Australia bans flu vaccine for children under 5

WildBoots

Seasonal flu vaccinations across Australia for children under five have been suspended after 23 children in Western Australia were admitted to hospital with convulsions following their injections :eek:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/flu-vaccination-ban-goes-national-after-fever-convulsions-in-children-20100423-tglp.html

Just goes to show vaccines aren't half as safe as some people think they are!

Bicycle

Most vaccines are a hell of a lot safer than the alternatives....

Of course there are potential side effects but what are the effects of catching the illnesses that the vaccines protect against?

Give me a well tested vaccine any day (even the H1N1) rather than having the "real thing".

WildBoots

Bicycle wrote: »

Most vaccines are a hell of a lot safer than the alternatives....

Of course there are potential side effects but what are the effects of catching the illnesses that the vaccines protect against?

Give me a well tested vaccine any day (even the H1N1) rather than having the "real thing".

What "alternatives" are you talking about?

The "potential side effects" in this case include convulsions, I'd much prefer to deal with the flu myself.

tallaght01

WildBoots wrote: »

What "alternatives" are you talking about?

The "potential side effects" in this case include convulsions, I'd much prefer to deal with the flu myself.

Flu is much more likely to cause a convulsion in a child than the flu vaccine is.

WildBoots

tallaght01 wrote: »

Flu is much more likely to cause a convulsion in a child than the flu vaccine is.

I suppose that's why they banned the vaccine, it all makes sense now

tallaght01

WildBoots wrote: »

I suppose that's why they banned the vaccine, it all makes sense now

Well, when the audits were done, viruses (incuding influenza) caused many many more times the number of febrile convulsions than those caused by the vaccine.

There was about 30 febrile convulsions caused by the vaccine. I would see 30 viral febrile convulsions in a couple of weeks in paeds A+E.

You won't find ANYONE ANYWHERE working in public health or paeds who will tell you the vaccine causes more febrile convulsions than the flu virus.

But we're so crazy about vaccine safety that we clamp down at the first sign of problems. Unlike the anti-vaccine people, who don't care about safety, and who will argue in the same breath that we allow killer vaccines to go unchecked.

PLus we never actually recommended kids under 5 to get vaccinated with fluvax. These were vaccines supplied privately. The flu vaccine for that age group isnt on the vaccination schedule.

locum-motion

WildBoots wrote: »

What "alternatives" are you talking about?

I think "getting the disease" is the alternative!

beeno67

WildBoots wrote: »

I suppose that's why they banned the vaccine, it all makes sense now

They didn't ban the vaccine. Indeed the article you quoted says:
"This is not a long-term safety issue with vaccines"

The vaccination schedule was suspended while they investigated. So 7 days after the article you quote, the Australian Dept of Health said:

"A week long national evaluation of cases of fever with convulsions in young children following a seasonal flu vaccination has so far found no pattern of increased incidence of this side effect, other than higher numbers in WA"

It means your comment:Just goes to show vaccines aren't half as safe as some people think they are has no facts to back it up.


Just goes to show posters on boards aren't half as safe as some people think they are;)