9YO DS missed the Flu vaccination programme at school.

[TheOrigRightsofwomen]

I was out of the country and didn't want to give my consent to the vaccine just in case he had a reaction.

So, he missed getting the nasal vaccine. The school is not doing a catch up, the GP surgery doesn't have vaccine for this age.

I've not been in this situation before and am not sure whether I should go and get him vaccinated myself (e.g Tesco, or Boots). Do the pharmacies do the nasal vaccine? Is it something I can just book and do? He is not in any high risk category.

take him to the GP and get him vaccinated asap. He doesn't need to be high risk for this to potentially be very serious, believe me.

I called the GP last week and they said they don't have vaccine for his age. They told me to go to the school, where I was told they are not doing a catch up.

Can you tell me why it's so serious? Not all children are routinely vaccinated. I'm not being facetious.

I'm happy for him to have it, both for himself and for herd immunity, but I don't know how hard I should try. My local boots won't do children under 10 unless high risk.

the vaccine was delayed at DD's school last year. In the meantime a child caught flu, which turned to pneumonia and then he got MRSA. He nearly died. He was a strong, sturdy, healthy boy.

I would try very hard indeed to get your child vaccinated.

Superdrug do the injection for children, my son had it there last year when he was 9 and will do again this year.

My daughter missed it last year. I wasn't sure if DH has handed in the permission slip because I couldn't find it, so I asked at school reception and they said if they didn't have it they would call me. They didn't call me. They didn't have it. I called the doctors who wouldn't give it. Managed to find out about a catch up date at the local hospital for school children that had missed it, but she ended up being very ill on that date so she couldn't have it. I called all the high street places offering it and they wouldn't do children. Try finding out if there is a catch up date anywhere but otherwise I don't think you really have any options.

Hmmm.

Phoned Superdrug - not doing it for kids, as are none of the other local ones.

Asked surgery who I should ask, they said go back to school, as they SHOULD do catch up.

I have asked the head teacher for clarification. This all seems at odds with the aims of the programme. The surgery said that the school would have been allocated enough for each child so 'his' dose is somewhere!

good plan, OP - keep on at the school.

Surely school would only be allocated enough to vaccinate those whose parents are consented. And school will presumably not see the need to catch up if all students who had consent were vaccinated? Surely whoever was caring for him could have watched for a reaction?

That's possibly true @Wolfifan, and would be the case for my son, but what about kids who were off due to illness, but had given consent?

Yes, of course his carer would have watched for a reaction, but I didn't want her to have that responsibility, and if DS had got unwell he would want his Mum.
In hindsight, if I'd know it would be so difficult to get it I would have made a different decision.

Maybe in this case there weren’t any and so no catch up?
I had mine last week and they were turning away under 65s as they didn’t have enough of the right vaccine.

My DD missed it as well, she never brought the consent form home. Her school is reportedly doing a mop up. Can the school suggest any other schools locally where they are mopping up? Would you be allowed to take your DD over for her dose?

Ring the school and ask for contact details for the school nurse team. Then take it up with them. The team will be doing a catch up somewhere at some point for missed children in the area, the teachers are unlikely to know the details. As a practice nurse we have been advised by national guidelines we are not to do school age children unless in a clinical risk group, even if missed in school. This is the school health teams responsibility.

I took dd to a private gp to get it done.

My DS goes to a school that doesn't offer the vaccine so we use the centralised catch up service. Ask your GP's surgery for the phone number for your area - I can't imagine this not being a national thing (where would the home schoolers get theirs?).

This happened to us last year to my then 6 year old, who missed it due to an Ear Infection.

Honestly, it was a real nightmare to get him another one. The Nasal spray at School was given in the November and I struggled to get an appointment at a mop up clinic.
The dates that I was offered ( received a letter through the post from the Clinic who had administered the spray) were utterly ridiculous- 24th Dec and New Years Day.

I actually declined them. If I were you, I would go to a private clinic and get it done. I chose not to wait that long to get my Sons done and as well as that, I didn't want him suffering any side effects over the festive period which may well have ruined Christmas for him.

Oh, I forgot to update. I came across the pamphlet sent home from school, which had the phone number for my area (you'd think the school or the surgery would have been able to give me that).

Anyway, very helpful and appt booked for early Dec in the next town.

Sorted.