Would you vaccinate your children?

[mrsnw]

So children could possibly be vaccinated by the autumn term. I've had the vaccine and my children have had all the other available jabs including flu. I'm not sure where I stand with this one and I don't know why!

@HamFisted

I don't know. We don't vaccinate against chickenpox, partly because it's not considered dangerous enough (though it killed 100 kids a year in America before they introduced the vaccine) and the vast majority of kids find this disease very mild, while chickenpox is often quite distressing for them, as are vaccinations in general. At the moment, I'm not sure I'd bother.

The reason we don't vax for CP is it benefits older people by keeping shingles down, according to my GP.

I think the thing with chickenpox is that it’s actually better for children to have it and have lifelong immunity. Otherwise I’d consider having my child vaccinated against it.

And vaccinations are not distressing for most children IMO.

Yes of course

@daffodilsandprimroses

I think the thing with chickenpox is that it’s actually better for children to have it and have lifelong immunity. Otherwise I’d consider having my child vaccinated against it.

Yes natural immunity is better than vax immunity for cp, unlike many other illnesses.

Why not on a chance in hell?

What if they needed a vaccine to go on holiday abroad?

Yes, we are desperate for a vaccine after a year of shielding 10 yr old ds.
His paed is hopeful something will be available for extremely vulnerable children by Sept/Oct.
His sister's (15 and 14) also want to get vaccinated.

yes

No. The vaccines are on trial, even for adults, until 2023. Also, no vaccine is 'safe', they are deemed 'safe' when the risk is considered less than the overall reward, but every dose given comes with a risk, including risk of death. Why would anyone risk that when the risk from covid is so minimal? We have no data on long term effects. Yesterday there was a thread on here about women experiencing odd periods after having the vaccine, even that raised alarm bells for me.

I've no doubt that the long term goal is to vaccinate children and probably eventually mandatory vaccines. It's no longer a conspiracy theory.

@daffodilsandprimroses

I think the thing with chickenpox is that it’s actually better for children to have it and have lifelong immunity. Otherwise I’d consider having my child vaccinated against it.

Not true. It is purely cost as they would have to fund the CP vax and improve the shingles programme. Must other countries with a comprehensive vaccination programme vaccinate against chicken pox. However, in the Uk we have decided that the cost is not worth the small number of dead and damaged children each year, just like they decided that a catch up Men B programme wasnt worth the cost. I’ve had both of my children vaccinated against it after the healthy daughter of a family friend died aged 4 when CP went to her brain. She had a fit on holiday and a week later was blind and deaf. She lived for another few months with extensive brain damage. Absolutely not worth the small risk to me.

I’ve heard completely different theories sunshine

Yes and I have a baby.

Please do get your children vaccinated. I contracted glandular fever aged 12, it was a horrible few weeks of feeling rotten but nothing compared to what was ahead as a result of the infection. By age 16 I was attending a rheumatologis, I was on daily pain medication and a while later diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I am now 50 years old and my life has been ruled by fibromyalgia all stemming from a viral infection aged 12. When news coverage started about covid I pleaded with friends etc to take it seriously, I spoke about possible longterm effects on relatively healthy people but few paid any heed, unfortunately long covid started happening and now they've realised the danger. My entire life has been impacted, I had to retire in my 30's for medical reasons, at 25 I was told my body wouldn't support another pregnancy so my child has no siblings, please vaccinate asap.

@kowari

Interesting, now that you mention it the only people I've heard of who've had bad side effects are under 40s.

Admittedly though it was flu like symptoms for less than 24hours and then just feeling a little bit naff for a few days after that.

Maybe they are just more likely to speak about their side effects because it affects things like going into work or caring for their children.

Absolutely not.

The nhs say
Being exposed to chickenpox as an adult(for example, through contact with infected children)boosts your immunity to shingles.
If you vaccinate children against chickenpox, you lose this natural boosting, so immunity in adults will drop and more shingles cases will occur.
There is a good article about it here
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2014/may/15/real-reason-british-public-chickenpox-vaccine-shingles

I think that eventually the UK will follow the lead of other countries who have had successful vaccination programmes that protect children from chicken pox and adults from shingles, and introduce it into the vaccine programme here.

not a chance. My DC have had covid and I will be keeping an eye on the studies re immunity following infection, but even if they had not had it, I would not be getting them vaccinated with a new vaccine, for the benefit of not passing it on to older people who can go out and get their own jabs. That may sound heartless by my job is the health of my DC. Those who are vulnerable can make their own choices, get their own jabs. I would not be surprised to find all school age DC have had it by this summer, making their vaccinations inappropriate.

@daffodilsandprimroses

I think the thing with chickenpox is that it’s actually better for children to have it and have lifelong immunity. Otherwise I’d consider having my child vaccinated against it.

This is contested actually. The risk of shingles appears to be lower in those vaccinated than those who contract it naturally (though the first cohort vaccinated aren't old enough to say if this effect continues past 50 yet). I've seen chickenpox used as an example of where a vaccine provides better immunity than catching the disease.

@SunshiningBetty How did you get your child vaccinated and at what age? I was going to get DD vaccinated at 18 months but she caught chickenpox before I could.

Yes vaccinate the kids. I don’t know how they can say autumn term whilst the EU are still being pricks and adults haven’t even been done yet!

It’s hard to say. I know they vaccinate for it in the states but then while we are far from perfect in this country there’s not as many parental rights over there, so a parent taking time off with an ill child wouldn’t be good.

Vaccine damage is very rare; extreme reactions to chickenpox is very rare. It’s always going to be a balancing act.

@Moonstone1234

There are some totally irresponsible people on this thread. Who on earth is stupid enough not to have the MMR vaccine.

I also think that all care workers need to have the vaccine otherwise they need to find another role.

If you've been around MN for a while you'll see the bat signal goes out to the anti-vaxxers. Probably the most notorious anti-vaxxer on MN is here. Twas ever so. They can never provide scientific back up though. Not talking about your average parent who understandably is concerned. But the real conspiracy theorists.

It would be their choice in the end (all teenagers) but I would be advising against it unless their hand is forced (by making it mandatory to go somewhere or do something).

COVID is very unlikely to have any effect on them whatsoever and it seems widely recognised that the younger you are, the worse the side effects are likely to be. We also have no idea yet whether this is one and done, or shots every six months.

We already treat young people fairly awfully in this country - why should they have to endure yet another thing that will only benefit those much older than them and who seem to fairly much not give a shit about them otherwise.

If the older generations want children to do something for them, then it needs to go both ways.