Seasonal Flu Shot - Get It or Not for Daughter with Asthma?

Updated on October 21, 2009
E.P. asks from Mount Joy, PA
6 answers

I know all you smart Moms out there will help me sort this out. My 10 year old daughter has had Asthma since she was about 5. It is well controlled with just occasional use of inhaler and nebulizer when she's sick (usually in the winter months). She has never needed to be hospitalized for asthma. So the question is - with all the conflicting info about getting/not getting the SEASONAL flu shot (not the NEW swine flu shot - is that even available to the general public?). What do I do? I am not a fan of vaccines just for the sake of "everyone needs one." She is up to date on all her other shots with no problems over the years. I'm uneasy about the possible mercury/preservatives/junk they put in them being bad for all of us (possible links to Alzheimers later on, etc.)

She does tend to take longer to get over coughs in the winter. Help!

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So What Happened?

Just wanted to thank everyone for their responses. Lots of good info. I took my daughter to her ALLERGIST whom I trust completely and who knows my daughter and her health issues better than her pediatrician. After a very long discussion in the pros/cons of many vaccines, I felt confident that giving my daughter the seasonal flu shot was the best decision. Knowing how it takes my daughter a month or sometimes more to fully clear her lungs after a regular cold/cough in the winter, her doctor told me that either strain of the flu could possibly cause much worse problems. Because my daughter is in school and will probably be exposed to one if not both strains, the doctor suggested both flu shots. She rec'd the seasonal shot yesterday and will likely get the other if/when it becomes available. I have prayed for wisdom regarding this and feel that I made the best decision given all the info I had to work with. I actually cried on my way out of the office. I told my daughter that some days it's just hard being a Mom because you're not 100% sure if you're doing the best thing possible for your child. She patted me on the back and said - "don't worry Mom, you always take good care of me & everything will be OK."

More Answers

I.M.

answers from New York on

Elaina,

I personally will not be giving it to my children, ages 11, 9 and 8. They all had suffered with asthma since they were little and although they seem to be growing out of it, I will not take the risk. It was said in the news that children that suffer from chronic asthma should not get the vaccine. Eventhough my children do not have it chronic I won't take the risk. Check with your pediatrician and see what his/her opinion is. But must importantly is for you to just go with your guts.
I.

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M.M.

answers from New York on

I'm pretty cautious about vaccinations (my son had terrible side effects). I'm an asthmatic myself, and I know the flu shot is recommended but the last time I took it I felt terrible. But, asthmatics are high risk, so it does offer some protection. But, if you do it, make sure you get the shot, and not the nasal spray; I heard/read somewhere that the spray can cause unpleasant side effects for asthmatics.

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K.S.

answers from New York on

It's up to you. I haven't vaccinated my son for several years because I didn't think it necessary - but I'm having him vaccinated this year, because of H1N1 being so contagious. The flu shot won't do anything for her coughs. What you should look at are the risks for a child with asthma when they get the flu. If the risks of life-threatening complications are significantly higher than for the general population, I'd definitely have her vaccinated. Otherwise, it's up to you... and whether you are ready to deal with a child who's sick in bed for 5-7 days, then probably yourself too - because a significant portion of the population will get the flu this year, and children, being in school, are by far the most at risk population for catching it.

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L.P.

answers from New York on

Hi Elaina!
This morning I watched a video on the H1N1 virus and vaccine that featured the head of the National Vaccine Information Center and it is a MUST WATCH for everyone!!! I am trying to find you the link but it will not load at the moment and I think it's because of the amount of traffic it's getting. Anyway, I think this will get you there. Try it...I hope it works. It was VERY informative!
I had to repost this link again...I think the one I posted last night was wrong. Try this one.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...

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A.D.

answers from New York on

If you go to the flu.gov website you can follow the link for information for both seasonal flu and h1n1 flu vaccines and special precautions for asthmatics. They do recommend getting both vaccines, and they do say NOT to use the flumist nasal spray for the seasonal flu vaccine.

Supposedly, the h1n1 is quicker to attack the respiratory system, so that would seem to be a concern for asthmatics.

If you choose to vaccinate, to avoid mercury make sure you get a version without thimerosal, I believe both the seasonal and h1n1 vaccines have versions with and without - you should be able to find more info about this on the website also. As for concerns about other junk they put in vaccines, make sure there is no adjuvant (I haven't looked into the seasonal, but the original plan for h1n1 in the US was to use a version without adjuvants - this may change as supplies run low!). Adjuvants are used to enhance the body's response to the vaccine, some of them are untested and/or previously unapproved in the US. Many vaccines require the adjuvants because there is not a good match between the vaccine and the organism causing the disease. With h1n1, there is a good match, so the adjuvant would just be used to allow them to vaccinate more people.

In short, if you decide to vaccinate, you want a vaccine (for either flu) with no thimerosal and no adjuvants.

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T.P.

answers from New York on

Elaina, my daughter has asthma and I will not get the flu shot or the swine flu shot. My daughter is 8 and I have never given her or my other children flu shots (my 9 year old son and my 8 year old daughters have been vaccinated and up to date for any mandatory vaccines. Those that are not mandatory, I have not done and will not do). I now have a two year old and have been a holistic health coach for 5 years now. My two year old has never been given a vaccine and will not be getting any flu shots. I give everyone, my whole family, cod liver oil to boost there vitamin d levels and chlorella. So far it is working. My daughter's best friend who practically is with her every second after school, got the swine flu two weeks ago and she has chronic asthma. The flu was very mild for her and she was back in school in 5 days. I think the reason she did well is because her mother had been giving her high doses of vitamin d and another homeopathic immune booster (I am not sure which immune booster because the vitamin d and booster were prescribed by our pediatrician who strongly encourages naturopathic remedies). Here are some link for you.

http://www.examiner.com/x-17146-Dallas-Womens-Health-Exam...

http://www.mercola.com/article/swine-flu/Swine-Flu-Update...

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