Now school will start again soon I feel sick with worry about the vaccine/yes or no question

[emkana]

Esp concerned about ds (3). He usually has the seasonal flu vaccine because as a baby he had lots of chest problems. He is much better now. On the one hand I want the vaccine for him (and the dd's!) just so I can stop worrying about them catching SF. On the other hand I worry about the side effects. Find this very hard.

I will admit I've been sticking my head in the sand over this issue, but know I need to put some thought into it.

DD isn't immunocompromised in any way thankfully.

Is there any reason why this vaccine should be any more risky than the standard annual flu vaccine?

DH would be eligable too as he is diabetic. Strictly speaking I'm currently eligable due to being pg but the baby is due in the next couple of weeks so I'll have delivered before I have to decide for myself.

I have absolutely no idea what to think, so I'll piggyback your thread, emkana, if you don't mind.

I see no reason for a child who does not have other health problems to be immunized - flu is flu, swine or otherwise. A healthy child will be poorly then recover. However, if you have a child who would might be very poorly if they get flu - swine or otherwise - then they should be im04n5zed if there is a flu virus about.

But what about the virus mutating, about a second wave being more severe? And the thing is with ds, he is sort of borderline between a healthy and a child with health problems.

If it mutates, then the initial vaccine will be ineffective, won't it?

seeker - not neccessarily. An adjuvanted vaccine is thought to give protection to even fairly mutated versions (and have read that the protection could last 5 years)

emkana. You've still a few weeks to decide what to do yet. I'd wait until the data starts rolling in from early vaccinations. I've still not made my mind up but I'm leaning more torwards vaccination for my asthmatic dd atm.

6h bother, ohyoubadkitten, that's just made my decision less cut and dried!

I do hope, by the way, that you live in the bit of the UK that's having a lovely summer!

I do - thank you

We're aoiding it, we'veall had it I think (temps 40 plus, off foodetc) so I would prefer not to risk given our vaccine history- however should there be signs that previous infection isn't a factor in reinfection with a newstrain I would have to reconsider

I refuse to scare myself until needed though

Badkitten is there any more news on a possible second wave and severity? Can't find much on it at moment. Also very worried about school starting.

poface - I don't think the severity has changed. Theres an interesting update from WHO which summarises the situation quite well.

As far as I can tell, although its been tough hospitals wise for Australia and NZ, they generally seem to be coming though it better than might have been feared. (lay persons intepretation) Some of the South American countries are having a pretty rank time of it - could be access to healthcare/poor health in population - who knows.

As for second wave, I'm not sure that it counts as a second wave but it is interesting to note that there has been a sharp increase in local reporting in the US of large clusters forming in colleges and schools. Many went back two weeks ago.

In canada, where they are in general not back at school yet, there doesnt seem to have been the corresponding rise in clusters.

Other thing to watch in the news is that the pan flu has been found in turkeys in Chile. While that in itself is not alarming it will be one to watch I think if there are other outbreaks in birds.

back later

not here. dd is immunocompromised and cant cough cos of her severe CP but no way is she having something injected into her. She already has brain damage and epilepsy!

oh crap about the turkeys. Nightmarish scenario if it mixes with H5N1.

I really don't want to send ds to school! Anyone thinking of HE-ing? [i'm not entirely in jest]

I was looking up where I got the actual '5 year' figure from and found it was Musukebba in the other vaccine thread Sorry Musukebba for not referring to you!

pofaced - I expect its something that the experts are really keeping a close eye on. I do wonder (from a non-expert pov) why poultry workers are not being prioritised for vaccine.

yes good point. I heard that pigs have got SF in Australia from pig farm workers. Maybe they should be prioritised for vaccine too.

Ah I wonderd about the pigs as we were cuddling some piglets just before ds2 went down with it (and went down dramtically- fine to 4o degree temp in uder five minutes)

(not that i think ds2 caught it from them LOL, wondered if we gae it to them!)

Agree with seeker.

Lots of alternative types suggest that the reason flu often becomes worse in the autumn is because vitamin D levels drop with less sunlight. So supplementing with vitamin D may help someone fight off flu. I haven't checked to see whether there's any evidence at all for this, but will probably give all my kids an old fashioned cod liver oil supplement two or three times a week (need to be a bit careful not to overdose on vitamin A- but we have nordic naturals for kids and just follow the instructions). I doubt I'll get any into ds1 but will try. It won't do them any harm anyway.

we take fish oil [though baby won't] no idea about the vit D theory though...

pig farms, pultry workers. Stop intensive bloody farming which are a hotbed of disease and viruses.
Some days I think humans deserve what might be coming

Peachy - it is theoretically possible. I expect they were good piggies and washed their feet after their cuddle

(thread hijack - we got to stroke some little piggies this morning. They were so sweet and sleepy. aaaah)

emkana, have exactly same thoughts about dd (2.5) who had flu vaccine last year, and is between healthy and unhealthy. Its a hard one.

Am veering towards vaccinating, but lose sleep over it. Musu's posts enormously helpful (as usual, on all things viral!)

Re Piggies, my uncle (a retired virologist/microbiologist, appropriately) lives next door to a Piggy Farm and sends me endless Piggy-Flu joke emails....am thinking of directing him MNwards as he's much better than me at it...

Thanks for all your messages. I keep chewing it over, can't decide.

Dh & I work in schools, ds1 attends school, dd in nursery. Ds1 used to have inhalers, had flu jab in the past but not needed them for two yrs now. Depends on info that becomes available, but we probably won't have the swine flu vaccine.