So what do people think of the idea of a nasal spray vaccination?

[bumbleymummy]

Another thread mentioned that a new nasal spray flu vaccine has been developed and will be offered to all children from 2014. I'm not really interested in vaccinating against flu but I think that the nasal spray idea is an interesting one because it mimics how the body would naturally be exposed to the virus. I know there is a nasal spray measles vaccine being tested at the moment. I read about it a few years ago but I haven't seen any results of trials yet. It will be interesting to see what comes from them. If a flu vaccine has been developed with the same idea since then it does suggest that vaccines may be going in a new direction.

I can't, not at the moment, since it is not licensed here. What I would like even more is the universal flu vaccination... so much media hype, so little advance to the user...

Given that the over 60s have an annual flu jab as flu changes every year, will children aged 2 to 17 be offered an annual flu jab to protect the middle aged?

Tabitha8 Yes, most likely

Aw, thank you Leonie - that means so much, coming from you :)

Sossiges An annual flu jab for children age 2 to 17 when it's to protect people like me? I'm not sure I know what to say, yet I don't see how it could be anything but annual. Mad, isn't it?
Just so the gov't knows, I'm happy to take my chances. I know that you worry that if I catch flu, I'll end up in hospital and cost the taxpayer lots of money, but, honestly, how likely is that?

How many middle aged people end up hospitalised with flu every year? How many die?

Sorry, still don't see anywhere that the flu vaccine will protect the middle aged. I'd imagine that other that protecting the children (although I understand effectiveness is lower in younger children) it'd be the under twos who would stand to benefit the most by being in a household where everyone else is vaccinated against the flu.

The flu vaccine is for those who are least likely to be able to survive a bout of flu. In other words, the very young, the very old and those in between who have other mitigating conditions like immunity conditions or asthma (my case....I occasionally get very ill with just the common cold, if it goes to my chest, I can't breathe and have to take steroids and inhalers). The people who have an elevated risk of dying from the flu are the ones who are encouraged to have the vaccine. It is my understanding that the flumist is only for children.

"Healthy children are among those who are least likely to develop complications from being infected by flu." Here
Therefore it's not "for those who are least likely to be able to survive a bout of flu".

100 million a year is not the kind of money you find down the back of the sofa, either. It seems very odd to me, all these cutbacks in the NHS (for example) but we've suddenly got £100 000 000 a year to chuck away on flu vaccine.
Tabitha8 it seems mad but I'm sure there's a very good reason for it

It sounds like one of those policies that they haven't quite thought through - not asking the school nursing system for example whether it was feasible to implement the policy.

A better policy might be to offer it at workplaces, but again, who would implement it? And who would pay? A fair few employers would start whinging, but schools are just supposed to put up with the disruption.

Just doing some quick back of the envelope type calculations - those 11000 hospital admissions would all have to be in hospital for between 40-41 days at a bed cost of £225 per day, to make it cost effective.

Tabitha8 it seems mad but I'm sure there's a very good reason for it

Private Eye will probably come forward to say its because the vaccine companies have big stocks of the vaccine that they want to use up before it goes out of date. Big Pharma:Big $$$$$

Apparently it's not feasible unless they employ 1000 extra school nurses for the 6-8 week period each year when they are planning on administering the vaccine. They're thinking of getting parents to do it instead

LaVolcan Not a doubt in the world

Does LAIV shed?

Are the 11,000 admissions all middle aged? They can't be the over 60s as they have their own flu jab (or is it the over 65s?). As I have no health problems, my son needn't have the Flu vaccine to save me, so that's good.

sossiges - yes, it does, but if transmitted, it causes a cold like illness, not the flu.

Catherina - you mean a milder form of the flu?

I do wish we had a 'fuckwit' button in the manner of 'like' on facebook.
So useful on threads like this!
Waaaaahaaahaaaaa

That would be great - I'm not sure you'd be able to use it on your own posts though!

I still haven't seen where it says children are to be vaccinated to protect the middle aged. I'd imagine they're going to be vaccinated to protect themselves and the under 2s who may be too young for flu vax. A good thing, no? Or do you like babies dying of flu?

In Elaine's world - yes.

No, not everyone dies of flu, you can be very silly.

But people do die of flu, especially the very young. People do get secondary infections which make them very ill. When I had flu, I was laid low for more than a week, on antibiotics for secondary infection.

All of this avoidable with a safe vaccine.