Paying to get a flu jab

[mumchat]

I'd like to get flu jab for my children especially the youngest who has an inhaler for "virus induced wheezing".

Friend in USA says flu jab recommended for children now & especially as she has mild infrequent wheezing & shortness of breath it would be sensible & I agree.

Called GP today who said no funding unless child has chronic asthma or heart condition etc. He did say that is likely to change next year. I asked if he thought worth me paying privately for her to have it (she had to have 3 days prednisone steriods for wheezing over the weekend as her inhaler wasn't enough) and he said yes and explained has seen sharp rise in flu over last three weeks. Much more flu this year than last. He told me most chemists offer it. I asked in Boots but they said pharmacies are not allowed to give to under 16s

Soooo, where can I pay to get my children the jab?

Many NHS paediatricians also work privately and they will be able to give the flu jab. So you may want to contact your local hospital and ask if any of the paediatricians also sees private patients.

Alternatively, Portland Hospital in London.

However, the flu jab won't work straight away. It will take several weeks to build up immunity (which won't be 100%). Also, if it is your dd's first flu jab she will need two: initial one and then booster three weeks later. So it would take something like 6 weeks I guess to achieve a reasonable level of immunity.

You seem a little late. Most people get the flu jab in October, eg well before flu outbreaks to have time to achieve reasonable protection.

Has your child been hospitalised with the wheeze? If so green book guidelines say they should be vaccinated.

You could also try a rival GP practice. There seems to be a strange rule that you cannot have a private consultation with your own practice in order to get the jab but you can with a non-associated practice. You will have to pay obviously.

Thank you for the replies. Child hasn't been hospitalised. Once she was out on a nebuluzer but not kept in. GP is right its not chronic or anything.

I hadn't appreciated the six weeks to be actively protected. GP did say we can't have it within 2-3 weeks of her finishing the prednisone so given I have to wait two weeks then your six that would be 8 weeks until it worked - he didn't tell me that! If that's the case we are certainly too late. I assumed it was instant from date of the jab.

Never had wheezy child before so had not given jab a thought. It was only when friend in US said about flu jab that I looked it up and realised it was probably sensible. She mentioned it when I told her we had been to out of hours at hospital in middle of night as little one was short of breath and wheezy.

Looking online it seems all children will be offered it from next year as current advice (according to my doctor friend in the US is that all children have it). She actually said we should both have it as well as the kids if not too expensive. It's only about £12 in Boots so I was just going to get us all done but then they said they can't do children. Clearly my GP didn't know that when he suggested pharmacies.

I could try local hospital. We are many hours from London.

It would definitely be worth you and DH having the jab at least. If not this year, then early in the season next year. Just to help prevent bringing it into the house and passing it on.
My DD also has wheezing since viral bronchiolotis as a baby, but doesn't sound as bad as your DD.
Fingers crossed they are lucky and miss out out on it.

Travel vaccine clinics do it.

I found an excellent private GP who does them for children. In fact from over 2yo she offers a nasal spray instead of jab. Brilliant!