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Flumist to be given at school...help!

post #1 of 46
9/9/09 at 3:48pm
Thread Starter 
My DS started kindergarten () and he says he loves it, so I'm happy about that...but I went to the school the other day and there was a great big sign displayed saying that they were excited to offer the Flumist free at the school...AT THE SCHOOL?! Didn't they take that off the market last time they tried it because it contains the live virus and people were getting really sick from it?

Either way, I'm concerned because we don't vax and I don't want my DS around others getting a live virus during school hours...The date is Oct. 13th...am I crazy to keep my DS out of school for that day? and possibly the next? Or does it really not matter? I'm concerned with it being the live virus and since it's the up the nose spray, it's not really contained, can shed, that sort of thing.

I may be over reacting, but I thought to ask here because I know MDC moms are super informed and I'm sure my doc won't give me any real answers....

TIA

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post #2 of 46
9/9/09 at 4:06pm
Unless your child has another condition that would be dangerous for him to get the flu, I wouldn't worry too much about shedding. Even if it does shed, and your kid picks it up, it is only the flu. It is annoying, and it will suck for a few days, but it is still just the flu.

However... I would keep a young child home on any day where vaccines are given, injection or mist, live virus or not. I wouldn't want my child to be "accidentally" vaccinated against my wishes, and with a young child it is just too easy for them to get swept along with the crowd.

So I would keep him home the day of, but not the day after, and not give shedding a second thought.
post #3 of 46
9/9/09 at 4:26pm
Don't you shed virus for 2 to 3 weeks after getting flumist?
post #4 of 46
9/9/09 at 7:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by just_lily View Post
Unless your child has another condition that would be dangerous for him to get the flu, I wouldn't worry too much about shedding. Even if it does shed, and your kid picks it up, it is only the flu. It is annoying, and it will suck for a few days, but it is still just the flu.

However... I would keep a young child home on any day where vaccines are given, injection or mist, live virus or not. I wouldn't want my child to be "accidentally" vaccinated against my wishes, and with a young child it is just too easy for them to get swept along with the crowd.

So I would keep him home the day of, but not the day after, and not give shedding a second thought.
Ditto this.

Our superintendent is letting our health dept give H1N1 vaccines in our schools. My kids will undoubtedly be "sick" that day. Someone would have to physically restrain me if my child was "accidentally" vaccinated.
post #5 of 46
9/9/09 at 7:21pm
They do the flu shot and mist during school hours here for those that want them. This has been going on here since dd started school 4 years ago. Both my kids will be home that day and possibly the next as well. This year they are offering not only the regular flu but h1n1 as well.

When I write the excuse to send in the next day for them missing it will say on it that they stayed home due to the fact there was vaxing that day. I want them to know why they didnt go.
post #6 of 46
9/10/09 at 12:18am
OMG, I would be seriously steamed if my DDs school offered any vaccine!

Quote:
Originally Posted by LisaSedai View Post
Don't you shed virus for 2 to 3 weeks after getting flumist?
Yes, I believe the Flumist vaccine actually comes with a disclaimer that, because it is a live virus, it can be spread up to 21 days after the vaccine has been received.
post #7 of 46
9/10/09 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X View Post
They do the flu shot and mist during school hours here for those that want them. This has been going on here since dd started school 4 years ago. Both my kids will be home that day and possibly the next as well. This year they are offering not only the regular flu but h1n1 as well.

When I write the excuse to send in the next day for them missing it will say on it that they stayed home due to the fact there was vaxing that day. I want them to know why they didnt go.
brave...I think I may just do that too...
post #8 of 46
9/10/09 at 5:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by evermore82 View Post
OMG, I would be seriously steamed if my DDs school offered any vaccine!



Yes, I believe the Flumist vaccine actually comes with a disclaimer that, because it is a live virus, it can be spread up to 21 days after the vaccine has been received.
holy crap!!! Are they serious?!?!??! Do they want us all to get sick?!??!? WTH...I'm so flabbergasted with gov't schools already : ...I wish I could homeschool...I wish, I wish, I wish!
post #9 of 46
9/11/09 at 11:23am
They are offering the Flumist vaccine at our local CVS and Walmart. People are walking around in those stores, sneezing the live (albeit attenuated) virus all over the place. The same is going to be true when the flumist version of the H1N1 vaccine is offered. I think the flumist version of that vaccine is going to cause H1N1 to spread like wildfire, even more so than it's already doing. It really concerns me, especially since my stepdaughter will probably get the inhaled form of the vaccine, bringing the virus into my house.
post #10 of 46
9/11/09 at 4:02pm
NO, you are not crazy to keep your kid home that day. Of course, we are all crazy - donchya know? yes, flumist can spread for 3 weeks. yes, its says so on the disclaimer. walmart, schools, docs, don't seem to think the insert info is worth 'spreading' Heck, its kindergarten. I'd keep my kids home for a week.

didn't I read on here that one poster's school had a flumist day and then had to shut down the school because of the flu?
post #11 of 46
9/12/09 at 6:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by 13Sandals View Post
NO, you are not crazy to keep your kid home that day. Of course, we are all crazy - donchya know? yes, flumist can spread for 3 weeks. yes, its says so on the disclaimer. walmart, schools, docs, don't seem to think the insert info is worth 'spreading' Heck, its kindergarten. I'd keep my kids home for a week.

didn't I read on here that one poster's school had a flumist day and then had to shut down the school because of the flu?
WTH!!!! I'm greatful that DH is anti vax too...I think since they have no school on Friday (for whatever reason) and we don't like how they play up Christopher Columbus on Monday (we celebrate Remembrance Day instead...I'm sure the school won't be) I'll just send a note saying he's taking off the whole week.

It's full freakin' day kindergarten (state mandated) anyway, so I miss him horribly and I think this will be a nice vaca for us as a family...and hopefully there isn't an outbreak because I feel so bad for all those uninformed families thinking they are doing the right thing, but really just uninformed and mislead...IMHO of course

Yes...I'm crazy. And I like it that way :
post #12 of 46
9/12/09 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
BTW, Andrew, the little boy I watched pass away in July died suddenly from 'unknown' reasons...but I know he was never the same child since he received a vax early in the year...they can kill and no one will ever put the puzzle together because vax's are 'safe' and don't have 'long term effects'....
post #13 of 46
9/21/09 at 10:09am
I figure even a healthy kid who is stuck in a petri dish for 9 hours with hundreds of kids who have just recieved the mist will end up getting the flu. And then bring it home to the rest of the family. Ugh... I am so frustrated with our schools right now. I can't figure out how to handle this for my two public school kids. Even DP's company has a rule that you can't work for 12 hours after getting the intranasal mist.
post #14 of 46
9/21/09 at 1:00pm
Yes, but let's hope for this...those of us who pass on the flumist/flu vax, can we hope that even if we do get the flu, that our bodies will fight it naturally. That we will then develop natural immunity, the way nature intended? SO that in a few years, when the next "killer flu strain" lol comes around, that maybe our bodies will be able to ward off that new strain. How many people got the bird flu from a few years ago? See what I mean?

I had the flu over 10 years ago, and never since. I didn't take any lousy flu shot, or flu remedy. I laid in bed for 3 miserable days, and slept the whole time. Could it be that my body needed to fight the flu, so it would help protect me from future flu's? Who knows? (Lol jinx, watch me get the flu now! That's how my luck is!) Still, I wonder if getting the flu and healing naturally is much better than taking the flumist/flu vax, or then even tamiflu.

ALso, all those 30,000+ deaths a year from flu? Not true. They lump pneumonia along with the flu in the reports. The flu is not responsible for all those deaths..I think the number is actually less than 2000 a year.
post #15 of 46
9/21/09 at 2:25pm
Ughhh. They're doing it at my daughter's school tomorrow.
post #16 of 46
9/21/09 at 2:59pm
I'm waiting for the announcement of when they'll be doing this at our kids school. I'll be keeping them home at least a couple days. Even if I agreed to vaxxing, canyou imagine - 700 young kids just having stuff squirted up their nose, rubbing now-runny/stuffy noses, touching everything...ewww! I'm not a germaphobe and heaven knows I can take the gross stuff of parenting, but that alone is enough to send me shuddering and keep the kids at home!

In addition to drug stores, dr's office's and health departments, you can also get the flu vaccine at a special 1 day fundraiser for our dance school. I seriously almost fell out of my chair when I read that!
post #17 of 46
9/21/09 at 9:58pm
yep, our school just announced our day, Oct. 8. They will be doing a flu clinic like years in the past in the AM, and lovely, in the LUNCH room right before lunch. YUCK. Wow, I really really hate to have my kids get sick but I really hate to take them out for the day. I am conflicted about what to do. Last year about this time, when my youngest was born it was about this time all my kids were sick and now I'm wondering if it was the flu? High fevers, sore throats, getting sick, dh also caught it. I wonder now. We thought it was strep but now I'm wondering. I don't know what to do. I'm leaning towards keeping them out. What are we supposed to do, last year my dd missed so much school and I don't want her to repeat that. This is so ridiculous. I just wince at what will happen when they do the same for the H1N1. Do my dc have to miss yet another day? Why can't they do it on a Sunday or Saturday for crying out loud.
post #18 of 46
9/22/09 at 8:21am
Keep your child at home that day to prevent a "mix-up", but let him go back the next. It does no good to do everything possible to prevent a child from ever ever getting sick. They need to build up a natural immunity, and this does mean getting sick sometimes. In the adult world, it's not possible to stay home because co-workers, for instance, MIGHT shed after getting their flu vaxes.
post #19 of 46
9/22/09 at 10:49am
I'm so glad my son is too young for school. He is in a small home daycare though and I worry about the other kids and their school aged siblings getting the mist and then infecting their siblings who then in turn bring it to daycare....and the unvaccinated kids are the ones who put others at risk??? Yeah ok
post #20 of 46
9/22/09 at 12:53pm
I would keep my kids out at least the day of the vaxes. I would not take the chance my child might accidentally get the vax.

Since when did schools become medical providers? Did they send home any information on side effects, etc? Do you have to sign for your child to receive the shot? How are they handling informed consent?
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Health › Vaccinations › Flumist to be given at school...help!