Kaz, very tricky situation. The recommendation this year is for under 5's not to get the fluvax. It is exactly the same formulation that caused problems last year. However doing a quick google I found the govt recommendations here: 2011 government seasonal influenza vaccine information: Immunisation - Victorian Government Health Information, Australia
It looks as if there are some alternative pediatric formulations available that can be used and this is what you need to discuss with your care providers.
Thanks Marydean, I have been googling my state health dept, the TGA and some of the immunisation bodies and basically found the same recommendations that you and Alibaby did. It's interesting that they are recommending Vaxigrip or Influvac in children between 6 months and 10 years, not 5years and that Fluvax should only be used between 5-10 if there is no other alternative.
Apparently they are smaller doses and kids are given 2 shots one month apart. We need to make a decision soon.
I would suggest building his immunity with a natural supplement which includes a full spectrum of digestive probiotic flora (immunity begins in the gut) and organic unprocessed foods. The probiotics (frinedly bacteria) are particularly important if he has been exposed to antibiotics.
Google MiEssence InLiven to see what I'm talking about. My boys have had exceptional health since they started taking it on a regular basis. My eldest has not had so much as a sniffle in 11 months now (he's only 3), despite regularly being around kids with runny noses, coughs etc at playgroup. It's certainly true that many parents do not honour the quarantine method of infection control for their children, which is a real shame - so you may wish to be cautious of such places whilst DH goes through his treatment. Is your DH also undergoing complementary treatment to support his allopathic treatment? Research supports the success rates for cancer treatment that is supported/complemented by natural therapies/intensive nutritional regimes. Some Naturopath's specialise in this field, and there are quite a number of oncologists who now recommend complementary treatment too - particularly the intensive nutritional element.
As a side note, you may be interested in the book Chemical Free Kids by Sarah Lantz, and apply the principles of the book in your home to limit your exposure to immunity-killing substances. You may also be interested in the book listed in my sig. Over 1000 referenced studies in there about vaccination. I personally believe that strengthening the immunity of the host (the person) via natural means is the single greatest defence against disease, next to sanitation. It has certainly been the case in my (unvaxed) family! :-)
Best wishes to your family as you go through this difficult time.
thanks for your post JellyBean. I will check out the stuff you mention. I would probably tend to agree with you and give that a go but my concern is that we only have a few weeks until a critical period in DP's treatment. He will then be rebuilding his own immune system over the next few months. At first they have told us he will be so sick and is almost 100% going to get mouth ulcers and infections so eating won't be a high priority for him and they may even need to feed through a tube if it's really bad so in the short term, nutrition isn't something we can do much about. Long term it's likely we/he will make changes. He's done heaps of reading about cancer and the links to diet and environmental toxins etc.
I will look into that stuff for DS anyway I think because even if he doesn't catch anything (or pass it on) in the next few months he's only 2 and winter goes for a very long time here.
DD had the flu vax this year, no problems whatsoever. The doctor made the point that she had to have a certain brand (Influvac), but that's what the pharmacist had anyway.
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