I'm a GP, I've had it, and have no hesitation recommending it to pregnant friends.
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Swine flu jab - wife's 29 weeks pregnant. Would you?
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Posted 2 years ago #
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I feel that any healthcare professionals refusing to have the jab are shunning their duty to the greater good.
I am not actually 'refusing' to have it but having seen 1st hand some quite nasty adverse reactions, I have decided not to make the effort to go and get it
In addition, having been exposed at close quarters a mimimum of 30 times over the past couple of months to probable 'flu/swine flu sufferers it is probably a waste of time having it at this late stage.
Posted 2 years ago # -
really?? we've already immunised thousands and had no serious reactions- scared of the needle woody cluck cluck cluck!!?? :wink:- only kidding it's your choice in the end.
Both my wife and I have had it - both docs, made us feel a bit viral the next day and a sore deltoid for 3-4 days- that's it. Obviously there may be a few rare serious reactions. You are much more likely to come to harm mountain biking than through the swine flu jab.
The reason why I feel NHS staff should have it is because if we all go down en masse with swine flu then the system will fail at a time of high need- we have a duty to our patients to have it done as it is now a preventable illness. And if your a doc the GMC includes this in the duty of a doctor details and it only takes one smart arse lawyer to make a neglicence claim against you if you infect a patient with a preventable illness- hard to prove but stressful all the same
And if you've had proper swine flu you'll know about it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
My wife is due to give birth on Friday (20/11/09) and is having her jab tomorrow, mainly to cover herself & to give the little one some immunity.
Posted 2 years ago # -
drnick
You are undoubtedly right and I would have had the jab (as I have for the past few years) if the effort had been made by my employer to make it easier to get. A round trip of 2 hours to head office on my day off didn't appeal !
Posted 2 years ago # -
huh? Surely if she has already had it then there is no benefit it getting the vaccine now?
Right, I checked with the boss. The medical advice (at least here in BC) is still to get the vaccine even if you suspect you've had the flu, for 2 reasons:
1) Unless you've actually been tested you don't know if it really was H1N1.
2) You can't be sure you've got enough antibodies, better safe than sorry.And in relation to DrNick's point, my wife is a nurse manager of a HIV outpatients clinic (high-risk patient group). When the vaccine was first made available here a few weeks ago, my wife organised the vaccination program in her clinic and was expressly reminded by management that staff were NOT to be vaccinated at that time as they were not in the 1st phase. Surprise surprise, a week later and 6 out of the 7 clinic nurses spent the week at home with suspected swine flu. Cue scenes of organisational chaos and senior management being drafted back to the clinic floor after years behind a desk. DOH!
Posted 2 years ago # -
A 19 year old girl and her 38 week old unborn child died in the resus room of A&E around the corner from me a few weeks ago. Swine flu, pregnant but otherwise well.
No-brainer. Known risk versus theoretical risk.
My GP wife was advising a pregnant friend on this last night.. Our friend is 14 weeks pregnant. Advice was by this stage baby is relatively well developed and therefore lower risk of damage. The more pregnant you are the safer it is.
I know three pregnant doctors who have had it, and they are the worst for worrying about these sorts of things!
Posted 2 years ago #
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