Flu Vaccine - to get or not?

[Fresh01]

Got a letter in from GP's this morning advising me that they are running Flu Vaccination Clinics and did I want one, now can't decide if I do want one or not - currently 27 weeks?

I didn't have one when pregnant with DC1 or DC2 but I did have one 2 years ago with DC3 as that was when they were advising the mass flu vaccination for pregnant ladies due to swine flu. As far as I am aware swine flu is not as common any more and they have combined the swine flu vaccine into the normal flu jab anyway.

Just wondered what others were planning to do as I hadn't put any thought into it until I got this letter.

Err, I am planning on getting the vaccine. Firm believer in vaccines, but will be asking if celvapan is an option in my area. If not I will be getting pandemrix (which seems to be the most commonly offered one).

The narcolepsy link is only a risk factor for children and teens.

You'll get whatever vaccine they think is going to be of most risk - probably swine flu thus. They might even wish to give you both.

p.s. The other thread I linked is mostly pro-vaccine too...

I'm definitely getting the jab, just waiting until my next ante-natal appt at 20 wks to confirm with dr. I think anyone who's ever had the 'real' flu that wipes you out for 10 days (not those who you hear saying 'Oh I've got the flu' but it's really only a bad head cold for a couple of days!!!!) tend to go for the jab. We are offered it at work and the only ones not opting for the jab this year are those who've not had the flu before. I would be getting it even if I wasn't pregnant. I have a work colleague who got swine flu a couple of weeks after giving birth in Nov 09 and the baby also got it... they were both fine in the end but it was a very worrying few days for them. It's a personal decision of course, but for me it's a no brainer.

I'm dubious about having the Flu jab, mainly because my grandfather stopped having it a a few years ago because for 3 years running he'd been really ill with flu-like symptoms/heavy cold straight after the jab (he's now 85), and a 60 something friend of a friend developed a serious case of Guillain-Barre syndrome (a known side effect of flu jab in something like 3 in 1million cases) within hours of having the jab 5-6 years ago, spent 5 months in intensive care and still has no feeling in his hands or legs.

Please let me make this clear - I'm not trying to scare anyone out of having the vaccination if they think it's the best choice for them. However, the experience of people I know makes me question if it would be the best for me.

I would advise everybody to ask for the information leaflet that comes with the vaccine itself (not the one produced by the Doctors Surgery or the Local NHS Trust - the one that comes in the packet with the drug) so they can read the information themselves and make an informed decision. That's what I'll be doing.