To say no to covid vaccine for DS?

[Clarabell77]

My DS10 has asthma - mild albeit a chest infection 14 months ago ended up in an overnight in hospital on a nebuliser/steroid and he’s had to have a steroid once during that time for another infection.

He’s been identified as being at risk and offered a Covid vaccine. I’m not sure whether to allow him to have it as I’m sure he’s had Covid quite a few times when we’ve all tested positive at home - can’t test him as he won’t let me near him with a swab. He’s had mild symptoms, even when ours weren’t.

He’s had the flu vaccine twice and taken unwell within weeks on both occasions so I’ve opted out of that one this year. Does anyone have any thoughts on the Covid one? Ideally someone who has actual knowledge, not from YouTube, I’m not a covid denier or anti vaxxer.

AIBU to not get him the vaccine?

I know - I meant to add that. It got a bit long and complicated and it’s late. I have work tomorrow morning. I leave the house at 6.45am. Night night.

I definitely would.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-vaccination-who-should-have-it-this-winter-and-why/the-flu-vaccination-who-should-have-it-and-why-winter-2023-to-2024.

Although not all asthmatics are on steroid inhalers or tablets, all but the most mild will be, and it is clearly recommended that asthmatics have the flu vaccine. It's not justa UK thing, it's a global recommendation.

Flu can give pneumonia as well (viral pneumonia is definitely a thing, and getting flu can also lead to a secondary bacterial pneumonia).

Asthma is characterised by airway hypersensitivity/irritability/spasm - any respiratory infection can give this even in people without asthma.

Yes, there is a very small chance of vaccine injury (as with all vaccines). But just one Covid infection increases your risk of heart attack and stroke; causes brainstem inflammation and every infection brings a risk of LongCovid which can be extremely debilitating.

If your sons asthma is caused by respiratory infections please get the flu jab.

I'm a medical scientist. The flu jab cannot cause tonsillitis. Flu however can cause severe complications in asthmatics even if it's never happened before.

@Genevieva are you serious?

Asthma is a respiratory disease and for many if not most suffers respiratory infections are the biggest trigger

If until this thread you've never heard of something that affects many, many people with Asthma then perhaps your blanket statements about Asthma aren't helpful? 🫠

More prosaic and only anecdotal but I have a child who has become severely needle phobic and it all started with COVID jabs age 11. He is tough as anything with pain but absolutely terrified of needles now, and as a result he has not had all his Y8/9 jabs. His last jab was 2 years ago and he still wakes up with nightmares about it.

Maybe it would have happened anyway, who knows? But sticking needles in 10 year olds isn't something we do a lot. There is probably a good reason we usually vaccinate when they are too little to really object, and then not again until Y8. A 10 year old who you "can't get near" for a mouth swab sounds unusually reactive and might find it quite distressing. The snowball effect we had from a couple of COVID jabs then Y8/9 series of vaccinations really took us by surprise.

Of course I'm biased because of our experience.

Hopefully you've had him vaccinated for TB as that can kill. Or maybe you think he's not at risk.

The BCG vaccine isn’t part of the routine vaccine schedule anymore. The MenACWY and Td/IPV vaccines are strongly recommended though.

This!
Surely asthma and flu is a really dangerous combination.
If your child has asthma I think it's irresponsible not to get them the flu vaccine.

What about other people?

The immunocompromised child he sits next to in class? The pregnant woman on the bus? The single parent on the supermarket checkout?

Of course they should get vaccinated as the risks for them are greater.

And if they can't?

I’m not going to base my decision on the possibility that someone, somewhere is vulnerable to Covid and can’t get vaccinated. We followed all the covid lockdown rules etc., we are still very careful to avoid spreading any illness when we have it, and I myself got vaccinated partly for the greater good, so I feel I’ve done my bit in that respect.

Do you actually want advice OP? Because I typed out a long post for you after you asked for mine and you haven’t even acknowledged it. I wish I hadn’t bothered now.

It has been reported over and over again Covid vaccines do not stop you spreading Covid they simply make the symptoms less severe in those who have had the vaccine. Even pfeizer have said this.

Sorry, I hadn’t seen this, yes, it was the nasal vaccine. I think I’m going to request the injection, thank you.

Can you elaborate on what she’s seen while
nursing? Would she recommend the injection instead?

Of course I know how they work, he wasn’t just a bit off-colour, he was having febrile convulsions, vomiting and in severe pain.

I got a text offering it for my son and calling him vulnerable, but he has autism and is relatively healthy generally. I declined the vaccination for him.

My DS had over 20 febrile convulsions up to the age of 13 when he finally grew out of them. His first was within weeks of his MMR but the vaccine didnt cause the febrile convulsions, abnormal febrile convulsions have been in our family for many generations and since been named as GEFS+.
You say weeks but a vaccine would not have accounted for a reaction weeks later, even MMR is counted as 10 days later.

Fair point

Sorry, I am struggling to keep up with the comments. I have just read your reply, it’s really helpful, thank you. I’m going to ask if he can have the flu vaccine injection asap and will likely take the Covid one which is in mid November.

5.7 per 100000 is 0.005%. So 0.005% developed Myocarditis following the vaccine.

Guess how many people (per 100000) develop Myocarditis following catching covid?

It’s a lot higher.

People who caught Covid before having a vaccine were 11x more likely to develop myocarditis within 28 days of having Covid. There’s evidence that having had at least one dose of the vaccine cuts this risk by half. I mean, this was a small study. Only 43 million people.

Don’t let that interfere with your scaremongering though.