to consider not immunizing ds against swine 'flu?

[deliakate]

And can we do a poll - who is and who isn't and what are the ages of your dcs?

I understand that some forms of the vaccine may contain Swaline (sp??)which is the controversial component thrown around when people try and get to the bottom of what caused "Gulf War Syndrome"!!

Living in the Forces and knowing a few families whos husbands served and were innoculated and went onto to have children with severe deformities is just ONE reason I am not keen to have my children vaccinated.

The Swaline aside - it is a new vaccine and I just dont feel comfortable with it. It was rushed through in the midst of Swine Flu panic last year, without the normal level of testing a vaccine has. I dont have any idea what may or may not be the long term effects but I can just see the headlines in 10 years time "XYZ disease linked to 2009/10 Swine flu vaccine"

Call me hysterical, OTT, irrational or whatever but it just does not sit comfortably with me!

TBH - I DO lie awake pondering my choice some nights and have come close to changing my mind once or twice but not quite.

I feel Damned if I do and Damned if I dont!

Currently I feel slightly more comfortable refusing it.

With the greatest of respect maxybrown, the deafness could well have happened anyway. It's only natural for parents to try to find a reason, and the conclusion is always going to be something novel like a vaccination. Just as there was that spate of miscarriages in the US all being blamed on the swine flu vaccine, but which sadly were probably just going to happen anyway.

One of the reasons I had difficulty deciding whether to have the vaccine, and didn't have it before 3 months, was that I knew that if I went on to miscarry (bearing in mind that I was in the highest risk time period) I would blame myself for having had the vaccine. It's only natural, but that doesn't mean I would have been correct in that assumption.

I understand that squalene has also been a component of many seasonal flu vaccines since 1997 - 30 million doses according to Professor David Salisbury (in a webchat on this site) - and there have been no reported problems. It's refined from fish oil. The swine flu vaccine is manufactured in exactly the same way as tried and tested seasonal flu vaccines.

Mine have been offered it (they are 2 and just 5) but they had probable swine flu over Christmas so that is a dilemma for us.They weren't tested so we don't know for sure it was swine flu, I would rather not vaccinate so am torn about it .

I declined the swine flu vacc. for 15 month old. In fact I think we already had it. Last September. HORRIBLE but it passed.

YANBU. At all. There are many genuine concerns about this vaccine and the way its dispensation has been managed - the news report today shows that the buyers succumbed to heavy marketing and pressure from the drug companies, who are rolling in it - one company is what, 53% up on the previous year's profits. A French friend of mine told me that this issue of drug companies' power with regard to the vaccine was already a near-scandal in France before the companies started reporting their profits. So who really knows how much we actually need the damned thing?

I am sure we've all had it, in reverse order of severity:

DH (worst)
Me - preg (mild)
DS - age 3 (virtually unnoticeable symptoms)

• bears no relation to the reports on who's most vulnerable; if you follow the news I should be practically dead, DS should have ended up with pneumonia and DH should have got off most lightly.

I've not had the jab even though my GP keeps offering it. Am slightly undecided about DS but only because I'm about 90% sure that we've all had SF already - the 10% uncertainty makes me wonder whether I should just get him jabbed. Think it's unlikely that I will, tbh.

Gosh gaelicsheep you've bought the t shirt haven't you.

There are genuine concerns about the vaccine, many resting with medical professionals, and people who are worried have usually done quite a bit of research. It's a bit patronising to wheel out the old "coincidence" line these days.

We're not having it here. The boys are 2.10yo and 13mo. DS2 was at the GP yesterday and DH asked about the SF jab. The GP said he hasn't given it to his children and he isn't going to.

If we were in a city then yes I would probably think more about it but we are in a small town.

oh upanrunning, I was just debating my reply to gaelicsheep and I read yours I shall not waste your perfect response

I am pro vax but we never got asked (dd is egg allergic and dcs all over 5).

Dd got swine flu in the first week of Jan. She is still ill now and got v nasty complications. Both eardrums perforated, her throat swelled up so much that there was a discussion about whether they were going to need to operate eventually and the poor child just cannot seem to pull out of it. It's the first time I've actually heard our doctors (where you feel you'd have to be half dead before they prescribed antibs!) actively calling us to make sure she was improving and asking us to come back so they could recheck her.

I just feel the possible future risks are very small. However perfectly healthy children have DIED from Swine Flu and I am not going to take that risk.

I could not live with myself if anything happened and I new the jab had been offered and I have refused on the basis something 'may' happen in 40 years.

I also feel it's my social responsibility that DS doesn't get it and go passing it on to a pregnant women or very vunerable people who again, could actually die from it.

missing K from knew

Fortunately, my children all had confirmed (by nasal swabs) cases of swine flu. So did DH and I. So no need to vaccinate.

DS got vaccinated earlier this month -a friend's (previously perfectly healthy) nephew died from swine flu so I wasn't prepared to take the risk of not vaccinating.

DS is 15 months and had the vacc on Monday. Reacted exactly the same as to all his jabs - cried when the needle went in, settled quickly but gave the nurse a dirty look, and then completely forgot about it.

Children have died from swine flu. I understand that people worry but the risks of the illness far outweigh any risks of the jab.

The thing is, Rhian82, re: your last sentence, we don't actually know that to be true.

We are an adult household, and we have all had it. 2 of us are high risk, and the other 2 decided ti get it. Our arms was sore for several days, but wasn't too bad. My son applied a cold pack to his arm and took some Tylenol and was fine.
I was really anxious and undecided, but decided to trust my doctors opinion.

Ack. Ignore my prior post, sorry about the errors! I didn't proof read for mistakes.

We are an adult household, and we have all had it. 2 of us are high risk, and the other 2 decided to get it. Our arms were sore for several days, but wasn't too bad. My son applied a cold pack to his arm and took some Tylenol and was fine.
I was really anxious and undecided, but decided to trust my doctors opinion.

Why does everyone seem to focus on how their family/friends reacted immediately after the jab, as if that's the end of it?..that's not what concerns me about it at all!

Because Missurrey, some parents are choosing NOT to vaccinate becasue they have heard that some kids have had bad immediate reactions. Of course it's not the only issue but being scared of a sore arm and a temp for a few days isn't a valid reason for NOT vaccinating IMO. So it might be reassuring for some to hear that kids haven't had reactions.

Of course, the immediate reaction worries lots of parents. It's only natural that it should, after all, none of us want our children to suffer. I don't think that reading about immediate reactions is what would sway most people, is it? Everyone is different.

It's certainly been given as a reason on some of the threads I've read on another couple of sites Misssurrey -along with people not vaccinating but not knowing why - it's just 'because'.

Its also "just because" that you are vaccinating also sassybeat!

Im not going to jab my child when their is no certainties, that he will be safe with also ready at 6 months being diagnosed with childhood asthma's, due to the severity of his respiratory problems, Asked consultants to give you advice and they give you NHS protocols and cannot give your a straight forward answer! to your questions.

Everything in this life is a "because" does not mean either one is right or wrong, or be scaremongering into giving a jab that just does not sit right with your individual child!, and no Dr can give your a definite answer!

Do what you think is right for your child and family, as will everyone else who does not vaccinate their child is doing with there family.

You've missed my point LMH - I've vaccinated because I've read a wealth of evidence, talked to health professionals and looked at the risks specific to my children as well as the experiences of people I know who have been significantly affected by swine flu. People who either vaccinate or don't without doing any of the above aren't making an informed choice.