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Original poster

To vaccinate or not, that is the question...

35 replies

DettaJnr · 20/01/2010 22:36

The school is vaccinating tomorrow (thurs) and I am still undecided as to consent for my DD1 (7yrs) to have it. She is in good health and eats well. In fact, this is the first school year (since September) that she has not had anything! However, last year she had a mild pneumonia which she recovered well from.

I also have two other children DS1 8yrs and DD2 4yrs. Both of these are in good health. DS1 had a chest infection in November with an acute asthma attack (never had before or since).

On one hand I don't fear they will get it and be really ill or worse. On the other hand, I worry that 20 years down the line it will turn out it had nasty side-effects (eg thallidamide springs to mind).

Help!

OP posts:
ChocolateFace · 20/01/2010 22:38

Ooo, where are you? My under 5 hasn't been offred it yet. Like you, I'm undecided! Sorry not to be more helpful.

fandango75 · 20/01/2010 22:48

me too and DS is only 1 - DH thinks yes I feel no but i don't know why? i think its the unknown like you say. I was quite happily ignoring all the ads.... if i find anything more helpful out will post

Original poster
DettaJnr · 20/01/2010 22:49

In Dublin. She has been offered it but i decided to wait. She has never been sick apart from odd cold. i put that down to breast-feeding for over 2yrs & nothing sterilised! I just feel that we don't know the long-term effect this may have.

OP posts:
Original poster
DettaJnr · 21/01/2010 17:50

I decided on the way to school this morning to have the vaccination for the same reasons she had other vaccinations. I couldn't live with myself if she got it and ended up very ill or worse.

Thanks for the replies.

OP posts:
Lavenhamluvvie · 21/01/2010 17:58

DettaJnr: Your daughter will probably just complain of a very sore arm. My 7 year old DS had the vaccination as he has chronic heart disease. I was a little bit concerned considering how new to the market it was. But no nasty side effects/consequences other than the aforementioned arm and any grumpiness had to be dealt with by the school as he went on a residential 2 night trip the next day. And even better he hasn't had any type of bad cold/flu since November when he had the jab. Hope she's OK.

questioneverything · 21/01/2010 19:19

My children will not be having it.

I met a nurse yesterday who works in a cardiac unit, and she said she was not having it. She said she had based her decision on seeing how ill all the other staff were after getting it.

I also know lots of other medics who are not getting it.

As someone who has researched vaccines for two years, its the worst vaccine I have ever come across, and most of the world has rejected it and all the governments are trying to offload the unused vaccines.

If you are unsure they why dont you spend some time doing some research.

Sazisi · 21/01/2010 19:33

questioneverything why is it the worst vaccine you've ever come across? Please elaborate

DH and I, DD2 and DD3 have all had the vaccine; DD1 hasn't yet because she has to get it at school.
We were all fine except for sore arms, apart from DD2 who threw up 2 nights running (she was not gravely ill though - just felt a bit queasy then chucked!)

I was actually really sceptical about the vaccine, and definitely leaning towards 'No', then DH's friend's sister died from SF and I started to take it seriously..

LeninGrad · 21/01/2010 19:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lulumama · 21/01/2010 19:39

I have decided not to give DD the vaccine, my other DC is 10, so too old

firstly, I am not confident the vaccine is appropriate

secondly, my children are eseentially fit and healthy, well nourished and although both have needed a blue inhaler, are not diagnosed as asthmatic per se

thirdly, I beleive they have both had swine flu already.

fourthly, swine flu does not seem to have escalated into the massive , frightening thing it was predicted to be

McDreamy · 21/01/2010 19:41

Had my 11 month old DD vaccinated last week and DS is to be vaccinated with the other swine flu vaccine on Monday as he has an egg allergy. Have heard of too many hospitalised under 5s

nickytwotimes · 21/01/2010 19:42

Ds will get it.

I have had it.

My vaccine-sceptic nurse pal recommends it and she doesn't do so lightly.

Lulumama · 21/01/2010 19:48

DD is 4.6 so maybe i would feel differently if she was a baby still

Original poster
DettaJnr · 21/01/2010 20:43

Questioneverything, you named yourself well!

It's very hard to know what to do for the best. I talked myself into and out of it so many times I really got confused.

In the end after so much deliberating, reading, discussing etc I decided that I would go ahead. I hope that I've made the right decision. Can't go back now.

She is complaining of a sore arm especially if she has to move it. Gave her some paracetamol and she's ok at moment.

OP posts:
questioneverything · 22/01/2010 10:50

I am not trying to tell anyone what to do. If you want specific info on vaccines then do your own research, if you are happy to follow government advice then so be it. Ultimately your child, your choice.

Balders · 22/01/2010 19:28

I have been reading the information on the MHRA website - just to help those of you who want to do some research - mhra.gov.uk and they upload reports of the side effects to the vaccine.

I wonder why Pandemrix is being administered so much above the alternative Celvapan. They are made by different companies, could there be a monetary decider here?? Sorry that is the cynic in me!

I have been offered the vaccine for my DD1, 3 years, but my personal feeling is swaying towards to decline, purely based upon my belief that the vaccine has not been out long enough to truly understand volume of side effects and longer term effects.

LisamumtoJake · 23/01/2010 23:49

Yes- i was vaccinated myself back in novemember, because of my asthma, so i had my one year old son done 3 weeks ago, he was perfectly fine, just a little tired afterwards.

NoahAndTheWhale · 24/01/2010 00:06

I have DS aged 6 and DD aged 4. Haven't been offered the vaccine yet - I am still not sure what we will do about it yet. Both DS and DD are in very good health - they have both had chicken pox and a few colds and that is about it.

I would feel odd about DD being vaccinated and not DS. But would obviously feel awful if they weren't vaccinated and got very ill.

Am surprised DH hasn't been offered the vaccine as he has asthma and usually gets a normal flu jab.

Elibean · 24/01/2010 13:08

Noah, re your dh, mine also has asthma and gets the seasonal flu jab but he just went in and asked for the SF one: they weren't sending out letters last year, possibly because of the postal strikes - even though they've sent recent ones re children.

If he's concerned, I would suggest he just goes in and asks for one!

MegBusset · 24/01/2010 22:33

Bump as the DC (2.11 and 9mo) have been offered theirs on Thursday (Celvapan as DS1 has egg allergy).

Have to call tomorrow to confirm or cancel appt and I just can't decide! I don't personally know anyone who's had SF locally since early Dec...

BronxMum · 25/01/2010 00:44

We have appointments at our GP tomorrow afternoon for DS1, 5 and DS2, 3.

After researching this for the past few hours we have just taken the decision to call the doctors in the morning to cancel the appointment.

The official advice is that the balance of risk is still in favour of having the jab. We think this is a judgement on the balance of risk of getting seriously ill from the jab -v- the risk of getting seriously ill from swine flu. We're sure this is right.

Our decision is based on the latest numbers suggesting that very few people in England are currently coming down with swine flu (less than 5,000 per week) and therefore that the pandemic is over and is unlikely to make a come back this winter. If it comes back next winter, it might be a new strain requiring a new vaccination - so we're guessing that the jab may only useful for this season.

Therefore we're going on the balance of risk of a moderately unpleasant reaction to the jab (which a lot of people seem to be getting) versus a low risk of catching swine flu between now & the summer. Because our DSs don't like jabs, we don't want them to get phobias about future more necessary immunisations because of a bad experience with this one.

Maybe this is a stupid decision, which we will regret if they do catch swine flu, but it's the one we're going with for now. Because the official advice remains to take the jab, we feel there is no point in discussing it with the nurse at the surgery, as they are bound to stick to the official line.

Imisssleeping · 25/01/2010 18:34

Bronxmum I think I've decided to wait aswell, because like you I think the pandemic has died down and if it does return I would get the jab then.

I was thinking it would be like the seasonal flu jab that you have to get every year, does anyone know how long the immunity is supposed to last?

MegBusset · 25/01/2010 20:14

I had a chat with my stepmum who is a GP last night. She said that like the seasonal flu vaccine, the SF vaccine is expected to last a year so yes, a new vaccine may be needed by next winter if it is still kicking around.

fruitshootsandheaves · 25/01/2010 20:22

DS(8) had it on Thursday. Was off school on Friday with temperature, headache and cough. Fine by Saturday except cough, all better Sunday

DH also had it and was the same as DS for a couple of days.

none of the other DCs or me have been offered it. I presume we don't need it.

amazonianwoman · 26/01/2010 20:43

DS almost 3 had his yesterday. His only side-effect so far has been screaming "I don't like that lady (nurse) she hurt me" - fingers crossed.

Decided to go ahead after speaking to NHS consultant BIL who unreservedly recommended he have it. And he's certainly not a toe-the-line-brainwashed NHS employee.

Jolene2 · 02/02/2010 17:22

If we'd had the chance, I'd have had both my sons vaccinated, knowing what I know now. One is 4 1/2, the other is nearly 8 months. In December, we all ended up with it. DS1 was the least ill of us all - he was vastly improved after 24 hours on tamiflu. DH had temp of 104 and was very poorly. I was even worse and ended up in A & E. Poor DS2 (below 6 months at the time) was so ill, his temperature would not go down and after 3 hours of GP ringing round hospitals (including GOSH), he was given tamiflu even though strictly speaking he wasn't meant to have it. He started to get better after 24 hours. While he was ill, it was absolutely terrifying, I really thought we were going to lose him.

Knowing what I know now, I would recommend having it but I do understand why you are nervous and, before we were all ill, I was similarly undecided.