swine flu situation for under 5s worrying me BUT NO vaccine available for them.

[waitingwaiting]

Hi
I've got a one year old and a 3 year old. 3 year old going back to Nursery School tomorrow. I must admit that I am very worried about the swine flu situation for the under 5s.

According to the Daily Mirror (30th Jan)the Swine flu is at epidemic levels for children aged 1-5 and paedriatric hospitals are close to 'not coping' - and the Telegraph (31 dec) also reports the same - Critically ill include 42 children under 5 and flu levels have doubled with that age group.

Okay, I guess parents have very differing views on this but I must say that I am rather concerned...

I've tried absolutely loads of avenues to see if I can get the vaccine for my under 3 year old with No success what so ever.

Boots/supermarkets etc wont give it, they will however dispense it under prescription for GP to adminster But my GP wont do a prescription. Bupa wont do it. In fact everywhere I try wont.

All I want to do is try to protect my family but just dont know how. The flu jabs have traditionally been offered for the elderly as thats the age the flu has affected before, however now we have a different strain of flu which does target the young however no one seems to want to protect the young and offer the vaccine.

It was offered to pregnant women last year and in turn protected the unborn baby, which I had, however now my baby is one years old, its as if its no longer important as no one will be prepared to protect her from the flu, despite the fact that she could be very poorly if she had it. Is it worth risking even one childs life? no. I dont think so.

Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit here, point is I want to protect my children and get them vaccinated but just cant. Anyone else in the same situation? and how do you feel about it? Why is it that all adults can easily get protected, yet children cant?

Many thanks

Nicola

i saw her sourcing on some scaremongering site, discussing generic vaccine ingredients

Our surgery vaccinates all under 5's. However, they have run out. The GP wrote a prescription and called round the pharmacies for us. So I picked it up for free yesterday and it's in the fridge - the GP will administer it tomorrow. There seems to be a lot of confusion, but pharmacies will definitely give it to you if they have some and you have a prescription.

I think it's worth remembering that you can acquire immunity naturally as well. 1/3 of cases of swine flu last year were completely asymptomatic and there were hundreds of thousands of mild cases/typical cases that did not make the headlines. Many of us may already be immune to swine flu without knowing it. We come into contact with different flu viruses every year and we don't always get sick. There have been fewer deaths this year than last year and last year's figures were lower than usual for seasonal flu. Of course the headlines report the worst- that is what sells the papers! We have to remember that for every serious case of flu there are thousands of cases where people have made a full recovery.

I tried to get it on the high street today and everywhere was sold out, so I've booked me and DH in at a private clinic tomorrow, but they won't do under 4s. I am at a loss as to where to try now. I am holding on to the hope that as she was vaccinated in March last year she may have some protection left.

Well - I went to my gp surgery yesterday responding to the call up she received LAST march advising DD SHOULD have it, only to be told now that she isn't, in fact at risk (the reason I took so long dithering about the decision is because there was so nuch conflicting info out there and I was worried)
Now that I want her to have it, she apparently cannot, even though the GP admits they've got loads in the fridge! - what a mess! - really worried!

BiscuitNibbler - yes she will still be immune as the swine flu virus hasn't mutated, it's only normal flu which needs to be given every year. Have a look at the Q&A on the live webchat mumsnet did the other day with a doctor from department of health.

I went to my Gps for flu jab at 35 wks pregnant, but was sent away as Id had the swine flu jab Dec 09. 2 days later i was back again with my son and asked the Gp how long the swine flu jab works for as it was over a yar ago, anyway she had just received an email saying ALL pregnant women should have it regardless of them having previous swine flu jab or not.(I have since seen a letter on notice board at midwives saying the same thing)So I had it straight away! Have had same problems finding anywhere to vaccinate my 2 children though, 3 & 7 years. They both have ventolin inhalers but only need them with hayfever, pet allergies etc and apparently that doesnt count as asthma!

This is what they said:

"Last year when swine 'flu emerged, it was clear that the under-fives were indeed a risk group. For that reason, we recommended that they should be vaccinated. However, we also saw that many of them got infected and will now be immune against H1N1 (swine 'flu). At the moment, we are sticking with our usual seasonal flu policy, that doesn't include routine vaccination for under-fives, although this is something that we're looking at for the future.

santamax, If your children were vaccinated last year, there's a good chance that they will still get some protection from the vaccination. At this stage, it's impossible to know but time will tell!"

kogsy children are only classed as "properly" asthmatic (in terms of eligibility for flu vaccine) if they have regular inhaled steroids, so just needing ventolin doesn't qualify them for a flu jab as they aren't at increased risk compared to any other child.

Having allergies and hayfever doesn't make you more likely to suffer complications with flu, you'll be relieved to hear

I am furious have just seen on the ITV news that the youngest and eldest in society are most at risk, older people have been offered the vaccine, me and DH had it today at Sainsbury's, DD who is 5 is getting it at private hospital tomorrow but DS who is two years old and most at risk cannot get it anywhere

I just wish everyone was honest about what is going on, I have problems coping with things like this and it is almost tipping me over the edge. I have arranged vaccines for both my Children but until they are administered I wont be able to settle!!!

The media have made this far worse for us parents and carers, but i think the most important thing to remember is this - your children are exactly that - YOUR children and you have the right to take whatever measures you feel good with to keep them safe, if that means keeping them home from school then that is fine, you are not hurting anyone, just doing the best you can, as least you can turn round and say I have done everything I can to protect my children!!

It is also very necessary to keep a sense of proportion.

Yes I agree, but people should do waht they think is right for them, freedom of choice and all that, otherwise what is it all about, no-one is in charge in this country, it is a mess!:(

Yes, freedom of choice is important - but choosing to keep a healthy child away from school would be a very foolish choice.

I would rather make a foolish choice an my child be safe and healthy, but it awful that parents put in this position :( and no mater what we do, some one somewhere will find it wrong :(

And a threat from the education dept would soon be on its way

f you have had the jab after giving birth and are breastfeeding - does that give some immunity to a newborn?

We used to live in Alaska, USA, and all Under 5s there got the flu jab (and last year the H1N1 as well).

Neither child qualified for one at our GP surgery here in the UK. My 4 year old is pretty healthy, but my 2 year old has a history of wheezing/bronchiolitis/chest infections, and has a steroid inhaler. I was a bit surprised she didn't qualify.

Instead I took them privately to Surrey GP in Guildford back in October. They could do children's flu shots, and I think I paid 25 pounds each.

I was quite surprised my wheezing/chesty 2 year old didn't qualify for an NHS one here. I wasn't sure (back in October) if I was overreacting by getting the jabs done privately instead. American does seem to do a lot more vaccines on children, and maybe it wasn't necessary. However obviously I am very glad now that I did, especially for the 2 year old.

If you are still looking for kid flu shots, try Surrey GP. I think they are out of stock at the moment, but expecting more shortly, and you can register your interest on their website. Can't remember the website address, but just google Surrey GP and you should find it.

Our children are at risk of things everyday. Swine flu is a relatively small risk if you actually look at it. A small proportion of people will get sick from swine flu and a very small number will get seriously ill. Chances are you and your family are already immune to it anyway - it's been around for over 18 months now! Not everyone gets sick when they are exposed to a virus.

biscuitbreaker - I don't believe so.

MedicalEd - We can only get 10% Sale or return, so have to be careful not to over order.

This year will be the first year EVER we will use them all!

Redshineyshoes - thank you.

I really can't see though why as a parent if you are happy to pay and take the responsibility you can't get a toddler immunised. It is madness.

Biscuitbreaker - no worries, we're all in the same boat! As for the breastfeeding I have found some reports to say it does provide immunity and others to say maybe (the webchat doctor said maybe). I am breastfeeding at the moment and had it done today, better than nothing I thought!

On BBC news it says that they are releasing the pandemic swine flu vaccine they had left over to cover the shortfall of winter flu vaccine. Other good news - they seem to be suggesting that it's peaked/ peaking now.

But still no mention of vaccinating under-fives! My surgery won't do it unless the Government changes it's policy - when will this be??

I am getting myself done tomorrow now (have bagged one of the few vacs left in my local pharmacy). I hope that will afford some protection to DD (8 months) as I am still BF-ing.

Oh right - just seen on Channel 4 News that they have decided to definitely NOT do healthy under-fives. So that's that I guess!