should my 5 year old get the swine flu jab?

will you get your child immunised against swine flu?

  • i will have my child immunised

    Votes: 15 51.7%
  • i will not have my child immunised

    Votes: 8 27.6%
  • i am not sure

    Votes: 2 6.9%
  • i would like more research done before i decide

    Votes: 4 13.8%

  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .

abs

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with the government rolling out swine flu jabs for children aged between 6months - 5 years. would you get your child immunised. my 5 1/2 year old daughter had an appointment for a jab tomorrow but we cancelled last minute because we we unsure of long term side effects. has there been enough research done? could we start a poll and could others share their opinions. thanks in advance :thumbsup:
 
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We're having the same concerns.

Our 2 yr old daughter has had an invite - but we're unsure. Part of me thinks that it's just another strain of a well tested flu jab, part of me thinks the whole thing was rushed.

Each time I think of her not having it, I think of the potential trouble it may cause if she actually caught it. Having said that, she had a very nasty flu like illness just before xmas with high temperature and chest infection - perhaps she already had it.. who knows.

I think we'll probably get it done.
 
Opting out on my 3.

They have had so many flu like symptoms over the last 6 months and the chances are they already had some of it.

Balancing the odds/uncomfort/effects/fatality, decided to take a little chance.

If we were offered earlier on, probably would have taken it.
 
Same situation for us, our 2.5 year has had an invite but we're also not sure about long term side effects.

Need to do some research, but even then I wonder whether we might be just listening to scaremongering.
 
My 18 month old had flu symptoms over Xmas and i am glad he never got vaccinated for it as it would affect his overall defence mechanism.
 
I am taking my son and daughter for their vaccinations on Wednesday. I don't have any reason to question medical professionals. If they tell me it is beneficial to my kids, it's good enough for me.


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If I answer the poll for me then it would be a yes but if I was to answer it for my wife it would be a no.

We have a clash. I'm the same as Sebastalona and have no reason to doubt that the medical profession would do any thing to harm us. Whereas my wife is having none of it. She has been offered it and won't have it.
 
Seem to recall government sacked professor drug advisor.....

NHS have not taken any considerations of any past symptoms my childs had in the past 6 months (for the jab)and if the NHS had the time and resources to tell me that under these specific scenarios it is likely to be benifical, then I will definite consider more towards it.

Ths fact is NHS did not even have resources to mass confirm swine flu via DNA/Lab testing.

In fact the country is so broken (not working) that I could not even test my child for swine flu privately (mail strikes over multiple times of when there were symptoms)
 
Seem to recall government sacked professor drug advisor.....

Err that was from the committee for recreational drugs.

Ths fact is NHS did not even have resources to mass confirm swine flu via DNA/Lab testing.

Of course not - no county does - what would be the point?
 
Maybe I have been mis-informed or have some mis-understanding.

If you have had swine flu, you may well develope some form of immunity and therefore jab maybe fairly statisticly less important.
 
with the government rolling out swine flu jabs for children aged between 6months - 5 years. would you get your child immunised. my 5 1/2 year old daughter had an appointment for a jab tomorrow but we cancelled last minute because we we unsure of long term side effects. has there been enough research done? could we start a poll and could others share their opinions. thanks in advance :thumbsup:

You have to weigh up chances of long term side effects, against the chances of long term side effects of flu and the chance of catching it.

It is a difficult assement to make - consider this article - linking a so say similar vaccine in 1976 to 25 deaths from Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Of course if you actually look at the science behind the situation (as per this article) we find that.

Flu vaccines may cause GBS in 10 in a million cases

But Flu itself will cause GBS in 40 -70 per million cases
So in other words looking just at GBS, if you reckon the chances of you getting swine flu (however mild) are more than 25% you should certainly have the vaccine.

Somehow you then have to find the same information across all the other possible side effects - no one said being a parent was easy.

Myself and my 13 year old son have been vaccinated. (pre existing conditions) - if I had a child under 5, I would (on balance) get them immunised as well.

However logically I would say that - as the sensible thing to do with immunisations is persuade everyone else to have it, so you don't have to :)
 
I had my 2yr9m old son vaccinated in the weeks before Xmas because he was born extremely premature and at the time they were expecting a big increase in new cases between Xmas & New Year. I also had the shot along with the Mrs, but our now 2 month old daughter is still too young to be given it.

If I was offered it now, I would be unsure as the virus does not seem as prevalent. I think I would still get him jabbed though due to when he was born.
 
I will be having my son immunised even though I had swine flue last year and he did not get it...can't be too careful. The way I see it is, get him vaccinated and he might have a sore arm...don't get him vaccinated and he might die.
 
1. Government not able to lab test all swine flu.
2. Government not even able to provide postal service for swine flu to be tested (phone up but order not taken because of strike).
3. Government could not get GP to agreed to give jab earlier because cannot agreed extra pay to GP, also logistics problem apparently.
4. Government admit possible waste too much money on this contract without break clauses and may have ordered too many.

Trust them.........

1. There are also reports there could be a lot of swine flu case without symptoms
2. Swine flu may not be as deadly as thought when vaccine was ordered.
3. This is a mass vaccination, it may not take any consideration of your child if swineflu-ed already. In fact, I have heard a child has been offered swine flu vaccine even after confimation of lab test by NHS.

Under our circumstances with many flu symptoms in the past 6 months, we decide for a gamble to opt out. I really hope it is best for them, fingers and toes crossed.

Everyone else, please listen to the government.
 
Call me ignorant, but I can't understand why, as a parent, you would even question this? I really don't believe that the NHS would roll out a nation wide vaccination programme if there hadn't been enough research done to ensure it was safe.

If you go abroad, do you question the vaccinations you are advised to take? No, because you assume that it is safe and in your best interest.


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Keydude, Technically a vaccine isn't a drug, but I take your point. There are no safe drugs just as there are no safe diseases.
 
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So in other words looking just at GBS, if you reckon the chances of you getting swine flu (however mild) are more than 25% you should certainly have the vaccine.
As things stand now, what are the chances of getting swine flu?
 
There are better statiscal choice/decisions.

I just hope I am on the right side.
 
As things stand now, what are the chances of getting swine flu?

I've no idea - traditionally around 30% or so of people would expect to get flu in a pandemic

But antivirals may have reduced that - and as more people get vaccinated the chance will fall still further.
 
I personally wouldn't get it.

(That's with my work hat off ;)
 
Potential side effects of getting the swine flu vaccination are no way near as severe as the potential complications of contracting swine flu in an "at risk" person.

Remember the completely unfounded fuss over MMR?
 

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