Adam Morris: So is there any point in giving the swine flu jag to children?

Published on Wednesday 27 January 2010 09:27

FOR many parents, it will be one of the biggest decisions they will take on their children's health this year. Letters are beginning to drop through the doors of thousands of families whose children are aged between six months and five years urging them to go for a swine flu vaccination.

It is an invitation which has left many puzzled as to what to do for the best.

With last year's swine flu scare having fizzled out so spectacularly – officials are now predicting 1,000, rather than 65,000, deaths, in the UK – and with no-one sure about the chances of the virus making a serious return, is there now a danger of overreacting?

Are the government and NHS, armed with a plan and a huge stockpile of vaccines, simply going through the motions?

Questions are also being raised about its safety. The campaign group Justice Awareness and Basic Support (JABS) is raising fears that the vaccine has been rushed into use without thorough testing.

Add to that anecdotal evidence of children being off-colour for up to 48 hours after their jag, the fact some children have only recently had MMR boosters and the suspicion of many parents that their children have already had, and shaken off, swine flu, the doubts understandably multiply.

The message from the government and NHS is clear: get your child vaccinated, the risks of not doing so are simply too great to ignore.

Public health officials are warning that the virus will inevitably return in some form next winter and that "those who develop complications or die will be doing so from a vaccine- preventable disease".

Microbiologist Dr Hugh Pennington, a leading swine flu expert from the University of Aberdeen, fully agrees.

"If my children were of that age I would certainly have them vaccinated," he says. "It has been tested and if there were any question marks over its safety, it simply wouldn't be used. Swine flu hasn't gone, it is still around. Yes it has gone down, but this vaccination will protect children.

"The only downside is a social one – taking children to get a needle in their arm. It (the virus] has affected children quite a lot and I would say the bonuses of this far outweigh the negatives."

The message, though, is clearly going unheeded by many members of the public. Initial take-up in Scotland amongst adults deemed to be in at-risk groups has been poor, with fewer than half of patients with asthma or other underlying health conditions accepting vaccinations.

The UK Government is also looking to off-load huge supplies of the vaccination to other countries or sell them back to drug companies after pulling back from suggestions of a universal vaccine.

The Scottish Government is clear on it's reasons for pressing ahead with the mass vaccination of young children. A disproportionate number of those hospitalised are pre-school children, who have no natural immunity to the infection.

Officials have been robust in their response, releasing a list of ten "myths" which have developed about the virus.

Among them is the idea that children are able to shake off the virus fairly easily, that the mercury contained in the vaccination is unsafe and that the jag itself contains a small dosage of the infection.

A Scottish Government spokesman says: "Unless a case of swine flu has been confirmed by a laboratory test, people cannot be certain that their child has had the disease, or that they will be protected if the virus mutates.

"Parents are therefore recommended to have their child vaccinated if the child is aged over six months and under five years."

As with anything involving a child's health, the decision on whether to get the jag or not is not straightforward. Many will be inclined to think that while a risk remains of another wave of what is undoubtedly a potential killer then "better safe, than sorry" is the best approach. Others will still harbour doubts.

Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teaching Council, says: "There are two things which are absolutely key. One is that it is made clear that this is very much down to parental choice, and secondly enough information is provided."

Dr Harry Burns is Scotland's chief medical officer: Vaccination is our best defence against the pandemic and I urge everyone invited for vaccination to take up the offer – particularly children under the age of five who are more likely to become seriously ill if they develop complications from swine flu.

All other children over the age of five years who get the seasonal flu vaccine because they are in a clinical risk group are also being offered vaccination. Fortunately, most people who have had H1N1 have only had mild symptoms but we know that, for some people, it can be fatal which is why it's important that we remain vigilant and maximise the number of people vaccinated.

Taking sensible precautions also helps protect against cold and flu viruses. This includes regular hand-washing and using a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Jackie Fletcher is a spokeswoman for the Justice Awareness and Basic Support (JABS) campaign group: "We are very concerned about the vaccination, and particularly the speed with which it went through. We don't think it could have been thoroughly tested in that time, and we are not comfortable with the one-size-fits-all approach, which doesn't take into account allergies or if the person getting the vaccine has already had some of the diseases included in it.

"Since the summertime we have been called by hundreds of parents wondering what's best to do.We don't want another thalidomide scandal on our hands in 20 years' time. I know that in other countries like Germany there is pressure from some members of parliament on the government to justify why they are doing this.

"The people pushing this all have something to gain, from the drugs companies to GPs administering it, as they are paid for every jag they administer."