Flu shot and Booster?

[myrose]

My daughter never received the flu shot but received the booster...I changed my mind later on and never went back.

What is the difference in the booster and the actual shot??

I am confused again......

[kim]

Myrose,

 

I'm not all that up on this because the flu vaccines were not a big push back when my kids were younger (not that I knew one thing about ANY of the vaccines back then). My limited understanding tho is that 2 doses are initially recommended the first time a child recieves the flu vaccine. One is thought to be a primer dose, the 2nd prompts a stronger response since the body has "seen" the antigen before. I believe it's the same vaccine, the 2nd may just be referred to as the "booster" dose. I'm not clear how that is supposed to work when they change strains each year? Anyway here is something from the current schedule

 

 

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules...chedule_pss.pdf

 

Administer 2 doses (separated by 4 weeks or longer) to children younger

than 9 years who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time or who

were vaccinated for the first time last season but only received one dose.

 

This gives some pub med studies that help explain what they found when dosing with different strains.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?c...t_uids=16950948

[ajcire]

I did the same thing... My ds got the first shot and they said they were out of it when it was time for the second and I confess I never called back again as I had changed my mind. I know they will try to talk me into it this year but now I am totally confused as to what to do. I am afraid to put anything in him at all in the way of vaccines now but at the same time want him to not get any sicknesses...

 

 

 

 

Myrose,

 

I'm not all that up on this because the flu vaccines were not a big push back when my kids were younger (not that I knew one thing about ANY of the vaccines back then). My limited understanding tho is that 2 doses are initially recommended the first time a child recieves the flu vaccine. One is thought to be a primer dose, the 2nd prompts a stronger response since the body has "seen" the antigen before. I believe it's the same vaccine, the 2nd may just be referred to as the "booster" dose. I'm not clear how that is supposed to work when they change strains each year? Anyway here is something from the current schedule

 

 

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules...chedule_pss.pdf

 

Administer 2 doses (separated by 4 weeks or longer) to children younger

than 9 years who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time or who

were vaccinated for the first time last season but only received one dose.

 

This gives some pub med studies that help explain what they found when dosing with different strains.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?c...t_uids=16950948

[lss]

I spoke with Dr. K as we had 1 hour consult with him regarding our son. I specifically asked him about flu shots, and he did not recommend it. I also have a friend who is a Dr. and her husband is a infectious disease doctor as well, and they both do not give their son's the flu shot. That should tell you something! My son is 9 and he has never received a flu shot, and won't get one this year.

 

Linda

 

I did the same thing... My ds got the first shot and they said they were out of it when it was time for the second and I confess I never called back again as I had changed my mind. I know they will try to talk me into it this year but now I am totally confused as to what to do. I am afraid to put anything in him at all in the way of vaccines now but at the same time want him to not get any sicknesses...

 

 

 

 

Myrose,

 

I'm not all that up on this because the flu vaccines were not a big push back when my kids were younger (not that I knew one thing about ANY of the vaccines back then). My limited understanding tho is that 2 doses are initially recommended the first time a child recieves the flu vaccine. One is thought to be a primer dose, the 2nd prompts a stronger response since the body has "seen" the antigen before. I believe it's the same vaccine, the 2nd may just be referred to as the "booster" dose. I'm not clear how that is supposed to work when they change strains each year? Anyway here is something from the current schedule

 

 

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules...chedule_pss.pdf

 

Administer 2 doses (separated by 4 weeks or longer) to children younger

than 9 years who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time or who

were vaccinated for the first time last season but only received one dose.

 

This gives some pub med studies that help explain what they found when dosing with different strains.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?c...t_uids=16950948

[kim]

I heard a commercial for the flu vaccine before I was even fully awake this morning. They were spewing the 36,000 deaths # again.

 

I ran into this article today, just skimmed it as it's info that I have read before, but thought it may be helpful to someone else. Looks like good links are included

 

http://vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/2008/...nd-freedom.html

 

October 2008 has been a busy month for those who want to force all Americans - especially children - to get a flu shot every year. It doesn't matter if scientific studies have failed to prove that influenza vaccine is effective in children or many adults. It doesn't matter that flu vaccines during the past few years have been essentially worthless because they have not matched circulating strains of Type A and B influenza viruses. And apparently it also doesn't matter if the mortality statistic the flu police cling to - "36,000 annual deaths from influenza" - is scientifically correct or just hype, especially in light of the fact that only about 20 percent of all flu-like illness is actually caused by "influenza."