Flumist - effective or not and what side effects did your kids had?

[Mumchatting]

Hi, DS has brought the consent form to fill in and return to school regarding nasal spray flu vaccine. I'm not convinced about the effectiveness of the vaccine. How effective has it been for your kids from your experience, can anyone advise please? We never used this vaccine before. DS is in Reception. Also what side effects did you experience with your child? Thanks

Anyone please?

Flu, flu-like illnesses and respiratory infections continue to be a significant focus in healthcare due to the number of people who are hospitalised each year and the number of flu-related deaths each winter.

It is worth looking at the UK flu report which details the extent of flu (monitored as Influenza like Ilnesses) in the UK last year as well as hospitalisation and mortality rates.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/740606/Surveillance_of_influenza_and_other_respiratory_viruses_in_the_UK_2017_to_2018.pdf

It is also worth considering:

The effectiveness of the vaccine: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/726342/Influenza_vaccine_effectiveness_in_primary_care_2017_2018.pdf 29% last year

The proportion of people presenting with Influenza like illnesses that are actually not found to be influenza when swabs are lab tested. Estimates range between 18% and 35% test positive for influenza.

Vaccine insert:
www.ema.europa.eu/documents/product-information/fluenz-tetra-epar-product-information_en.pdf

Shedding.. see page 14.
www.fda.gov/downloads/biologicsbloodvaccines/vaccines/approvedproducts/ucm294307.pdf

There are two issues being investigated relating to the flu vaccination, whether there is an increased risk of respiratory illness following the vaccine and whether there is an increase in colonisation of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus which can then also be shed.

www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/influenza/increase-acute-respiratory-illness-risk-following-flu-vaccination-in-children/article/757695/
trials.ovg.ox.ac.uk/trials/sites/default/files/trials_attachments/TOP_parentinfo.pdf
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944816/

No one can predict whether your child will get flu, whether they will experience complications from flu or whether they will experience side effects from the vaccine.