Nasal Flu Vaccine for y1

[jwpetal]

My daughters came home from school today with the letter to receive the nasal flu vaccine. We will not be getting them as they have a complex medical history which has included severe reactions to other vaccines.

The information provided says that the vaccine is a live virus and that anyone receiving the vaccine should not be around vulnerable people for 2 weeks following the vaccine.

Does anyone know what this means for the children in the class who do not receive the vaccine? Does this mean that the classroom will be a hive for the flu for two weeks and we need to home school for that time? Does this put them at a very high risk to get the flu from the virus?

Are you in London?
Half our town have had the letter but our school still haven't said anything.

Is this a nationwide initiative?

I'm undecided for my year 1 DS.
I had the flu jab last week, made me feel lousy.

yes, I am in London. My understanding is that it is nationwide for all y1 and y2 students.

It doesn't cause flu www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/child-flu-vaccine.aspx.

DS2 has asthma that can be severe but is ok atm, we're taking him for the jab instead.

It causes flu like symptoms. The flier I received states that a vaccinated child should stay away from an at risk person such as the elderly for 2 weeks following the spray. That would imply that there is some kind of active virus in it.

Because it is a live vaccine there is a theoretical risk that it could be transmitted for 1 to 2 weeks following vaccination. However there have been no reported cases of transmission in the USA where the nasal flu has been used extensively. Because the theoretical risk is there it should be used with caution if the child lives with someone who is severely immunocompromised. An inactivated alternative may be considered by the health care professional.

So in answer to your question, it will not be a 'hive for flu'. The only people who need to be cautious are those who are severely immunocompromised and even then the evidence suggests that the risk of transmission is incredibly low.

You can get some shedding of the virus after having the nasal vaccine, especially in children who sneeze, or don't wipe their nose with a tissue.

An at risk person is someone who may be severely immunocompromised eg by having had a bone marrow transplant, or who is on very high doses of steroids, or chemotherapy. Just being old or frail does not in itself make you more vulnerable to those that have received the vaccine.

Most people will not be affected by others having had the vaccine as the risk of shedding is small and most children have adequate immune systems. There is a possibility of some mild flu-like symptoms after the vaccine itself such as a temperature, runny nose and some malaise. It cannot cause flu and you will not get full on flulike symptoms.

section on person to person transmission is worth reading.