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Good idea ?
Terrible idea ?
Ours are due on Thursday. Not sure what to do. Conflicting rumours etc.
There is no good reason not to get your kids vaccinated.
We've decided not to do it.
Official figures say about 50% take-up and to be honest I'm not entirely comfortable we know everything about these vaccines etc. Both of my boys are in great health. I think if they had any health issues which might make then susceptible to swine flu I might think twice.
be honest I'm not entirely comfortable we know everything about these vaccines etc
*sigh*
This flu vaccine is no different to the seasonal flu vaccine that gets produced every year, with the excpetion that given we knew exactly what strain to design it for it is likely to be more effective than a seasonal flu one.
Both of my boys are in great health
Being in good health does not mean that you won't be badly affected by 'flu. Plenty of otherwise healthy people have been severly affected by the 'flu.
As far as I have been able to make out the vaccine reduces the risk of a potentially serious (and sometimes fatal) virus with the only significant side effect being a sore arm.
YOu are balancing the risk of serious complications from swine flu against the probable minor side effects from the vaccine and the unknown ( but very low) risk of serious side effects from the vaccine. YOu also need to consider how likely it is that thaey will get swine flu - I don't know what the infection rates are at teh moment or where here are clusters of infection.
Children under 5 have a higher risk of complications from swine flu than the general population for reasons I don't understand.
Not an obvious call either way IMO.
Yep, currently seems to be something like:
risk of infection: small and dropping
risk of complications from infection: small
risk of unknown issues with vaccine: minuscule
The actual sizes of "small" and "minuscule" seem to be unknown, so it's hard to assess the risk. But from what I've read I think it's fair to say that there is a much greater risk associated with not having the vaccine.
Speak to your GP or another trusted med bod, do not use stw as a legitmate site of medical knowledge. please.
Bah, some old duffer GP isn't going to know any more than the STW Hive Mind. 😀
My advice is.
It's your kid not Gonefishin's, if you decide to have then there should be no complications. If you don't there a risk of swine flu but not as great as the press love to make out. If they get swine flu there's chance they could become seriously ill with it, not a high one but a chance.
Me I choose not to as didn't think it was necessary and pretty sure my kids had the a flu before Xmas.
[i]Speak to your GP or another trusted med bod, do not use stw as a legitmate site of medical knowledge. please[/i]
He's right as medical people don't post on forums.
He's right as medical people don't post on forums.
yeah that was totally the point i was making. 🙄
Regardless fontmoss he's after opinions not medical advice.
my opinion is that he should seek medical advice
(not medical advice from a forum regardless of the source)
Ummed and arred but our 3 yr old had it, no worries at all. Couldn't forgive myself if he contracted it and was a rare case f extreme reaction
my opinion is that he should seek medical advice
Surely the official medical advice is "get vaccinated", otherwise why run large scale vaccination programmes?
Surely the official medical advice is "get vaccinated", otherwise why run large scale vaccination programmes?
yeah but they're better placed to answer questions about it IMHO
plus I feel a decent GP whom you trust is better than garnering the collective knowledge of a bike forum, also if you have a med person in the family/friends then they'll give you an honest opinion (id hope a GP would too)
but yeah i concede the party line is its a good thing
A medical person at a professional level will give you the advice they have to follow. A medical person outside of work who can trust the person they are talking to will give they're opinion.
My professional advice is, if your worried then get vaccinated.
For my kids I choose not too, what people do for their kids is their choice.
My 2 year old son had it 2 weeks ago. I'm pleased we did it. Of course it's a bit sad watching the poor fella get a jab and a bit of a temperature(it didnt last very long) after but I believe it to be the best decision. Maybe he's already had the virus maybe not? We all had some sort of lurgy last year.
If the virus mutates into a "nastier" version next year at least he may have some protection.
Obviously you have asked the doc and he has suggested it..Nothing wrong with asking opinion on a bike forum IMO!
A medical person at a professional level will give you the advice they have to follow.
i know where you're coming from but what i was driving at was speak to your GP if your GP is someone whose opinion you trust or alternatively and/or additionally a medical person within your family/group of friends
[i]If the virus mutates into a "nastier" version next year at least he may have some protection. [/i]
If it mutates he'll have none.
But yes peace of mind is something worth considering and the ill effects of temps are no worse than their other jabs.
That makes more sense font. 😀
lol cheers Drac but im not sure its that far from what i said originally
Speak to your GP or another [b]trusted[/b] med bod, do not use stw as a legitmate site of medical knowledge. please.
but yeah i didnt make it as clear as i should have 🙂
Not hugely but there are some very qualified medical bods on here, GPs and A+E Drs, sorry A+E Docs if you consultants it's easier to call you Drs.
My advice on this is a little limited as it's not our field but we have had some info on it as we do get asked. GrahamS had it right as the offical line is, get them inoculated. This could be seen as good sounds advice or the government being massively over cautious to avoid back lash. That you'll have to deicide, I know what I think.
im not arguing that there aren't well qualified people on here but being able to talk to someone who is informed [i]and[/i] whom you trust is a big deal plus the fact we can all pretend we're Travis Brown* on a forum.
i also understand where you're coming from with the professional/personal slant, uptake has been pretty varied professionally
*insert favoured cycling bod here
I would pretend I was Travis Brown but no idea who he is.
I would pretend I was Drac but he might get cross.
It is interesting that on several threads on here there has been debate about the swine flu vaccination and the people that are most dubious about it are the medical professionals of various sorts although opinion amongst them is divided as well.
I have not had it and if I had children they would not be having it. I don't feel very strongly either way but I am far from convinced of the need unless you are in an at risk group which I am not. Under 5s do have a higher risk of complications than the general population tho.
[i]I would pretend I was Drac but he might get cross.[/i]
lol It'll take a lot more than that.
t is interesting that on several threads on here there has been debate about the swine flu vaccination and the people that are most dubious about it are the medical professionals of various sorts although opinion amongst them is divided as well.
TJ that is perilously close to an argument from authority. As far as I'm aware you do not work in infections diseases and Drac is a paramedic (and has stated that it is outside his speciality) although I stand to be corrected on these facts. This being the case then your opinions are not necessarily more valid than those of us, and I include myself in this, who have little or no specific medical training but who have taken the time to read and listen to the opinions of those who are experts in the area.
[i]This being the case then your opinions are not necessarily more valid than those of us[/i]
Whilst the Flu jab is out of my field the risks it leads to I have lots experience in treating, diagnosing and assessing. So if they did show I'd spot it early, start my own treatment and know when to call for help. This is why I'm was happy to not let my kids have it. Essentially the info I have been given is pretty much the standard given to the NHS staff.
If your not happy to take these risks then get the jab but it's purely down to the parents choice, it's their kid no pressure should be put on either way.
If it mutates he'll have none.
It ain't necessarily so. There was a paper from Mexico, where swine flu was first recognised, that reported that people who had had the 2008-2009 seasonal flu jab which contained, as it happened, a strain of H1N1 although definitely NOT the swine flu strain, seemed to have some protection in the form of less likelihood of getting the disease, less admissions and no deaths compared with those who hadn't. The original article was in the British Medical Journal and there is a fair summary [url= http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/10October/Pages/Seasonal-jab-and-swine-flu.aspx ]here[/url] Not the greatest study but it suggests that previous exposure to a similar virus or vaccination against a similar virus may protect you somewhat.
Gonefishin.
. I have some background in understanding the risks and effects but if you actually read what I say I give no recommendation and I do say opinion is divided. I also state that under 5s are more vulnerable.
Read both my posts on this thread. I discuss how to assess the risks and then say what I have done. I do not recommend any particular course of action. I include what decent info I have including
Children under 5 have a higher risk of complications from swine flu than the general population for reasons I don't understand.Not an obvious call either way IMO.
I thought that was helpful to the chap in making up his mind.
interesting study ratadog but prob not big enough or useful enough to make any proper judgements from? do you know where the original article was in BMJ?
Thanks for the opinions yall.
Both are under five, & at busy Nurseries; both of which have had a staff member off with Swine-Flu recently. Docs / Health Visitors advice is to go with it, but decision not helped by "off-the-record" opinions from one or two medical people to not bother with it. Going to go with it. That's assuming the stomach bug thats gone through the family clears up by Thursday. Currently sat nursing the eldest.
at busy Nurseries; both of which have had a staff member off with Swine-Flu recently.
sounds like an increased risk of catching it to me.
Perfectly sensible decision.
I have no professional medical knowledge.
I read the official FAQs and advice.
I also read some alternative views and records of previous epidemics.
On balance, for children under 5 such as mine, I decided the greater risk by far lay in not vaccinating.
Both kids (2 and 4) had it with no tears and nothing more than a slightly sore arm for one and slightly worse night's sleep than usual for the other.
I was at a meeting a couple of weeks ago with various people responsible for public health in our region. The NHS guy gave his update - the current uptake of the childhood vaccine was something terrible like 5%. I asked him about that at the break and he said that the vaccine was no different to a normal seasonal 'flu vaccine, and if it had been ready sooner would have been included in that anyway.
This man had no reason not to tell me anything than the truth. Apparantly any vaccination programme can take decades to get good (70% ish) levels of uptake in the general population.
The uptake of vaccine has also potentially been affected by the fact that snow became the most important news item over the past month, and that the cold weather has also helped to control the disease by stopping people getting out and about and mixing with one another.
my 2p worth. There were lots of arguments over the same thing for pregnant women too (my wife had it). A lot of the points against were based on not quite correct assumptions put about by the media. Do some googling and have a look at the research papers that are available. That will give you a better base for a decision.
the cold weather has also helped to control the disease by stopping people getting out and about and mixing with one another.
Round here the snow resulted in the kids going out and mixing with each other much more than normal at this time of year!
2 kids here - 3yrs and 18 months. Neither are having it.
[i]The uptake of vaccine has also potentially been affected by the fact that snow became the most important news item over the past month, and that the cold weather has also helped to control the disease by stopping people getting out and about and mixing with one another.[/i]
So 2 weeks made a whole difference, yeah right.
sorry STW - the NHS know nothing! The key comment the guy made was that there is normally a 2nd flu peak after xmas when people go back to work and schools return. this didnt really happen at the normal time this year, so people who were infectious were not mixing in nice warm buildings where the infection would thrive.
was just passing on a comment from a health professional whom I imagine would know a lot more about vaccination programmes than the average stw member.
Ah yes that's right I forgot no one has gone back to work yet, silly me.
GrahamS - Member
Yep, currently seems to be something like:risk of infection: small and dropping
risk of complications from infection: small
risk of unknown issues with vaccine: minuscule
thought risk of complications is substantially higher in infants especially chest/breathing?
antigee - yes it would appear so - still small but higher than the general population
no but a lot of people did delay. the news made a big fuss on the millions our economy was losing.
[i]no but a lot of people did delay. the news made a big fuss on the millions our economy was losing. [/i]
So because there was a delay that made all the difference as Swine Flu had been booked in for the week before. I'm sorry but I don't buy it, people still went back to work in largish numbers, the schools were delayed yes but a majority of places went back as normal.
