anyone elses doctor NOT recommending flu shot for kids?

[CEDmom]

After reading all the posts about the flu shots and reading the articles about the children that died it had me a little freaked out since none of us have gotten the flu shot. I called our doctor to ask about it especially for DD (4). He told me that even in light of these children dying and the heavy outbreaks around the country he would not recommend it for any of us including DD. None of us has any underlying medical conditions to warrant getting it. I have complete trust in our doctor. We've been going to him for years and I've never second guessed any decision he's made. I'm also not passive when seeking medical attention for myself, DH and DD. I spoke with several friends around here who have also been advised by their doctors not to get the shot for themselves or their children. I'm just wondering who else has gotten this advice?

 

[Muffy]

We did get the flu shot this year including DD 13. We don't have any medical problems but do not want the flu. Our doc did not have a problem giving DD the shot. Our doc said she had given the shot to several children this year. Young children must get 2 doses.

 

[Poohy]

My son and I are also not able to get the flu shot. We both have lots of allergies which include eggs. Since the shot is based on chicken eggs, we are not allowed to get it.

 

[Lewski709]

I believe they do not recommend this for healthy children. My Dr doesn't recommend it and I don't even get one. I won't be getting any for anyone. You will get lot's of opinions from different people.

See the article:
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/weeklyquestion/a/092302_ask.htm

 

[crazyme5kids]

I called my pediatrician today and he is not recommending it except for at risk patients. He will give one if you want it though.

 

[Gette88]

I called my family Dr. last night after reading the post and he said DD 4 can get it if I want. They didn't seem to concerned and the nurse I was speaking with said they haven't had alot of children coming in for the shot. It's very confusing.

 

[TiggerPiglet]

Our doctor too does not recommend the flu shot for healthy children, so we did not get them the shot either.

 

[my3kids]

Lewski709: Actually it is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children 6-24 months(I think that is the age span, but not positive on which months are included) This is a recommendation new this year. That age group has as many hospital complications as the elderly population, I think they mentioned on the news.

 

[CamColt]

My kids and I have never gotten it. DH gets it at work,but even when I worked and they offered it there, I never got it. Knock on wood, we usually only get colds, not the flu.

 

[Blondie]

I've never gotten the flu shots, nor have my children. And I work with quite a few doctors who don't get the flu shot either.

However, I'm rather frightened at what the flu seasons holds in store for us all!

Here's a few paragraphs from my town's newspaper regarding the flu:

Hospital takes urgent steps to treat the sick

Legions of sick people descended on the hospital yesterday, filling the emergency room and pushing other parts of the building past capacity.

The flu and other flulike illnesses are driving the rush.

Evidence of it can found in the absentee rolls at local schools, the busy phone lines at doctors' offices and the four-hour waits at walk-in clinics.

But it was the hospital which was the busiest of the busy, almost buried under a wave of illness that began sometime Sunday or Monday.

"Things just evolved quickly," the chief operating officer, said last night. "I've never seen this many people present to our emergency room."

Hospital officials reacted to the overload as they would a major snowstorm or power outage. They opened their emergency command center at about 1:30 p.m. and kept it open until about 6:30 p.m.

During that time, they called in off-duty workers and contacted other hospitals to see if they could take the overload. None could.

With all 318 of its beds full, and 40 people waiting to be admitted from the emergency room, officials began crafting new space from what they called "nontraditional" areas.

Two 34-foot Gulf Stream coaches were temporarily moved to the rear of the building near the emergency room to serve as extra treatment areas. The vans usually serve as Mobile Health Clinics for the working poor in the region.

Last night, seven treatment areas in the interventional radiology section were converted for use by the emergency room.

Thirteen beds in the same-day surgery section were opened for inpatients. The first of those patients moved in last night.

And 23 patients who were scheduled to have elective surgery this morning were called and told that their procedures would have to be postponed or moved to the Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgery Center. Officials feared that there would be no beds for these patients when their surgeries were done.

By last night, these changes had provided some relief. The number of patients waiting to be admitted from the emergency room had dropped to 15.

Still, the ER lobby was crowded at 7 p.m., and officials were awaiting the second wave that usually arrives when people get home from work and decide they need care.

"Patients who are not experiencing a medical emergency and come to the emergency room should expect long waits," Allenbaugh said.

The hospital's new wing is coming a little too late for this rush. The tower is nearing completion, and the first of the 94 beds will be phased in next month.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned last month that the flu season appears to be starting earlier than usual. The CDC said it was too early to tell if this means that the flu season will be longer and busier this year. Still, the signs are worrisome, officials said, since the flu causes more than 114,000 hospitalization and 36,000 deaths each year. The very young and very old are at greatest risk.

For the week ending Nov. 22, the CDC said that Virginia was one of eight states with moderate or "local activity."

Dr. Sunil Sharma of Fredericksburg Walk-in Medical Center on Plank Road said yesterday that he was "definitely" seeing more flu this year than last year, and that the volume had picked up in the last week.

Christy Wood of Garrisonville Urgent Care in North Stafford reported a similar jump in cases in the last two weeks.

Leah Halfon, epidemiologist for the Rappahannock Area Health District, said that she has been tracking flu cases through the reports of local providers, including Mary Washington Hospital.

Halfon counted 98 cases for the week ending Nov. 23, and 132 cases for the week ending Nov. 30.

She cautioned that her numbers are only a sampling and do not represent all of the flu cases in the area. Still, "it's a good estimate," she said. "The flu has surfaced early this year."

Halfon and others said it's not too late to get a flu shot. The worst of the flu season usually occurs in January and February, and the season lasts until March.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

Originally posted by my3kids
Lewski709: Actually it is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children 6-24 months(I think that is the age span, but not positive on which months are included) This is a recommendation new this year. That age group has as many hospital complications as the elderly population, I think they mentioned on the news.

Our pediatrician recommended our 20 mo. old get the shot but said it wasn't necessary for the 4 & 5 yos. We did go ahead and get shots for all 5 of us anyway. After the flu bug hit all 5 of us at the same time last year I refuse to EVER go through that again. Ever fight over a toliet to see who can throw up in it first?Well, maybe we need a bigger house with more bathrooms instead of flu shots

 

[Blondie]

Maybe you had food poisoning or Gastroenteritis because the Flu doesn't make you vomit.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Originally posted by BelleBeautyandtheBeast
Ever fight over a toliet to see who can throw up in it first?Well, maybe we need a bigger house with more bathrooms instead of flu shots

No flu shots here! We have four toilets and four people in our family so we are all set! The dogs will just have to use the great outdoors!

 

[my3kids]

The flu is not a stomach virus. The flu is influenza. Causes severe aches, very hard coughing, high fever.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My pediatrician had our entire family get the vaccines. My husband and 2 sons have asthma. My healthy 7 year old daughter was "NOT HAPPY." She jerked her arm and they had to stick her two times. Poor baby!

Lori

 

[Lorix2]

I think these doctors that aren't recommending the shot, won't recommend it until your area is hard hit. Then, supply will not meet the demand. I don't get why they wouldn't encourage some protection since the flu can be potentially deadly for anyone. I wonder how many of these poor children did not have any underlying medical concerns and had the shot or not

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

I can't understand why a Dr. would tell a concerned parent not to get it either ! I have always wondered why parents DON'T get it for their healthy kids. Why would you want to risk your kids being very sick for a week, with possible complications?? We got the shot after 5 yr old DS and 1 yr old DD had it SO very bad. 5 office visits total in 2 weeks and neither would respond to the first antibiotic for the ear infections the flu caused. AND, DD (who was was still nursing some and not hit as hard) got it the day DS got well, so it was 2 solid weeks(7 days a piece). DH and I stayed healthy as we had the shot. I am a SAHM and I would STILL be up a creek if I had to stay home for 2 weeks. Not fun. It is a BAD sick like you were run over by a truck. We even had to carry 5 yr old DS to the potty(he ached to much to walk). SO, we get the shot every year to reduce our chances of a replay. They have had the shot the past 7 years and NO side effects(a tiny sore arm!) at all. I guess if you had a problem with something in the shot, you should avoid it.
And it will NOT prevent stomach bugs at all! Not related to the flu, although people mistakingly called it the stomach flu.

 

[my3kids]

Two more children in the Denver area have now died from the flu...six in the last week and a half or so...So sad It is going to be a very very bad year.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We tried to get ours a few weeks ago. They were only offering them to those considered a "high risk". Last night they said on the news that everyone should go out and get shots. Now they'll probably run out before we can get them. Sigh.

DS said his acting teacher at the high school passed out yesterday during his class. She's been sick and was feeling ill when she just folded up and fainted. I keep telling them to wash their hands.

 

[wilderness01]

We all get the flu shot as half of us are at risk. The flu shot covers a respiratory/fever/ache kind of flu NOT the stomach "flu" which really isn't a flu at all. It is a GI problem but often confused with the flu the flu shot covers. One of my kids did have a reaction to the flu shot a few years ago but has never had any reaction since. It is a must in our house.