Swine Flu Vaccine

divadee

my daughter has had the vacine as part of a trial group here is the thread where i posted the updates

i will also post them on here so people can have a factual account of a child having the vaccine.

well to really stir things up my daughter had her first vaccine for swine flu as part of a trial group. After hearing everything about this jab at a meeting before the blood test and vaccine, i had no hesitation in giving it to her. we were spelt out the pros and cons and told how the vaccine is produced etc..

there are 2 vaccines the government have bought one made by baxter the other by GSK it was random which one the child received. They took a blood test first and then given the vaccine. we go back in three weeks for the 2nd vaccine (for children 2 half adult doses are needed 3 weeks apart). then in 6 weeks a further blood test is taken to see how much immunity there is and they can work out which vaccine is better for protecting children.

I have to admit this has caused some ructions between friends and family who saw me as using my child as a guinea pig. But after the discussion and meeting with specialist pediatrician drs and flu specialists i had no hesitation in continuing with the trial. If people were actually told the bare facts by the media instead of half truths, there would not be so much panic over this.

At the meeting we were explained about GBS but the risk was negligable and we were shown evidence that the flu itself is more likely to cause GBS than the flu jab.

The vaccine is taken from the bird flu (H5N1) that was produced a couple of years ago and tested very extensively. They have changed the bird flu componant for swine flu componant and then tested extensively.

The vaccine now is fully licencesed in the uk, the children are not guinea pigs. It has had its proper fully testing stage before now.

Of course there are risks like high temperature aching at injection site etc.. but i have to say we have the most expert medical care on the end of the phone 24/7. the drs in charge of the study have given us all there mobile numbers to call any time and if my DD is feeling ill at any point they will see her asap. I dont think a gp would do that :rolleyes:

I will let you know how we get on.

but all i can say is if your child is in a high risk group please get then immunised if medical advice says you should. You would never forgive yourself if something happened.

as an update for you (im waiting for the i told ya so's lol) my daughter got a high temperature yesterday approx 39 degrees and the injection site arm ached like mad. We assume this is caused as it is a live vaccine so a small amount of the virus is injected and your body fights it off.

This lasted approx 8 hours and then after a good nights sleep she is absolutely fine and raring to go!! she went off to school after eating a big brekkie and no problems at all. she has a card to give the school nurse if she feels at all unwell during the day. I havent informed the school she is doing the trial as i can see there reaction now lol

My daughter actually said this morning if me having it means i dont get swine flu and i help save someone else from getting it or worse then i dont care that my arm ached.

I will still keep you updated as i see this trial is getting blown all out of proportion in the media aka gmtv and news channels this morning.

day 3 update lol.

no problems what so ever, arm is fine no more pain temp is normal and off at school like a good-un. she did come home yesterday saying 2 kids in her year had been off sick with suspected swine flu so she said i hope this injection works lol.

jackie read my experience above, and my daughter is not in a high risk group at all.

as a side note a further update no other problems at all pediatricians called thursday last week to check everything was ok after temp etc... they were more than happy to see her if i was worried in any way.

but she is happy and jolly no side effects now, arm has no more swelling or redness. it will probably go red and swollen after the next jab which is 2 weeks away.

i will keep updating (if people want!! tell me to shut up if you wish i wont be offended lol) when she has the final jab in 2 weeks, at least this way people are hearing a factual account of a child after the vaccine not internet hearsay lol

divadee

and the 2nd part couldnt fit it all in one post

nothing else to report yet lol .

she goes for 2nd vaccine this saturday. then no more vaccines just a blood test 3 weeks after that.

well 2nd vaccine given today about 3.00.

today we were in and out it was great.

a brief medical to check everything was ok. they asked about any side effects (we had already send a detailed diary off to show any problems like high temp). we said she had sore arm, high temp and off food last time for a few hours. they said that is the only side effects that have been seen in this study and only by about 10%.

She then had the injection administered by a doctor and then waited 20 mins for any adverse reaction. that was it we were free to go.

We have another detailed diary to fill in for the next 8 days. We also have to take temp every day and measure injection site for redness and swelling.

then in 3 weeks time she goes for her final blood test and that is it all over and done with.

I will update over the next few days if she has any side effects like last time.

well it seems to be that no side effects what so ever with the 2nd jab. arm is sore again (like after any injection). but we have had no high temp no feeling poorly like lathargic or off food like last time.

so fingers crossed all is well.

nothing else to report (sory its boring this time lol) alls well in the divadee house pain in arm lasted about 18 hours and then nothing. no temp, swelling, redness etc...

at least now she should be immune (we will find out in 3 weeks after blood test) from swine flu so she wont get poorly.

well a week on and i will stop reports as nothing to report lol.

i will see if we get a copy of the blood test results and post them on here.

so that was our factual story of the swine flu vaccine (not media propoganda lol).

Its up to you folks to make your mind up now. I will personally be having it when our gp gets it in.

patchwork_cat

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Doctors also tend to have high rates of alcohol and drug abuse and are at an elevated risk of committing suicide over the rest of the general population. So, it is reasonable to theorise that some of those people refusing the vaccinations are the same ones who are quite happy to go from one contagious patient to one immune compromised patient without so much as a glance in the direction of the alcohol hand gel.

How is addiction rates for Dr's relevant to this discussion. Your theories are giant leaps.

melancholly

i can only speak for one hospital, but non front line staff (ie not the first to be offered it) are trying to come up with excuses with why they should get the vaccine - there are plenty of NHS staff who actively want the jab. if i could get it, i would - just spending 20 mins on the bus with people coughing and spluttering is enough to make me want to protect myself!!! i trust that the people making the decision (and i posted on another thread where i looked at who the committee was and who they worked for) aren't going to give something out which isn't safe.

it is staggering that so many people without even science a levels think that they know more than specialists.... it's a very very sad state of science in the uk with mistrust in anything associated with government (which has reasons, of course, but makes it impossible for any real facts to ever enter a debate when most of the people with such strong opinions can't even understand them.....hopefully the medical services can recover from the whole mmr rubbish pointless scandal and actually get back to helping people rather than the much needed PR battle they face right now)

kindofagilr

My aunty who works as admin in a hospital got the jab yesterday.

I still personally not going to have it, I dont feel comfortable having a jab that my unborn baby might get affected by?

I mean when a Dr says on TV he wouldnt have his pregnant partner have it, it makes me doubt it so much (think what you want about Dr Hilary lol he is a Dr still)

patchwork_cat

melancholly wrote: »

it is staggering that so many people without even science a levels think that they know more than specialists.... it's a very very sad state of science in the uk with mistrust in anything associated with government (which has reasons, of course, but makes it impossible for any real facts to ever enter a debate when most of the people with such strong opinions can't even understand them.....hopefully the medical services can recover from the whole mmr rubbish pointless scandal and actually get back to helping people rather than the much needed PR battle they face right now)

Who is this section directed at? If you are talking about qualifications on this board then you are making assumptions and if about me, for one, they are incorrect. Never make assumptions about qualifications on people you do not know.

This highlights something that I often feel on forums and is highlighted at the top by Martin. Everyone can comment on a forum without anything to back it up, so always do your own research first and come to your own conclusions. I always look at vaccinations on their own merits and like someone else commented this is like the MMR debate. Do not wildly assume that because the government supports it it is a good thing.

The government looks at the bigger picture with all vaccinations. Vaccinations have risks and they vary from one vaccination to another as to the severity and from one person to another. If the ultimate side effect,death, is rare and the reduction of morbidity is great then the govt. will support the vaccination, but if you are the one that dies it is a very high price to pay. Incidentally I am not suggesting that this swine flu vaccination will result in any deaths. I also doubt that we will see the rates of Guillain Barre that the US did in the '70's, although they are watching for this side effect, the vaccine is different to the '76 one.

I for one am not for or against this vaccination, the jury is still out! Personally unless the virus mutates into a worse strain then I doubt I will advise my family to vaccinate, however that might be different answer if we had serious underlying health conditions. I have been approached for advice by my SIL and advised her to talk through her concerns with her GP, personally I would not have had my niece vaccinated atm( with her asthma)if she was mine, but it is not my call.

not_tonight_josephine_2

angelicmary85 wrote: »

This debate reminds me of the MMR arguement! Should we or shouldn't we?

You're right, it seems to be turning into a similar debate! And, as with MMR, I suspect that there will turn out to be absolutely no evidence that the vaccination is any more risky than any seasonal flu jab would be.

Can anyone actually point to any "respectable" scientific discussion of why those in high risk groups should not have the vaccine? Everything I have seen so far is just scare-mongering.

My OH is in the highest risk group and has already had the vaccine; I will be having it without any hesitation in the next round in order to further protect him.

For those at high risk the odds of complications from the flu itself are much higher than any risk from the vaccine.

not_tonight_josephine_2

patchwork_cat wrote: »

I also doubt that we will see the rates of Guillain Barre that the US did in the '70's, although they are watching for this side effect, the vaccine is different to the '76 one.

The Guillain Barre cases after the 76 flu vaccine may not have been directly due to the safety of the vaccine itself, there is some suggestion that a batch of vaccine was contaminated with bacteria which could have caused the increased incidence of GB.

Research indicates that influenza itself increases the risk of Guillain Barre approximately tenfold so I personally would not reject the vaccine on those grounds - overall, flu vaccines probably protect against GB rather than increasing the risk. There have been no cases linked to flu vaccines since 1976.

not_tonight_josephine_2

Patchwork - yes, there were more deaths from Guillain Barre during the 76 swine flu outbreak than from the flu itself, but as far as I am aware the latest research does not show definitively that these deaths were all due to the vaccine (as GB will affect some of the population anyway) - I believe there was a study published earlier this year showing that there was either no or a very tiny increased risk of GB in those who received the vaccine in 76.

My personal view is still that for those in high risk groups the risks of the flu itself far outweigh any risk from the vaccine. There were reports at the weekend that some cases of swine flu have already been found showing resistance to some antivirals - I am much happier to know that my OH is protected by the vaccine than relying on antivirals if he were to get it!

ETA - the post from Patchwork I was replying to has disappeared!

patchwork_cat

not_tonight_josephine wrote: »

The Guillain Barre cases after the 76 flu vaccine may not have been directly due to the safety of the vaccine itself, there is some suggestion that a batch of vaccine was contaminated with bacteria which could have caused the increased incidence of GB.

Research indicates that influenza itself increases the risk of Guillain Barre approximately tenfold so I personally would not reject the vaccine on those grounds - overall, flu vaccines probably protect against GB rather than increasing the risk. There have been no cases linked to flu vaccines since 1976.

Well we agree then. There is only a thought that the Gullain Barre cases where due to bacteria as far as I am aware. Obviously due to the nature of Guillain Barre the incidence was probably lower in vaccination than actual illness, although I believe that was the flu epidemic that never happened! Although it may never have taken hold because of the vaccination programme!

As I say it has to be a personal call on the likelihood of serious illness on getting swine flu versus potential side effects of vaccination.

Post vanishing due to edit and laptop out of juice!