Swine Flu should I give my child the vaccine

Swine flu Vaccine

 

Today I had a difficult decision to make, should I allow my 6 year old daughter to get her half dose swine flu vaccination. All along I have thought that the swine flu thing was being blown out of all proportion and had decided that because the vaccine was not fully tested I would say no to the offer.

I have 3 daughters. All girls Catherine 17 Louise 14 and Gaby 6 years old. Gaby has asthma and exima and is a very thin and weak child. If there is a cold going around she gets it, yet she is hyperactive and full of beans. I was here conflicting stories about the jab. Mt partner is a teacher and had told me of a lot of kids (teens) having reactions to the jab like feeling really ill maybe off for a week from school etc.

I though I don’t want Gaby to feel this way she hardly eats as it is and had just got over a mild flu so I was thinking well I will give it a week and then maybe consider letting her have the jab when she is a bit stronger.

Today I changed my mind and she has just had the vaccine and at present is totally fine. I will tell you what changed my mind and then if it helps one person out there make the choice my blog is worth the effort.

I spoke to a friend at work today, I manage a security company i.e. surveillance cameras etc and I am also a published writer that isn’t important my friend is a nurse and as I had gotten a letter to say Gaby was to get the injection (jab) tonight at 6.30pm I had to decided as a parent yes or no !

I called her up she was at that very moment giving the Vaccine to a full class of handicapped kids and this was her 2^nd week in doing so. While some kids got a sore arm after the jab none died from it. These kids weren’t exactly strong physically that was my answer.

No one died from the jab but they certainly can from this flu yet ok you can say they don’t know how long side evects can develop, they also say this about mobile phone but I somehow don’t mind bying my kid a phone!

I had an imagine in my head of Gaby in a hospital bed with this Swine Flu after I had decided she should NOT get the jab and I had to watch her die maybe.

The nurse told me that her medical practice alone ordered 200 doses of the Vaccine and received 30 from the Government. (UK) I am in Belfast Northern Ireland. I then head that today a 9 year old girl died and a 65 year old lady right here in Northern Ireland, but they had as they always seem to say “underlying health issues”.

What I learnt was that just a couple of days ago a 24 year old girl died in England and again the government said she had underlying health problems etc. The inside information I was told was the so called underlying health issue where and I quote “Her parent said they think she was slightly asthmatic” Now if just having that is an underlying health issue then we are all in big trouble because so many are saying No to this Vaccine.

What will happen is like the Titanic syndrome. They will say ok if we hear of any kids in the school my kid goes to having the flu I will go get my kid injected.  “WRONG” your kid is most likely by this stage to already be infected and to top it of when everyone realises the ship actually is going to sink there will be a stampede to get the drug which wont be available and even if so and your kid is carrying the virus the vaccine is useless.

My Daughter has to wait now 3 weeks to get the second dose which will then be equal to the single adult dose. So with this jab she isn’t yet totally out of the woods. Today she got 0.25mg of the Vaccine her immune system wont reach even 94% against this virus until she gets jab two then about 2 to 3 weeks from then she will be at her high-test immune level.

You have to weigh up the risks. There is a lot of scaremongering going around about this jab just like with the measles then next thing you know the parents stop there kids getting it and the measles come back.

In life there are always risks in every thing but I am not risking watching her in a hospital bed slowly dieing asking me why daddy cant I get well. I would rather she is ill for a week even with side effects that I know will pass.

The bitter medicine is the one that you sometimes have to take. What would your parents tell you.

 

As a parent we only get one shot at making some decisions we are learning to be parents while they learn to be adults.

I don’t want my learning to stop them being here to learn I have to decided and when you right down the benefits to risks the jab wins