Will you vaccinating your children against swine flu ...YES or NO???

[sweetbean]

Hello All

Very simple i just wanted to know without having to justify or explain your answer will you or your children be having the swine flu vaccine.

possibly. DD is prone to huge temperature spike and febrile convulsions which need IV meds in hospital to stop. I've not done any reading about the vaccination though, so would like to be better informed before deciding.

Yes definitely

No. Have refused.

yes. DD2 has had it as part of a vaccination study. No question in my mind.

Last week I would have said no but today I have decided yes

Yes.

Re fears of it being useless if the virus mutates, this is groundless, it will offer proctection for 5 years and will offer considerable protecion against all mutations as they are still part of the same virus.

Message withdrawn

Have booked asthmatic DS1 in for it but not the rest of us.

One of the versions they give is egg-based, which he shouldn't have as anaphylactic for eggs (though was ok with MMR, given in hospital).

And vaccination not available till mid-Dec anyway.

Never in a million years.

i wouldn't have the vaccine myself either...

Perhaps I haven't read enough on the subject but WHY wouldn't you have it? Why would you not want to stop your child being poorly if you could? Why are there more risks to this vaccine than the standard flu vaccine thousands of people have every year anyway? Vaccination is not just about protecting yourself, its about protecting more vulnerable groups by minimising the spread. That's why they're asking all under 5s now - because they've noticed that infection rates are higher in this group. To be honest the non-vaccinate trend really worries me. My DD was very ill with measles when she was 9 mths old as parents of older children in the nursery she was in at the time refused the MMR.

i'm not sure why i'm so against it....usually very pro-vaccine..(all my dc had the MMR)...

Yes. DH and I had it last week, as soon as it is offered DS1 (4yrs) and DS2 (18mnth) will be having it too. DH is a GP, he wasn't sure about any of us being vaccinated initially, but he's seen a number of patients (particularly young children) very unwell with swine flu in the last few weeks.

Re: concerns about safety, it has been produced in the same way as seasonal flu vaccine which has been in use for many years. Why would the safety of this one be any different?

maybe i don't think SF is that serious...know a few people who have had it....no big deal really.

No

Dd2 is mildly asthmatic, but I am going on the basis that she was refused the flu jab because her asthma is no longer bad enough, so she won't be having the swine flu jab either then.

(((((In answer to Sydney B:-
Why are there more risks to this vaccine than the standard flu vaccine thousands of people have every year anyway?))))))

Because the Pandrenix swine flu vaccine has an adjuvant added - namely "squaelene" that the seasonal flu vaccine does not have. After a lot of research and wading through a lot of tripe, I am not convinced that the risk of using squalene has been ruled out, and I am fed up with seeing interviews with health officials spouting this line "the swine flu jab is just a variant of the seasonal flu jab" NO IT IS NOT - it has "squalene" in it.

Yes Italy has been using "squalene" in their normal flu vaccine for 10 years, but that was predominantly for over 65's and and the side effects of "squalene" do not nescessarily appear for many years - all the auto immune diseases such as lupus / ms etc.. arthritis, many of which are probably put down to old age anyway.

So IT IS NOT JUST A VARIANT OF the seasonal flu jab. If squalene is an issue the side effects will not manifest themselves for many years.

Yes, if we can get the Celvapan jabs rather than Pandemrix

Yes, have had DD done. Especially as I has SF and was really quite horribly unwell. I don't know where the mild strain is lurking but the variant I had was horrendous and a friend of mine developed pneumonia afterwards (no underlying health probs either). Wouldn't want to put DD through that.

Yes, has had one dose, one to go.

Thanks to everyone who has posted so far ! x

I have to say that first and for most i am pro choice and do believe that all parents should do what they feel is best for there children.I have no intention for questioning anyone's choice to have the vaccine and i am aware that there are lots of very at risk adults and children to whom the vaccine offers protection.

I would however like to know if it has been hard for any of you who are pregnant to decided whether to have the vaccine galadriel77 i would love to know your thoughts as you are PG at the moment and have chosen to have the vaccine.

XX

DS had his yesterday (asthmatic). Not happy about it but have a 4 month old as well so done it to protect them both since DS will be the main one to bring it into the household and if he gets SF may end up very ill. I won't be vaccinating the 4 month old though when he is 6 months since I still feel he is too young. By then though there will be more information available from around the world as to what swine flu si doing and also the vaccine.

cheerycherry if the virus mutates the vaccine will still be better protection than no vaccine at all.

here is the Quick-poll-Pg-ladies will you have the jab thread

Yes.
I have had mine - I am pg.

Just had a read up ref squalene...glad my decision was a no in the first instance.