Swine Flu Vaccine For 4yr. Old Son? Risks? Concerns?

The only cases of vaccines going wrong occured a few years ago with a batch of the pertussis vaccine where a number of children (3) developed a high temperature and fitted and were brain damaged because of the fits. I think calpol would have saved them.

I understand there may be a chance of developing Guillian Barre in the order of 1 in 80,000 . However, Guillian Barre is a reaction to a viral stomach infection and I'd imagine if your genetics and evolution is such that your immune system reacts that way to certain viruses you'd likely get GBS anyhow at some stage from a stomach bug

The MMR scare was based on the work of Andrew Wakefield in the UK and a Professor John O'leary in my university. The "evidence" O'Leary's lab found was simply the product of greed and incompetence as 800,000 dollars was charged to the parents of autistic children in the USA for tests on colonic polyps for measles virus. These tests were carried out incorrectly by a second year college student as a summer project and the lab ignored any data that didn't suit them. It was total incompetence and the lab was made retest their samples in 2009 and detected nothing when they utilised the proper RT-PCR technique.

In the 1919 flu pandemic 1/3 of the worlds population (500 million people ) only were infected and 19 million young people died...1 in 33. Vacines are what has allowed us to go from 1.5 billion people to 6 billion people in less than 100 years as most people died in infancy ( This is also why our life expectancy has increased as less children die due to vaccinations which means our average life expectancies is not statistically lowered by so many child deaths from infections.

In short be wise and vaccinate

I think he needs to be at least 5 years old to get the nasal spray. The shot is recommended for children over the age of 6 months.

The risks of dying from the flu are much greater than the risks associated with the vaccine.

A very small number of people are allergic to ingredients in the vaccine, especially the egg. Your son is more likely to be allergic to peanuts, shellfish, or potatoes than he is to be allergic to the vaccine. If he does have an allergic reaction, it will be within a few hours.

It is suspected that 1 in a million people might develop GBS from vaccines. GBS attacks the nerves and can lead to paralysis. This can develop within a few weeks of receiving the vaccine.

The swine flu vaccine was made the same way the seasonal flu vaccines were made, and no corners were cut. It's just as safe as teh regular flu shot-- nothing "new and unusual" about it.

You're best bet is to talk with the pediatrician. They will know about your son's medical background. They should also have a professional opinion about the vaccine as well. Keep in mind that this isn't the first outbreak of the swine flu to happen in the the US. You may also want to visit the CDC's website for information on the vaccine, and read up on which dose is the "better" of the two. Its available as a nasal spray, which my 5 year old nephew took with no problem, or as an IM injection. Best bet: Talk to the pediatrician.

Hi there,

Don't be afraid of the vaccine.........we have had vaccines since the 1700s since Jenner invented smallpox vaccine.

Vaccinations do not cause children to become mentally or physically handicapped. In Britain where people became afraid of MMR vaccine in relation to autism the rate of the actual diseases went up and many children were damaged by complications of the actual diseases.

I had the swine flu vaccination (injectable) and had my children vaccinated. The vaccine was not rushed, and the only side effect is temporary mild aching arm. You can take Tylenol or Ibuprofin for that.

Good luck with your decision. Don't let the media and uninformed laypeople influence you.

I'm 40-ish (mind yer own business about my age and get off my lawn!!!) and I actually was one of the first verified cases of swine flu in my state. I now have immunity. Other people in my household have already received the vaccine so they don't get ill. It wasn't that bad, btw. I've had seasonal flu before that was much worse. I was just wheezing and coughing and had to hole up in a motel for a week so I wouldn't infect everyone else in the house. A friend who is relatively fearless stayed with me and never got ill at all. He brought over the XBox and a laptop and we played video games all week, drank beer and sipped on my vicodin-laced cough syrup. Wheeeeeee!

If your child is allergic to eggs - don't do it. Otherwise, I've heard that it's fairly safe for children aged 3+ to get the shot.