School wants to provide influenza vaccines for all kids, pay of course, whats the general consensus on this ?

I am not for it, not for something like the flu.

Kids have had all their shots as youngsters for the usual diseases, but not so sure about these annual shots for various ills.

There are some nasty strains of flu about. I believe the flu shot includes protection against avian influenza, which is often fatal. Suggest you get it for your child.

They have not had it the last 4 years on offer.

They say it will give them a fever for a few days.

Not so sure about it really.

May give them a fever, not will. Most cases not.

Maybe it is the "pay" requirement the OP does not like!

I would attempt by any means to protect a child from some of the nasty (and potentially fatal) influenza strains which are found in Asia.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Does the injection have the dead/inactive virus meaning that one cannot catch the flu where as the nasal spray has a weakened virus meaning that there is a small chance.

In any case, after a one month bout with the flu this year I'm consider getting it for myself.

Maybe it is the "pay" requirement the OP does not like!

I would attempt by any means to protect a child from some of the nasty (and potentially fatal) influenza strains which are found in Asia.

What a stupid comment.

I believe that flu shots protect against the "flavour of the month" or the "latest" flu virus and not necessarily all flu viruses. So the next evolution of the flu virus will not bethe same. Most healthy people will get flu and eventually shrug it off.

Unless your child has a weak immune system or long-term heart or respiratory disease it is not worth the bother let alone any money.

5 mins surfing for real medical sites like the UK NHS or the US CDC will put your mind at rest.

Edited November 12, 201312 yr by VocalNeal

Maybe it is the "pay" requirement the OP does not like!

I would attempt by any means to protect a child from some of the nasty (and potentially fatal) influenza strains which are found in Asia.

What a stupid comment.

Explain the "stupid" please !

What is "STUPID" about affording a child protection against a potentially fatal illness ?

I believe that flu shots protect against the "flavour of the month" or the "latest" flu virus and not necessarily all flu viruses. So the next evolution of the flu virus will not bethe same. Most healthy people will get flu and eventually shrug it off.

Unless your child has a weak immune system or long-term heart or respiratory disease it is not worth the bother let alone any money.

5 mins surfing for real medical sites like the UK NHS or the US CDC will put your mind at rest.

Yes one should read all about it !

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/child-flu-vaccine.aspx

Always useful to have the facts to hand

not true. here on our kibbutz, and in general health care clinics, all children receive it. asthmatics do not receive the nasal drops but the injection . every november people here are invited in to get the shot. also, large organizations, like large factories, the army etc also give the vaccine as part of health program.

i choose not to take it, i wish my hsuband would (him being a stubborn thai asthmatic who refuses any medical treatment). duaghter is enlisted and received it.

all teachers/caretakers receive it.

it seems to be effective in reducing down time and possible side affects of long term flu.

people dont tend to 'get flue' and shake it off. real flu tends to have a lot of down time and real side affects.

Maybe it is the "pay" requirement the OP does not like!

I would attempt by any means to protect a child from some of the nasty (and potentially fatal) influenza strains which are found in Asia.

What a stupid comment.

Explain the "stupid" please !

What is "STUPID" about affording a child protection against a potentially fatal illness ?

Your comment states that I may be too cheap to pay for this.

It was a stupid comment from you.

If it is a potential threat, no parent of any decency would be concerned about the minor cost of an injection.

What I am wondering is what is the risk over and above any other flu version that anyone can catch at any time of the year, anywhere and is this flu vaccine particularly worth an injection and why not then every other strain of every other disease known on the planet that there is a vaccine for nowadays.

I am a great believer in building your own immune system to ward of and fight disease should you come into contact with it.

I never take cold or flue or sore throat type medications for these ills, I always let my body fight and defeat it itself. I believe this naturally builds up ones own defenses and makes you stronger and able to naturally defeat the next round of disease you may come into contact with, not all disease obviously, the common ones that we can beat ourselves with a strong immune system within.

I think I have a system for killing a sore throat, might be hogwash, but it worked last 2 times I have had one and not one drop of medication and gone in circa 2 days.

The building immunity bit only works if you survive the illness.

Influenza can kill, and children have a higher fatality rate than adults.

The mortality rate for H5N1 -- which is endemic here - is especially high.

Flu spreads especially fast in institutional settings like schools. For that reason many schools make vaccination mandatory.

You seem, however, to have made up your mind prior to even posting this.

The building immunity bit only works if you survive the illness.

Influenza can kill, and children have a higher fatality rate than adults.

The mortality rate for H5N1 -- which is endemic here - is especially high.

Flu spreads especially fast in institutional settings like schools. For that reason many schools make vaccination mandatory.

You seem, however, to have made up your mind prior to even posting this.

Not at all, always open to change I am.

daughter got hers mandatory in the army, yesterday... a bit sore in the arm but no side affects, and she does have a low immune system so often reacts a bit to injections. in the past did feel 'down' the next day, this time round, she has no choice (army) so back to her post after the shot.

the OP seems to be confused by the common word : flu, as in, i have a flue/virus/cold whatever, and The Flu as in one of the identified flus that can be serious

Maybe it is the "pay" requirement the OP does not like!

I would attempt by any means to protect a child from some of the nasty (and potentially fatal) influenza strains which are found in Asia.

What a stupid comment.

Explain the "stupid" please !

What is "STUPID" about affording a child protection against a potentially fatal illness ?

The Elderly and those at high risk,for what is potentially deadly,are given free of charge flu vaccines,in the UK! every year in September.

First, you have to ask yourself whether it's really necessary. The elderly, those with compromised immune systems, yes, probably. Healthy children? Well, it's certainly not been standard practice in the west (though is creeping in - but is that from genuine medical need, or simply so the drug companies can profit?).

Then there are the risks. Pandemrix (a flu vaccine from GlaxoSmithKlein) has caused hundreds of cases of narcolepsy in children/teenagers across Europe. The cause of the problem is believed to be the adjuvant AS03. I suspect that an adjuvantless vaccine would be safer in that it doesn't contain quantities of "dirt" (technical term) that allows the manufacturer to put less of the virus into each shot, thus saving it money and allowing it to make more profit.

I am against vaccines for small problems like flue.

But as Sheryl pointed out there are some nasty ones as well.

No one in our family every took a flu vaccine....but I would not recommend someone to do the same.

I shall get the details of the vaccine name etc today and post it...it is also coming from a local Thai hospital, not international...

Here is a story about vaccines that I always like to relate...

Many years ago a group of 4 guys and their wives/gf's all bought a share in a little beachside resort in a remote locale on a remote island, supposedly there was a reasonable amount of Malaria about.

So, of the 8 people, only one did not get the shots prior to moving there and guess what, out of the 8, guess who did not catch Malaria....just the one, all others got it.

Many years ago a group of 4 guys and their wives/gf's all bought a share in a little beachside resort in a remote locale on a remote island, supposedly there was a reasonable amount of Malaria about.

So, of the 8 people, only one did not get the shots prior to moving there and guess what, out of the 8, guess who did not catch Malaria....just the one, all others got it.

Nice anecdote. Pity it's not true: there's no effective vaccination against malaria, and none is available in clinical practice.

Many years ago a group of 4 guys and their wives/gf's all bought a share in a little beachside resort in a remote locale on a remote island, supposedly there was a reasonable amount of Malaria about.

So, of the 8 people, only one did not get the shots prior to moving there and guess what, out of the 8, guess who did not catch Malaria....just the one, all others got it.

Nice anecdote. Pity it's not true: there's no effective vaccination against malaria, and none is available in clinical practice.

Effective or not, there certainly are anti malarial medications/injections/whatever out there.

I shall get the details of the vaccine name etc today and post it...it is also coming from a local Thai hospital, not international...

Here is a story about vaccines that I always like to relate...

Many years ago a group of 4 guys and their wives/gf's all bought a share in a little beachside resort in a remote locale on a remote island, supposedly there was a reasonable amount of Malaria about.

So, of the 8 people, only one did not get the shots prior to moving there and guess what, out of the 8, guess who did not catch Malaria....just the one, all others got it.

There is no such thing as a malaria vaccine.

Ok this vaccine is called Vaxigrip....any one know about it ?

Fact sheet (New Zealand version) available at http://products.sanofi.com.au/vaccines/VAXIGRIP_NZ_PI_2013-03.pdf

On the plus side the vaccine doesn't contain any adjuvant. However, the fact sheet also does not recommend routine use in healthy children. The clinical trials it mentions have only been conducted on adults (18-60) in Europe.

It is a 4 strain flu vaccine. (New -- older vaccines are just 3 strain). Last I heard EU was still reviewing application for it and the European application did include use in children from age 9 on up.

It is already approved in Australia for use in children over 3 years and adults, along with a second product, Vaxigrip-Junior, for children ages 6 months to 3 years. http://www.nps.org.au/medicines/immune-system/vaccines-and-immunisation/for-individuals/vaccines-a-z/influenza-flu/vaxigrip-injection

Same in Thailand. Only instead of a separate preparation for shildren under 3 years they just use a lower dose of the adult prep.

In the US an equivalent product called Fluzone has just been approved by the FDA, for use in children (6 months and over) and adults. http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/RC/fluzone-quadrivalent-vaccine-approved-fda

If you are put off by its newness and/or cost, the standard trivalent flu vaccine can be gotten at little or no cost at a government hospital.