# Is anyone else deciding not to flu vaccinate their children?



## EcoMama

My son is 6 and in year 1. We have had a letter come home asking for consent for him to be given the flu jab in school.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to say no. For a few reasons:

He has never had tge flu vaccine before, so why start now?
He has never had flu, no e of us have and we are all pretty healthy with good strong immune systems. If we had any health issues which would complicate flu then I would consider it.
If he gets the flu then I believe him building up a natural resistance to it rather than an artificial one will be better in the long term.
They vacinated against a strain last year, and then another strain of flu went around, renderering the vaccine useless.
My daughter is 2 next week and she isn't being offered it as she has just missed the age deadline for this year, which was end of Aug.... Which to me says that it isn't actually needed :/

Sorry, long but I'm looking for different perspectives?.... Why is your child having it? Why aren't they? What am I not taking in to account?

Thanks x


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## bumpy_j

Joel will definitely have it because I'm pregnant, so need to be extra cautious. I also can't risk him getting ill whilst I have a tiny baby later on in the year. But I don't particularly have issue with the flu vaccine anyway and will probably continue getting the nasal spray annually as I have done so far. No matter how healthy you are, flu can render you bedbound for 1-2 weeks easy. 

Obviously it's not 100% protection, especially with the mutating nature of the flu, but I sill think the flu is nasty enough to warrant a vaccination as a precaution. I had the flu when I was 12, and I couldn't even imagine how my 4 year old would cope with being that ill. I was delirious, I had constant migraines, I was throwing up several times a day. And ended up pretty much spending a fortnight bedbound all in all. Even if you're perfectly healthy (I was), it can really strike you down. 

Does catching the flu really aid you in the long term to fight against it?


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## MindUtopia

At 6, I probably wouldn't necessarily bother unless your child (or anyone in the family) has health issues that warrant it. I'm very pro-vax, but generally the high risk groups for flu mortality are kids under 5, older adults 65+, pregnant women and people with cardiac and respiratory conditions or other chronic conditions. Are there a considerable number of young children who die from the flu every year? Yes. But most of them are under 5, usually under 3, which is why there is a vaccination programme for 2 and 3 year olds. So a 6 year old wouldn't be considered in a high risk group and I personally probably wouldn't go out of my way to get a 6 year old vaccinated (though if it's done at school and you don't have to do anything, like take a day off work to get it done, then that's maybe different). You don't really build up immunity to flu by being exposed to it as there are so many different strains, though you would build up immunity to the strain you got if you did get sick with the flu, so you wouldn't get that same one again in the same year and it might help with other strains too in that same year (but most people aren't unlucky enough to get the flu twice in one year anyway!). Personally, we do the the flu jab because I have asthma (once you've spent enough times in hospital with pneumonia, you'll do everything you can to prevent going through that again) and my daughter is 2, so we'll get the nasal spray for her, since she's in the high risk age range. But really I think it's up to you. I don't think there's necessarily a reason to decline personally, but your LO isn't in a risk group, so it might not be as pressing as other things. But then again, the flu is miserable. I had it last year, as did my husband (our daughter mostly escaped it), and it's one of those things I would not wish on anyone. We literally had to trade off lying in bed feeling like we were going to die while the other entertained her for a few hours and then we'd switch off and the other would lie in bed feeling like death for a few hours....for about 2 weeks.


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## LoraLoo

Our 15 and 11 yr olds will be getting it as they are asthmatic, as is hubby.

My 6 yr old hasn't been offered it, or my 2 yr old, but my 4 year old has. 

I will be getting it for him, he has a pretty robust immune system but I feel it offers protection not only for him, but for his siblings that aren't getting it

They've had it in the past- the nasal spray- with no side effects.


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## misspriss

Mine do not (they do not receive other vax either though) but I am particularly against the flu, mostly because at least here in the US they rarely even get the strains right and they are not very effective. They also still use the mercury stuff in the adult multi dose vial, as far as I know.

I have never in my life had the flu, despite living in the house and being in contact with people who get it regularly. I have never injected the dead or live virus into my body either. My son also has not gotten it, and has not had a flu shot.

DH used to get a flu shot every year, and proceeded to get the flu. He quit getting the shot, and has not had the flu since. His parents get the shot and get the flu still (although they believe the shot causes it to be milder). DH is a firm believe the shot was giving him the flu, or making him more vulnerable to catch it.


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## Larkspur

If you have never had the flu, I'd caution you to not be cavalier about it. 

I think many people who have never had the flu don't understand how awful it is, partly because you often hear people say things like, "Oh, I've just had the flu," or "I've got a touch of the flu", really casually, like it's no big deal.

Like Bumpy and MindUtopia said, I've had the flu once, and that was enough to last me the rest of my life. I never want to get it again. It was the worst pain I've ever been in, and I've had two medication-free childbirths, and appendicitis severe enough to have an appendectomy. 

I have a really robust immune system and almost nothing takes me down. The only time I've been sick in the last three years was when I contracted campylobacter and I was back on my feet doing all my normal work less than 24 hours after ending up in the A&E for severe dehydration with that. But the flu had me flat on my back for nearly a week, and I literally wanted to die for the first three days. I would hate either of my children to go through it. 

I think a lot of people think it's like a bad cold (probably because a lot of people erroneously claim they've had the flu when it's just a bad cold). The real flu is nothing at all like a cold.


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## LoraLoo

Larkspur said:


> If you have never had the flu, I'd caution you to not be cavalier about it.
> 
> I think many people who have never had the flu don't understand how awful it is, partly because you often hear people say things like, "Oh, I've just had the flu," or "I've got a touch of the flu", really casually, like it's no big deal.
> 
> Like Bumpy and MindUtopia said, I've had the flu once, and that was enough to last me the rest of my life. I never want to get it again. It was the worst pain I've ever been in, and I've had two medication-free childbirths, and appendicitis severe enough to have an appendectomy.
> 
> I have a really robust immune system and almost nothing takes me down. The only time I've been sick in the last three years was when I contracted campylobacter and I was back on my feet doing all my normal work less than 24 hours after ending up in the A&E for severe dehydration with that. But the flu had me flat on my back for nearly a week, and I literally wanted to die for the first three days. I would hate either of my children to go through it.
> 
> I think a lot of people think it's like a bad cold (probably because a lot of people erroneously claim they've had the flu when it's just a bad cold). The real flu is nothing at all like a cold.

I agree- hubby and I had it once, 8 years ago. It absolutely floored us both. We spent a week on the sofa- I remember it well because it was over Xmas.


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## EcoMama

Thank you everyone x


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## lynnikins

ive gotten the flu jab the past few years as ive been pregnant or last year was working as a Carer so it was important for work purposes that I got it, ive had the flu when pregnant a few years ago and it was awful and i just wanted to die, thankfully we had family local at the time so I had help with the 3 older boys ( was pregnant with number 4 ) and I could just recover but i really wasn't able to do anything, I tried to come downstairs about 24 hrs into it and colapsed on the midway landing and had to drag myself back to bed. My kids have never had the flu vaccinne though, we Home-ed so their exposure is much lesser than other children their age and through the winter we make a extra effort to keep their immune systems strong and none of them have gotten the flu yet


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## DaisyDreamer

I agree with your perspective--artificial resistance is a no-go for me.

I haven't gotten a flu shot in many years and I never get a cold, let alone the flu. So seems to me I've got a strong immune system. There's also the chance that the child has already developed antibodies for that particular flu virus and inoculating their body with any artificial dose of it... Just doesn't seem right.

Granted the flu is miserable and there is no 100% way to prevent it. Whatever DH and I have been doing the past few years seems to be working against the ever changing strains of influenza rather than just dosing ourselves with the virus.

My MW recommended that I get a flu shot for baby and I but I think that I will take my chances. Besides, the flu virus changes every season, it seems more like something someone can make a lot of money off of trying to scare people!

All in all it really is your choice to vax or not. My personal beliefs are against most vaccines--an immune system should develop as naturally as possible


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## dimmu

Sorry to jump in but where can you get the flu jab for a 5yo who's just started reception? The last two years we had it done at our GP's but they won't so it now as she just turned five and her school only does years one and two?


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## bumpy_j

Can you speak to the school about it? All services get transferred from the health visitor team to the school I believe once they start. I can't see why they would purposefully exclude reception age children.


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## minties

I most certainly would get the vaccine if it was offered. A vaccine for influenzae type b is already a part of the standard infant and childhood immunisation schedule here anyway, what type is the one up for discussion?

My partner was hospitalised for having the flu as an adult, then I caught it from him and was bed ridden for a good 7 days. I was so sick I was having hallucinations. Not something I want for my kids.


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## vaniilla

LO will be getting the flu nasal spray again this year, any protection against flu is good even if it isn't guaranteed to stop it, flu is nasty enough that we will do anything to prevent it, the common cold is good enough for toughening his immunity.


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## jstarr

I'm not taking my boy to have it, this particular one is shown not to be very effective and the vaccine also sheds for 2 weeks after they have it, meaning they are basically a carrier and other people can catch it from them, having a new baby I don't want it in the house in case she catches it


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## love.peace

As others have said, the flu strain is predicted every year as it changes and they never get it right as there are so many strains. We will not be getting the flu vaccine. We really on building natural immunity by living a healthy lifestyle and letting our bodies fight off illnesses naturally. Here is a great article (on all vaccinations not just flu) https://healthimpactnews.com/2013/d...n-son-and-any-future-kids-my-wife-and-i-have/


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## Larkspur

love.peace said:


> As others have said, the flu strain is predicted every year as it changes and they never get it right as there are so many strains. We will not be getting the flu vaccine. We really on building natural immunity by living a healthy lifestyle and letting our bodies fight off illnesses naturally. Here is a great article (on all vaccinations not just flu) https://healthimpactnews.com/2013/d...n-son-and-any-future-kids-my-wife-and-i-have/

This is actually a terrible article on vaccinations and again I will post a direct rebuttal article. https://www.skepticalraptor.com/ske...ews-antivaccine-chiropractor-ignores-science/


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## love.peace

https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/2...sons-not-vaccinate-free-research-pdf-download


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## Midnight_Fairy

No, none of mine having it.


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## SarahBear

We will not be doing the flu vaccine for anyone in our household. The flu about the worst disease to vaccinate for. There's a high chance they'll get the wrong strain and if they do, it puts you at higher risk of getting sick.


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## maria2611

Mine won't be having it. I have recently got a letter from the doctors about booking my 4 year old son in for it. He starts school in January. I just don't have much confidence in it's effectiveness. Like others have said, there are lots of strains of flu. Plus he has ASD - getting him into the doctors is hard enough without it being for something I think of as not really necessary for him


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