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Swine flu vaccine to be given to under-5's ?

Heard this on the news today - which means my dd will be eligable but not my 2 older boys.

Will you let your los have it? I have been reading the threads on pregnancy forum with interest, and have been feeling relieved that I didn't have to make that decision myself.

They said that the under 5's are the most likely group to be hospitalised when they have no underlying health problems, so I think if she is offered it, she will have it.

Mx
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Replies

  • I know what you mean about sensationalising it - some of these news reports are scary! This week we got a letter from my boys school saying 'more suspected cases of swine flu' etc, but they don't actually know it's swine flu and not just any old bug going around, do they?

    My mum reckons she had it - because she had a lot of the symptoms - but she managed to carry on and go into work! I thought with swine flu and real flu you were in bed for a week. My sister thought she had it but it turned out to be a hangover lol!

    Mx
  • My sister was told when she was doing work experience that with flu, if there was a ??20 outside your house you wouldn't bother to go and get it, if you could be bothered to fetch it, then you didn't have flu :lol:
    I think mine will have it, I don't belive all the hype about it being 'rushed' through, it's just the seasonal flu jab with a different flu strain so they've been giving it for ages. Millie is at nursery school now, so at quite a high risk of catching it, Barney is the sort of child that makes a meal out of being a bit ill :roll: and I have asthma, so I think it is sensible for them ot have it.
    I did have suspected swine flu a couple of months ago, I definitely had flu but without a swab who's to know if it was swine flu or not.
    xx
  • Holly won't be having it, I think its been too rushed and in another forum I was reading that a mum had been asked if they could use her dd as a test case.
  • lo wont be having it and im a nurse and i wont be having it.purely because they are ultimately injecting you with the virus-i do think it is safe- but iv never taken up the flu jab either as everyone i have ever known who have it end up ill and i would rather take the risk of a bout of flu as it builds up imunity.i also believe it is a new strain of seasonal flu and thousands die from that every year-only 124 have died of swine flu.i understand that isnt helpful if its your loved 1 gets it and dies but in relation to seasonal flu its tiny.just my opinion.xxx
  • I totally agree with baby fizz.

    More people die of the seasonal flu and people dont think twice about it but as swine glu is new and not many people new about it the media has hyped it up. you dont hear anything in the news about all the people who die of influenza do you.

    Like babyfizz said they will be injecting you with the virus. and will therefore suffer with side effects. 'The following are common whole-body side effects occurring in response to the vaccination. Headache, Malaise (feeling out-of-sorts), Muscle pain, Chills, Nausea, Fever, Vomiting.'
    When I was a student I had the flu jab and never again. Its the only time I have ever had flu. My husband is a doctor so I will leave it to him to make the final decision but Im 99% sure he will say no.

    I've just been diagnoised with asthma after suffering with an exacerbation in the middle of the night recently. I will still deny it if I get the option. Its currently avaliable to those with serious asthma and caner and other serious health problems. It would be interesting to say how many drs and nurses actually agree with it.

    I also dont think enough research has been done. Like someone else has said it ahs been rushed due to media coverage and people asking when and injection will be made avaliable. Personal opinion hear of course

    [Modified by: Joey08 on November 19, 2009 08:08 PM]

  • I agree that it has all been hyped up. Although I am undecided on whether I should let my daughter have the injection. I would feel awful if I didn't let her have it and then she caught Swine Flu and was seriously ill with it. On the other hand if she became ill from the injection I would feel awful that i had actually let her have it! So hard to know what to do for the best!
  • Mmmm there are some very interesting points here.

    My point is this: yes thousands die from seasonal flu each year - BUT these are generally elderly and infirm people, people recovering from surgery, people with other health issues.

    The point with swine flu is that a disproportionate number of young and otherwise healthy people, who would normally fight off the normal seasonal flu, are ending up in hospital from swine flu and even dying. This echoes what happened with the Spanish flu in the 1920's - young and healthy people being at most risk from it - not the usual elderly etc affected badly by seasonal flu.

    Does anyone know - do young and otherwise healthy people die from seasonal flu each year? It's very difficult to tell if this is all media hype (I know there is some), or if it has hit the media because it is a real threat? I know everyone says oh they said this about SARS etc etc, but you know a real flu pandemic, if it happened, could be devastating.

    Mx

  • JJ will not be having it...

    this SF jab protects against the current strain which has weakened and is pretty easy to cure if u don't have health problems...

    however, if this "super strength" SF appears then the virus has mutated and the jab will be no use against it!
  • MrsJBourne, I'm not sure what you say is actually true, on another thread in baby someone posted a New Scientist article dispelling the myths around swine flu, and it has definately not weakened. One of the facts was - more young people have died from swine flu so far this 'winter flu season' than normally die during the whole of winter. And we're only in November.

    I'm not trying to talk anyone into having the jab, (that is your decision to make) but BEWARE THE MYTHS!

    Mx
  • Can I ask where everyone gets their information from on this? I haven't thought about the vaccine until I saw the news today, so don't know a great deal about it. My initial reaction is that I want lo to have the injection, I've looked at the WHO site and it all seems quite reasonable... is there anywhere else that I should be looking?
  • Mims, have a look at the post in Baby. Breiglin posted a link to a really good article from The New Scientist that explains all the myths, and facts, about swine flu and the jab. It made me even more convinced that if it's offered we'll have it.
    xx
  • Pepi will not be having it.I suppose it is everyones personal decision and we do not have the medical backround to decide if it is safe or not,but my mum( a former nurse)always remembers how one year she as a health worker had to be vaccinated against flu and then a few months later nearly died from it,having never had such a terrible flu before or since.I am just not comfortable with it for my lo and will not take it if pregnant.xx
  • Iv just had my swine flu vac done. Im a nurse and we are offered the vac if you want it. I didnt really want to get it done but it seemed the right thing to do for a number of reasons.

    Some research shows healthy children are more likely to be hospitalised with swine flu than elderly people as their immune systems are still underdeveloped.
    BUT
    im still unsure whether I want to have my 2 year vaccinated or not. It isnt the nicest injection iv had I had contraceptive injections for 7 years every 3 months so im not scared of needles. I felt a little tired after the jag and my arm is still a little sore 2 days later.

    I know the media is sensationalising things a bit but where I work in the NHS this is being taken very seriously. There are plans put in place if everyone on my ward is off ill with ? swine flu. Nobody has had swine flu yet.

    I think that figures are pobably high as some people might have normal seasonal flu but its misdiagnosed or people are just laying it on thick with a cold.
  • Thanks Bedhead, just had a look, our posts must have crossed lol!

    Just talking this over with my hubby, he can't believe some of the mis-information there is out there - he pointed out that it has not been rushed through at all - it they had rushed it through we would have got it in the summer.

    Poz, take a look at the post in baby, with the New Scientist article in it. My gut reaction was for baby to have the jab - I'm only sorry that the whole family can't have it! Some of the replies to this post did make me waver though, but tbh there is always scaremongering over every jab.

    Mx

    ps thanks ladies for all your responses (even negative, I do appreciate it) glad it has been a forum of opinions and no arguments.
  • Thanks for the tip, Bedhead, and Mims.- just had a look at the New Scientist article and it's confirmed my opinion that Beth will have the vaccine when offered. I'll keep an eye out for any changes, but nothing I've read so far has really made me doubt the vaccine.
  • sorry i didn't make myself clear...we're more "on top" of swine flu now because of knowledge of the symptoms etc so we're having medicine at the right time to fight it...i didn't mean the virus is actually getting weaker, i meant we're getting weaker doses because of medication/knowledge...that was my poor use of wording sorry!

    i guess it's all personal choice really but JJ will not be having it x
  • I have posted this in the baby thread about the same thing but thought I might mention that I have spoken to my neighbour this morning who is a paeds doctor at Alder Hay, she has just had the swine flu jab herself as has her 2 year old son. I asked her professional opinion as a doctor and a mother and she said that yes it is certainly worthwhile, the vaccine hasn't been rushed though and it could protect your child from what could be a serious illness. She also has a 7 week old baby and doesn't want her 2 year old to get swine flu and then pass it on to his baby sister.
    I was unsure at first when hearing the news last night but now I feel certain that I will be making sure my daughter is protected.
  • I will be consulting our gp & hv before (and if) Charlotte has hers. I want to get the facts not the urban myths that are doing the rounds, like on this post and others. I'm not going to say this that or the other about the jab as I don't know the facts so why should I scaremonger?!
  • ccbmommy, have a read of the link in the baby post as well. It's a really good, sensible article based on facts not myths.
  • Can someone please post a link to that article cos I can't find it in baby.
    Thanks. x
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