Yes, we know it's sweltering high summer but... flu vaccines for all children? Your thoughts?

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

We thought you might be interested to know that today the Department of Health announced that all two to 17-year-olds in the UK are to be offered annual flu vaccinations - though the programme won't start rolling out till 2014.

Until now, only children in at-risk groups, with conditions such as asthma, cerebral palsy or heart conditions, were eligible to get the vaccine on the NHS.

According to the BBC, children will be immunised using a nasal spray rather than an injection. (The injectable flu vaccine will still be offered to the over-65s, pregnant women and those with medical conditions such as asthma.)

Uptake will be voluntary but the Government believes the programme will lead to a 40% drop in the number of people catching flu, as well as 11,000 fewer hospitalisations and 2,000 fewer deaths a year.

So.... good idea? Or not? Would you take up the offer of flu vaccinations for your children?

Please do tell...

I am disinclined to get my dds vaxed for a plethora of reasons.

If the predicted statistics are correct then it's got to be a good thing.

Wasn't there some concern about a link between the swine flu jab and narcolepsy in little children though? Or has that been disproved - I haven't seen it mentioned for a while.

Fantastic announcement, less chance of taking time off work & hate to see kids super ill, too. I'll sign up as soon as they let us.

Nope. It might be anecdotal but all the people I've seen get the jab have been the ones to go on and fall ill. There is no one strain to vaccinate against.

God, yes, I would take it up for DS1, I get a jab as a carer, DD gets one as she has cardiac issues, DS2 gets one because he has severe asthma. But every year, without fail, less than a week before our appointments for the jabs, DS1 will catch flu...

And by then, DS3 will be well over 2yo, so I would take it up for him as well. It still puzzles me that I can get one as I am a carer for one DC with severe asthma, and another with cardiac problems, yet their siblings can't get the jab. Always makes me .

Plus as we all had swine flu, and I nearly died because of it, I would jump at the chance of even lowering the risks.

After I had swine flu, over a period of 8 months, I had 3 chest infections that took 6-8 weeks EACH to clear, and then I ended up with pneumonia. As I have allergies to anything penicillin based, and can't take quino AB's due to having epilepsy (they make seizures worse), they struggled to treat it, and I nearly died. I had a collapsed lung, and have been left with permanent lung damage.

The only saving grace of the swine flu was that it was what made me stop smoking.

Really pleased to see this news. This last winter we took all the kids to be vaccinated (at our expense) and I was especially pleased the youngest was done, as she had missed out on the swine flu jab because they didn't get round to me when I was pregnant and then she was too young. DH and I always get it done for less than a tenner in one of the supermarkets, but the kids are more expensive. As a soon to be family of 6, a bout of flu could wipe us out for many weeks and totally unecessarily given that the vaccine is widely used in other countries.

Not bothered about the delivery system, in fact would rather they introduced the injection this year than waited any longer.

I'm pleased - dd gets it anyway but I think it's great that other parents will be given the choice too. it's not only at risk groups that get severe complications from flu and I've read statistics in the past that seem to indicate that where children are vaccinated, the population as a whole has a lower incidence of flu. Children are rather good at spreading it.

dd has the jab but no, I wouldn't get the others done as they are otherwise well and I do think the immune system should have some chance to do what it was mean't to do.

No thanks.

Yes. Dd1 has one anyway, and either DH or I get one as her carer. I would love dd2 and ds to be able to get it too.

The reasoning behind it seems sound. So,it's a yes from me.
BUT
How/why is this nasal delivery preferred?
Must not be at the expense of other (adult) needs.

I see this like the rubella (german measles) vaccine. The children don't suffer like the oldies.

Is this proposed for the greater good then?

As grandmother and minder to four granchildren, I welcome the idea.

Lets hope whoever is developing this is thinking about potential selection pressures

Hmm, lack of peer-reviewed evidence is a concern. I am also sceptical that one vaccine can protect against many strains of flu (kids all fully vaccinated)

On the fence for now.

No, because like saggermaker said about our immune systems.

flu is a bugger so I think this is excellent. Don't like antibiotics though, managed to get DS through 10 years without any. If he needs them in future, they'll work! This is v good, though, will help immuno suppressed, elderly, etc.

Wouldn't take ds and dd1 to have it done as they are both fairly resilient when it comes to illlness and bounce back from things really quickly. Don't really want to give them something they don't need.

On the other hand dd2 was hospitalized with flu last year. She was very, very poorly and it was frightening to watch her disintegrate so quickly. Took her months to fully recover. She catches everything going and seems to be twice as poorly as any of her friends who have the same bug. For this reason, I would definately take her to have it.

In my usual long winded way, suppose I'm trying to say it depends on the child whether its a good idea or not.

I wouldn't get my children vaccinated, Ds2 has a severe egg allergy, and therefore wouldn't get it. I wouldn't let my DS1 have it, as I don't have enough confidence in the health professionals.

1 professional advised me to give my DS2 (the DS who has a egg allergy) the flu vaccine for swine flu. It was only because the GP, asked me to recheck with the consultant, because of his egg allergy.

Having had flu twice and both times ended up with pneumonia I would not like my children to feel as ill (and have the long recovery time) I had so yes I would take up the vaccine.

Vaccines are developed each year dependent on the predicted strain so it might not always appear to provide complete immunisation but I would still take up the vaccine

DS1 has mild asthma which tends to manifest itself when he has even the slightest cold. MIL is in her 70s and has a hole in her heart which is just beginning to be a worry, but she suffers badly with breathlessness in winter when she's "well". I'd go for the flumist, but I'd like to see anyone get anywhere near either of my boys with ASD with it :o

No thanks. We're all healthy, no immune or chronic conditions. Unnecessary imo.

I would, flu is nasty and it's not something you ever really build up a natural immunity to. I had the jab when pg and am happy for DS to get it. The nasal bit is interesting if I was offered the choice I'd have the jab!

I am interested that so many of you say yes.
I am usually very pro vaccines, all mine have had everything, plus a couple of extras when we lived overseas.

But I really don't want them to have a flu vaccine. It feels like one step too far, not sure why.