Live webchat with Professor David Salisbury, Dept of Health director of immunisation, Mon, November 2, 1pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're very pleased to have Professor David Salisbury, the Department of Health's director of immunisation, as our guest for a live webchat this Friday, 30 Oct, at 1pm.

Professor Salisbury, who originally trained as a paediatrician, and also works extensively for the World Health Organisation including his role as chairman of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Vaccines, is a timely guest given that the swine flu vaccination
programme is now being rolled out. Pregnant women are one of the first 'at-risk' groups being offered the jab.

There has already been a large amount of discussion about the vaccine, so this is your chance to put your questions, concerns and comments to the government's top vaccines expert.

As usual, if you can't join us on the day, please post your question here and Prof Salisbury will try to answer as many as possible.

[Tigerlady]

I am 7 weeks pregnant and have asthma. I imagine that puts me at high risk for swine flu, and therefore high priority for the vaccine. What i'd like to know is, can you guarantee no harm will come to my baby if I get the vaccination? That there will be no long or even short term damage?

[Tigerlady]

I'm sorry, I just have one other thing to say to all the mumsnetters: how many of you had your children vaccinated as babies without a second thought to what was being pumped into them by the potentially detrimental bucket load - chemicals and poisons such as can be found in the swine flu vaccine - and yet you're now questioning this vaccine? I think you'll find that most of the harm has already been done.

[tinks77]

I have a 22month old child whom i have chosen not to give the MMR vaccine to until he is around 2and a half/3. I am concerned regarding some research that has shown occassionally part of the vaccine remains in the bowel and can be the cause of autism.As I understand it, autism is usually picked up around the age of 2 and it is for this reason i am postponing the vaccine so that any autisic tendencies after the vaccine can be linked to the vaccine. I am also hugely dissapointed that these vaccines are not available seperatley on the NHS.
many thanks for your time

[stuffitllllama]

Hello and sorry all and do ignore everyone except Beach. Wrt to yesterday's conversation I find the thought almost unentertainable.

I think it's enough to remember that when the figures come out "showing" that the removal of mercury had no effect, they won't really show anything of the sort because it will have been given to pregnant women instead. At least we can know that, whatever the reasoning behind it.

[cocothefrog]

Hello,

The UK Government is going against the rest of the world and the WHO recommendation by giving Pandremrix instead of Celvapan to pregnant women.

It is not even possible to get Celvapan on private prescription.

Is it all about money again? I can't think of another reason.

Even my GP says that she can't guarantee that Pandremrix is 100% safe for my unborn baby.

Coco

[Beachcomber]

(Stuffitllllama, I agree. Like I said I don't think it as such but the idea just popped in my head after reading a few things. As you say it doesn't bear thinking about. It will be interesting to see what reactions there will be if the flu shots come up with regards to future epidemiology and how transparent the debate is and whether it is clearly stated that MC flu vaccines must be factored in.)

[waitingwaiting]

Hi... below are similar various concerns which other pregnant women have raised on the forum site. Please can you confirm whether or not their concerns are correct:

What concerns me the most is the use of adjuvants in Pandremix which boosts the effectiveness of the drug. The risk with this ingredient is that it promotes the body to fight all foreign bodies in the blood. Fine for a normal person but whilst pregnant, your immune system is surpressed specifically to support your unborn child.

The risk of hyper immune response has been raised which means that your body could go into overdrive and attack/reject your baby.

Its not the thermisal in the preg woman vaccine i'm concerned about its the adjuvant which can make your immune system overact and cause pre-emclampsia !!!

I have an auto-immune condition which is made better by pregnancy. If I were to have the Pandemix and it boosts my immune system would it cause a flare of my underlying medical condition?

I think also that Celvapan would encourage more pregnant women to be vaccinated. I know that supplies are not as great as Pandremix however when will this situation change and what is being done to make it change. Will pregnant women evantually be offered Celvanpan and within what time scale.

Many thanks for taking the time to come and chat to us all.

[chocolatecheesecake]

Dr Salisbury

Thank you for agreeing to this webchat! I would like to echo previous posts in asking:

1. Why Pandremix and not Celvepan?
2. Is it worth me being vaccinated when I am 32 weeks pregnant, haven't yet heard anything from my GP, so am unlikely to get the vaccine (should I take it) until I am almost due.

I appreciate you won't be able to answer all the questions posted in the time available, but if you/ DH could provide answers subsequently to all the questions it would be very much appreciated.

[sphil]

I would also like to know the answer to Mylovelymonster's question about thimerosal. As the mother of an autistic child with asthma and many allergies I am in a complete dilemma about whether to give him the swine flu vaccination. I would also like to ask whether the vaccine is suitable for those who are allergic to eggs?
Thank you.

[DrDavidSalisbury]

test

[difficultdecision]

Dr Salisbury,

A request rather than a question as most of the questions have been asked already above but PLEASE don't say ask your GP about the swine flu vaccine - We're not getting anymore information than the general public, we have no idea when we are likely to get any supplies of either vaccine, if we get the 500 first promised of pandremix that is not even enough to do the first priority group in our practice so we can't offer it to the second group (pregnant women) yet anyway and we are getting calls all day asking when people can have the vaccine that the media says is available at GP practices from 26/10/09 and we don't know because no practices we know (we are in london) has got any yet!

Thank-you

[EldonAve]

What percentage of pregnant women require hospital treatment for seasonal flu?

What percentage of pregnant women require hospital treatment for swine flu?

[pugsandseals]

Dr Salisbury,

Why is it so difficult to find out what is in a vaccine offered to our children?
I have been told by GP's that it shouldn't matter, as if the child has an allergic reaction this can be treated!
As parents we would like to be told very clearly what we are injecting into our children and given the freedom to choose what is best for the individual.
Are we likely to ever get the information we would like? (including what a viccine is cultured on)

[pofacedandproud]

sphil Pandemrix is not suitable for those with egg allergies. Celvapan is. If you can get it.

[JustScreamMumsnet]

Hi all, David Salisbury is ensconced in front of his screen and ready to go. So without further ado, over to him.

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Here is the WHO web update on recommendations of the SAGE (Strategic Group of Experts on immunisation) concerning pandemic 2009 vaccines. Published today.

[Upsydaisy83]

Dr Salisbury

My sister lives in USA and anyone who thinks they have swine flu there gets swabbed to have it confirmed. Why is this not the case here, instead its all online or phone diagnosis so media saying cases are rising how would they know there only going by online and phone diagnosis !

[DrDavidSalisbury]

Hello thank you for inviting me along to this webchat, I am very pleased to be here. There is a wide range of interesting questions and I'm really impressed by the care that people have taken regarding these issues. It is unlikely that I will be able to get through all of them in the time that we have. Where I can I will answer similar questions together, and I will come back to Mumsnet with responses to other queries next week.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I am really looking forward to reading your answers. I've been quite excited about this webchat!

[pofacedandproud]

Yes I am concerned SF is not being tracked appropriately. Every time my children have a high fever it is diagnosed by GP as SF. Is it possible hat SF is more severe but [at moment] not as widespread as thought? Otherwise we've had it here about 3 times so far.

[Grendle]

Hello & welcome

I am very heavily pregnant, yet may be offered the vaccine before my baby arrives. I am interested in the potential ramifications of me having the vaccine, but then having an unprotected newborn just as the risk of catching it is probably about to increase with wave 2.

My understanding is that pregnant women are being encouraged to have it for their own protection, as the complications can be especially serious in late pregnancy. This is all well and good for me, assuming that I am actually vaccinated and my body has time to mount the necessary response to the vaccine whilst I am still pregnant in order to confer immunity.

BUT, what about my baby? I do understand that by being protected myself I may reduce the risk of the baby catching it in the first place (although it will also be living with one adult and 2 other children who are unvaccinated and may well catch it and pass it on). As I'm so far on now, the period of risk to me is rapidly decreasing, so I'm wondering would my baby get better protection (should it catch swine flu) if I haven't had the vaccine? As I will be breastfeeding exclusively, if my baby catches it then my body should mount some sort of response, particularly if I catch it simultaneously? Would this response be lesser if I have already been vaccinated and thus by being vaccinated I may actually weaken the potential protection for my baby?

Basically I want to know what to know what evidence there is about the likely immune responses in a breastfeeding mother (vaccinated or unvaccinated) with an unprotected baby should the baby catch SF.

Thank you .

[waitingwaiting]

Hello and welcome!
I guess you are going to be going through the questions already posted, so I'll sit here waiting to hear from you!

[pofacedandproud]

And welcome!

[JustScreamMumsnet]

Slight tech hitch - David Salisbury's computer has crashed just as he was hitting post - so bear with us!

[VulpusinaWilfsuit]

Thanks for coming to MN.

I'd like to know what the position is (if any) for young children with 'as yet not formally diagnosed' asthma, and the SF vaccine. My 5 year old is in this position. I am not yet sure whether I want him to have it or not, but we are in limbo, as the GP is not yet prepared to formally provide a diagnosis. From my experience on MN this is the case for many people with persistent cough/wheeze etc.

My son is on the steroid prevented inhaler (Beclamethazone? 50mg x 2 pd) but we have just been told to 'wait and see' regarding his symptoms.

I am unsure whether - if he has asthma - to push for the vaccine (and whether he is entitled to have it in the first wave of 'vulnerable' people); or to assume he does not, and perhaps put him at further risk.

Thanks
Rebecca