Flu jab/spray for child - yes or no?

[Mamabear256]

Evening everyone

My reception child has been offered the flu nasal spray at school, I’m 50/50 as to whether or not to give permission for it. I know the flu is horrible, but looking at death rates the risk seems very low, and surely it’s better to allow the body deal with it naturally and build immunity itself? Also the thought of him having it every single year seems a bit excessive. But then I know I’d never forgive myself if he got really ill from it.

I am not an antivaxer. He’s had all his required jabs. Just wondered what other people do / think?

My son was hospitalised with flu as a baby because the in-laws forgot to get their flu jabs. All of us in the family who are eligible get it done every year and I may the in-laws until they get theirs done.

Flu can be pretty awful and its not just the very low chance of death you are preventing. You are also reducing the chance they end up ill in hospital or even just missing a week of school unnecessarily. You are also reducing the chance they bring it home and infect you or other more vunerable family members like grandparents.

I didn't get my vaccination for years and caught a nasty case of flu on holiday one year. It was awful and I have never missed a vaccination since. The one time I had it as a child when vaccination wasn't offered I was off school for at least a week and missed something I had really been looking forward too.

Yes of course

I had flu once. I got up for a drink only got as far of the sofa where I lay shivering for over an hour until my mum came home. There was a blanket at the other be end of the sofa but reaching it required more energy than I had. I have paid for the flu jab every year since. My sister's both had it in school and had 3 weeks off school each.
My daughter is 4 and has had the flu vaccine every year she's been eligible even though she ended up in paeds due to the menB at 4 months she's had every vaccine since and will have all vaccines available to her.
My schooling was impacted by having reoccurring tonsillitis. I had it 6-12 times a year and the factor that triggered the ent referral was the amount of time off sick from school. Once seen by the ent Dr they agreed there was a clinical need not just school issue. Even 20+ years later I recall the anxiety of being in a class and not knowing what the teacher is talking about or missed half the project they were doing. The amount my daughter has learnt in the first 6 weeks of school I want to avoid her having prolonged periods out of school feeling ill. If it was hard enough as a 12 yo nevermind a 4 yo!

Flu mutates, and there are several strains of it circulating all the time. The flu vaccine is specific only to one of them. I know several people who get flu jabs every year and every year they end up having a flu.
And to be clear, I'm not anti vax, my child has been vaccinated for all standard stuff but I never allowed flu jabs and never had any myself.

Last year our grandson caught a bug at nursery and was really poorly, he's normally in perpetual motion but he lay on the couch for almost a week, spiking temp, barely moving, not eating and showing no interest in toys, TV, etc. A couple of days after he fell ill his parents both went down with it and are agreed they felt more ill than they ever have before, both bedbound for days and really unwell for about a week after.
The only person who escaped it was granddaughter, aged 6, who had the flu spray at school. We assume it was flu and DD has insisted the whole family get vaccinated this year as she says she never wants to have anything like that again so I would recommend you go for it

One of my kids was in hospital for 9 days with flu, when he was too young to have had the vaccine. I’m not going through that again!

Define chemical.

Yes, mine get it every year. The year before covid, a healthy 18mo in my birth month group ended up touch and go in the ICU with flu, and a friend's healthy mum in her early 60s died from it.

Anything that stops it spreading is worth doing in my book, and if it means we get less sick too even better. The kids get theirs, I get mine as I'm asthmatic, and DH often gets it through work too.

The vaccine isn’t specific to only one strain. It has three or four.
https://www.who.int/news/item/23-02-2024-recommendations-announced-for-influenza-vaccine-composition-for-the-2024-2025-northern-hemisphere-influenza-season

Flu mutates so you can't build immunity to it. It's different every year, and they try to match up the jab with the flu strains likely to be circulating.

I've had flu once, in my 20s, and it was so awful I've paid for a jab every year since as I don't want to go through that again! I couldn't stand up, let alone walk, temperature spikes, feeling indescribably awful, foggy brain afterwards. I don't want my child going through that either so she always has the nasal spray vaccination at school (and at the GP when preschool age).

It also protects older and more vulnerable people in the community too.

Have u ever had flu op? I’ve had it and it was absolutely bloody awful, covid didn’t touch the sides of it therefore if I can do anything to stop my kids getting it then that’s what I’ll do .

My girls got poorly all the time after having it was doing more bad than good! 4 years without it and they get the odd cold like we all do. A lot of the kids had the nasal one in school and have been off ill.

I say no see how your little one goes if you really want it get it done in the gp you have options.

I just don't trust what's in them if I'm honest a lot of the year 2s to year 6s said it burned them and then they are poorly.

Your the mum you decide don't go by what any of us say 😃 xxx

Just get the vaccine.

I'm in the same boat as you, undecided about my preschool age daughter

Do what you think is best don't be pushed into it or out of it x

@Mumpc12zxz

I'm undecided, I've never had the flu but I am pregnant and due in December. My thinking was I should get it and my daughter should get it to protect the baby as well as ourselves.

But when I mentioned it to my partner he seemed undecided too. He actually had stomach flu last winter but neither of us caught it.

I'm not anti vax either, I just don't want to get it if it's not necessary

It's hard to know what to do when there is little information out there giving you all the facts to make an informed decision

I would get it. I know of a guy who got flu in his early 30s spent weeks on a ventilator in ICU and then needed to learn to walk again because his muscles had wasted away. His wife was pregnant at the time and they had a toddler. He worked in fitness so was a healthy guy but obviously couldn't work for months on end.

Mines had her vaccine every year it's been available to her, just as i have. Rather not risk it

Being pregnant and unable to take various meds, and then getting the flu would be horrific. If your baby was here you wouldn’t be able to care for them properly. I’d get it due to those reasons.

I have had 4 pregnancies had the the flu vaccine on one I was so poorly had a rash all over my body looked like a lobster aching sweating was horrible never had it again. Won't ever have it again my January baby and pregnancy up until jan was fine through the flu months!

DD just had hers and she’s 2.

OP why get him to build immunity naturally when you can hand it to him on a plate (well, swab). What’s the benefit? My 2 older kids have had it every year, never any repercussions and never any flu 🤷🏻‍♀️

I had flu, Covid and whooping cough vaccines in my last pregnancy. Thank god as I also got Covid at 36 weeks and it was horrific even having been vaxxed - dread to think how awful it would have been if I hadn’t been vaxxed!

Stomach flu is nothing to do with influenza is it?? 😵‍💫

Flu is an absolutely horrible illness and unlike a lot of childhood illnesses can be very serious indeed for children and young people. The flu vaccine has been around and used and tested for a very long time, I don't know why anyone would refuse it for their child or themselves if offered. My granddaughter had hers today, puff up the nose, no issues whatsoever. I'm having my jab tomorrow.

My fit and healthy 10 year old ended up on a ventilator because of flu. She recovered thankfully but it's not an experience I'd wish on anyone.

Take the vaccine.