me. So I had to plough on, and it was hard. It's been over a week and I still haven't shaken it off completely, but now DD has it (it's breaking my heart to see her unwell). She has been dosed up with Calpol but is very unsettled. Between the two of us, it is probably going to write off nearly 3 weeks.

AIBU to think that single parents should be offered free flu jabs?

By the way, if you can recover from a cold in 2-3 days, that's not a heavy cold! Allow at least a week and a half for a full-blown HEAVY cold!

Old saying - 3 days coming, 3 days with you, 3 days going. GP surgeries get full of people every winter worried because they've had a cold for 4 days - well, that's par for the course.

Whatever you've had, hope you and your LO are feeling much better very soon.

In my experience as a single mum this is not as easy as you'd think.

Getting sick as a parent is par for the course. I remember my husband and I getting Norovirus when my daughter was 7 months old. Possibly the worst 48 hours in my life! You can't vaccinate against that, or hand foot and mouth, or strep, or all the other 6 million illnesses kids get.

Did you actually have flu or was it just a heavy cold? We have just had 2 weeks of 2 weird horrible illnesses back to back and it's been horrendous, but not flu. No flu vaccine would have prevented it.

It's not a convenience vaccination, it's to prevent severe complications of flu on vulnerable groups.

OP unless you've been a single parent I think it's impossible for people to understand (certainly on Mumsnet) just how difficult it is when any of the wheels fall off the careful balancing act that is required just to survive. Cbeebies ffs 🙄

There's very little statutory support for single parents, empathy from the state is as lacking as it is on here. Rest up, it does get easier as they get older. Only thing I can say is prioritise your prevention (dual defence, zinc&VitC, good diet, keep warm etc etc)

I have got flu. That's why it's been so hard. Proper flu.

Maybe not single parents specifically, but people on low incomes definitely (if this isn’t already a thing?)

My children have been offered it every year in primary and secondary school so it must be up to age 16 or something

Check with the gp I am guessing since you have lupus you would get a free flu jab?

Probably because it's not tested for under 2, so unlicensed.

2 & 3 yr olds & primary age children are given it to stop it spreading as much and to reduce hospital admissions. The main cause of children being hospitalised is due to respiratory illnesses, their lungs aren't fully developed until 8 yrs old.

Pregnant women get it to prevent any further complications for mum & baby down the line.

The elderly and those that qualify due to an underlying vulnerability (eg asthma) get it as they are the ones most likely to suffer serious complications from flu.

There's no evidence to suggest that an otherwise healthy adult requires a flu jab, as others have said, it's a preventative measure to reduce the amount of people needed hospital admission.

Good point, although it might rely on being on immune suppressants. I know when I came off them, I stopped being eligible despite still having an autoimmune condition. I usually buy one for myself as my children get them free at secondary school.

But why people on low incomes? It’s always the people with decent incomes that are made to feel punished or made to pay. If it was to go free with proof of benefits or low income look at the percentage of those that don’t work…. They are the ones (provided they’re not vulnerable) who can afford to stay home and be poorly

Lupus is autoimmune so you should get a free jab at your surgery. However the flu jab doesn't protect you from a cold or prevent flu.

Focus on becoming as healthy as you can. Lots of food with nutrients. Zinc and vit c and fluids can help speed up a cold. Take vit d in winter.

Have cold and flu remedies in the house. Dioralyte etc so you are prepared. You have a child who is going to regularly bring you back lovely illness most of which you can’t be vaccinated against.

Its not cost effective to give you a flu jab, it’s only the most vulnerable that get it ( there are more that should!) but it’s easy accessible from a pharmacy for around £10-£20. I know plenty people that do this.

Much sympathy, OP, I get it. It might not be possible (and it's not something I would
like to do myself ) but is there any chance of getting the £10 Superdrug one and sticking the cost on a credit card, just this once?

Our GP gave my brother a flu jab for free when his partner died and he was bring up their child, classed him as a carer, which he was, i think he got it for several years too.
He'd been very ill with flu and it had been extremely difficult for him with childcare, as it would be for any parent, full blown flu can be very serious and effect not just the elderly.

But we did joke that had he died, the GP wouldn't have given his wife a free flu jab.

Exactly this!! I came off immunosuppressants during pregnancy and am now intelligible 🙂

Why?

I know it's annoying when people say this, but you probably didn't have the flu. It sounds like a heavy cold. When I had flu I couldn't get out of bed for 2 weeks.

Flu can be milder. Just because you can lift your head off the pillow doesn't mean it isn't flu.

But I agree that generally people don't know what they have unless they are specifically tested.

Pregnant women are offered it because a high temperature from any infection can occasionally cause premature labor, and preemies are very expensive. Same reason why pregnant women get free dental care. As the OP says it’s not licensed for under 2s, so that’s why the gap.

Serious question - how do you know?

"Buddy up with other single mums". That's not how it works in real life, we'd be spreading our viruses everywhere. And ploughing on through even a nasty cold is a nice route to prolonging it and a chest infection.
I will say that as a working lone parent the pandemic was easy as I was always looking after myself, washing hands, never touching door handles and used to being alone.

If a woman has the flu jab in pregnancy, does the baby not carry some antibodies for about a year?

I had influenza when ds was 2. I caught it from him. DH was in court and could not stay at home so had to hire an emergency nanny. I could not get out of bed for four days, was ill for about 8, and at one stage DH called the GP (when they did home visits) because my temp was 106 and I was delirious. The GP was not too bothered. I could not have looked after ds.

DS is nearly 30. I have had a flu jab every year since. Next year it will be free as I'll be 65.

What about military Mums, Mums whose husbands work away on oil rigs etc.

Huge waste of money IMO. People don’t receive free flu vaccination because they’ve got dependents or have it harder in life, they receive one because they are medically vulnerable to complications.

Because people on “decent incomes” can pay if we need to.

(Edit to add to your last point) I don’t know the figures, but what percentage of people on benefits are because they can’t work (due to illness etc) vs because they won’t work? I can’t imagine the number of people choosing to be on benefits is actually as high as most people would think…