Back in the 60s children's vaccinations were given at school. A team of nurses went round the schools - I guess a letter went home for parents to give permission? or maybe we just got them regardless! I can't remember much about it happening - and now I'm not even sure what we were vaccinated against. What was that one we had that had a small circle of tiny needles that left a pretty pattern for ages?
All 3 of my children were vaccinated when they were small against all the childhood illness that were preventable. They had fewer days off school than I had, when measles, mumps and chicken pox did the rounds in the 1960's. My grandchildren have had even more vaccinations and will be spared many more nasty things. I heard on the radio that Chicken Pox vaccination is another one children should get in the future in England, it's already given in many places.
Flu vaccinations are offered in this country for anyone over 65 and others at risk. There's a special flu vaccine for children - they are given it from age 2 or 3. There is a long history of research about preventing flu, going right back to the 1940s in the USA and from the 1960's here. This year would be my 4th year and my flu vaccination was planned for the 2nd November and had to be cancelled due to flooding - the vaccination team couldn't get to the local health centre.
It was reorganised for another day and I had heard tales of just how long people were forced to wait outside in a queue to go in for the previous vaccination sessions in October.
Thankfully no such problems when I got mine done on the 14th, no queue, just a "steady stream" the nurse said. No side effects this year again either.
My blog posts are not usually controversial, so no trolls or vile comments. But this statement is sure to create some.........I'm not having a covid booster vaccination and didn't last year either! And I've never tested myself for covid either - Shock Horror!
Waiting for the comments ..................................
Back Monday
Sue
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The small circle sounds like the BCG TB vaccination. I am too old to have had the MMR and other vaccinations - my brother and I had chickenpox and measles as children, managed to dodge mumps (even though my father's had it whilst we were young) and scarlet fever. I did get German measles in my last year at primary school, but very mildly, and was all of a sudden very popular with the mothers of young daughters trying to get them infected to avoid potential problems in pregnancy in later life.
ReplyDeleteA friend's pregnant daughter was very worried when many children at her church all had chicken pox - thankfully she didn't get it and had no problems.
DeleteIt will be good if children get vaccinated against that too
I think that was the tester for TB - if it reacted, you didn't need the TB jab a few weeks later but if it didn't react, you did. Or maybe it was the other way round.
ReplyDeleteThe only jab my two didn't get was the whooping cough one because there was a contraindication (at that time). Of course, they both went and got whooping cough and Dave was really quite poorly with it, sadly.
Alex, I believe, got the lot.
I don't remember any more of mine apart from the TB one, of course, but I assume I got everything on offer.
Now I've had the lot - shingles, covid, flu and the pneumo-whotsit one. But I would never snipe at anyone for making different choices - we are fortunate to live in a society where we CAN choose and I value that too much to criticise.
xx
They have started giving shingles Vac to over 65's but at age 68 I have to wait until 70 - I'll get that then. I hadn't heard about pneumonia prevention.
DeleteI think Joy is referring to a one off injection which is given in your late 60's. Your surgery should have all the info!
DeleteUnfortunately the new shingles jab is likely to be two injections unlike the older version of just one. It may also be based on mRNA like Covid jabs so don’t know what to do when the time comes. I’ll decide then.
DeleteYes, it is a one off. I'd never heard of it but the surgery notified me. My shingles is a two - the next one is due next April. x
DeleteYou can have a pneumonia jab- am almost same age as you and had mine 6 months ago
DeleteOne of my neighbours was horrified when I said I'd never tested for covid, but as, touch wood, I've not had so much as a cold in the last few years, why should I take a test?
ReplyDeleteI've not had anything like covid so haven't tested. Can't think why I would test
DeleteI have had a recent COVID booster and flu shot because I teach high school students and my exposure rate to illnesses is high. I have had many students out with COVID the last few months, as well as the flu. Because I am of a “mature” age, I want to make sure I try to stay healthy while I work.
DeleteI caught chickenpox when I was 31. Liz got it at playgroup, passed it on to her little sister, then I got it, and was really poorly.
ReplyDeleteColin said he had chicken pox as a late teen and was poorly too. I got it on my 11th birthday - the day after my birthday party!
DeleteYep, TB jab, if it reacted you didn’t need the next one. I remember standing in the playground with a long needle on a metal syringe. Just went down the line, no needle change in between. Don’t know what they were for either. Had 4 Covid vaccinations but none of the boosters for this year, don’t intend to either.
ReplyDeleteI had the covid vacs at the time we first had them but decided that was enough
DeleteWell I had my booster vaccination this year along with the flu one. The only vaccination that didn't seem to work was the polio one when I was a child. After the lump of sugar on which it was given, I developed minor symptoms of polio but it cleared eventually.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness it was only minor symptoms of polio.
DeleteI don't remember any parental approval letters - we were just told in class that we needed to queue up in the hall to see the nurse and jabbed! We belonged to the "If the school says you need to do it then you need to do it." generation!
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about no consultation - can you imagine that now!
DeleteI didn’t expect that ending. I have had every vaccination offered. I have tested for COVID on a few occasions when asked - for example going to a meeting and someone there has a partner who was vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in knowing why you decided against the two boosters. The reason I ask is you seem a thoughtful, rationale person unlike some who spout all kinds of nonsense about experimental treatments and the huge plan that “they” have to control us.
I just decided I'd had enough after the original doses. If I'm ill I stay at home, but haven't been ill apart from minor snuffly colds
DeleteI think each to their own although personally I've had everything offered. Working part time in a secondary school (and older than you Sue!) I was exposed to a multitude of Covid and non-Covid infections. We were meant to test daily but few did. There seemed little point when pupils were hugging their friends and relations and coming in to give us their germs. Personally I think I've had Covid four times but am absolutely fed up with the terror reaction to the Covid word. It's time to get on with it and live with it and as you sensibly said, keep yourself to yourself if you're not well. Just like the good old days!
DeleteThank you for the response Sue
DeleteBut you still take the flu vaccine Sue? What’s the difference? When Covid was around flu deaths declined rapidly , almost disappeared. I wonder why? Covid was in many instances flu rebranded.
DeleteMany were coerced into taking into to get us out of lockdown, see our relatives, go to football go on holiday, keep our jobs etc Remember vaccine passports? There is now no longer coercion and an actual choice and people can say no.
That "pretty" one was the TB one.
ReplyDeleteIt is your decision not to have the booster and I respect your choice even though I had mine. However, if someone develops symptoms I believe they should be tested in order to protect the vulnerable and help prevent the spread. After all, if nothing else it could help ease the stress on the NHS and save lives.
I remember the ring of dots staying for ages.
DeleteIf I'm ill I will stay at home and avoid people
You zre not on your own de lining another covid booster. I was so sick for weeks after my last one that I vowed I'd prefer to take my chances with another dose of the real thing (the first dose was a mere inconvenience by comparison).
ReplyDeleteThat circle of dots thing was a test for TB reactors - it identifies people whose immune system has already been in contact with TB.
I wonder what the results of my TB jab were all those years ago .
DeleteI have never had a flu jab. Covid jabs don't seem to be talked about so much these days, they are just taken along with flu jabs as something that happens around October. There seems less shock and horror about whether you have them or not now. I don't bother with Covid jabs either. I have had texts from the surgery to say that both flu and Covid jabs are available on demand if I want them but there is no pressure to have them.
ReplyDeleteI remember having the TB immune test, but did not have the jab as I was in hospital both then and the next year when those who missed them were caught up with. I have had all my Covid jabs as I care for someone vulnerable. I caught Covid recently and although it was just like a cold it has taken me a long time to get anywhere back up to firing on all cylinders. I think staying at home away from people is the sensible thing for anyone to do if they are feeling poorly. I spent many years whilst at work suffering from colds contracted in stuffy over-crowded offices!
ReplyDeleteAt 60 years of age I am no longer eligible for a covid booster, nor a free flu jab. However, I have had the flu jab for the past 3 years (even though I had to pay for it this year) as 4 or 5 years ago I actually got flu and it was a nightmare! I lost a lot of weight and if took me months to regain my full strength. I confess that I hadn't realised how bad flu can be until I got it myself. Pam
ReplyDeleteThe flu kills thousands every year. The numbers may have gone down when we all wore masks. The only time i had the flu, over 40 years ago, i felt like i was on deaths door. I get the jabs for everything every year. I’d like to live to see my grandchildren grow!
DeleteI'm having no more boosters either.
ReplyDeleteWe have everything that's offered or risk being nagged to death by our children.
ReplyDeleteIt’s none of your kid’s business. I hope you tell them that.
DeleteWe had our boosters, flu and covid. We knew that Tim had a surgery scheduled, that we would be spending a lot more time in hospitals and doctor's offices. It seemed prudent.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we do keep a box of two covid test kits, just in case. If we were to show symptoms and had some social thing, we would test for the sake of others. Our family is aging now, all of us, and there are people dealing with cancer. I just really don't want to carry anything in to these folks. I think we need to be practical not hysterical about it. Everyone has their own take on it. I think we've made the best decision for our circumstances and leave others to make that decision for their own circumstances.
DeleteHave had my vaccines this autumn…flu, Covid, RSV…
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were young the chicken pox vaccine was available in the UK but not in the US….I constantly asked our pediatrician if it had been approved yet. Consequently, both boys got chicken pox…not fun…!
I missed my Covid booster last year and to my knowledge I have never had Covid - despite working in a busy bookshop and having our son living with us for almost a year who was continually going to and fro London, sofa-surfing with friends and going on lots of holidays. This autumn I went with my husband for his Covid and flu vaccinations and the nurse knowing he has Parkinson’s and that I am his carer and that he was going into hospital for an operation gave me my jabs at the same time. Does anyone remember the fuss about the MMR vaccinations and it’s utterly disproved link to autism in the mid-late 90s. I knew so many Surrey yummy mummies who refused to let their darlings be vaccinated and instead relied on herd immunity. There was a similar scare with the cervical cancer vaccine for teenage girls too. As I have never been on Facebook or any forums all these scares passed me by and I was content to let my children benefit from the science. Sarah in Sussex
ReplyDeleteI remember all the childhood jabs at the school clinic. Lately I've always had the flu jab as I was very ill with flu in my early twenties. I was also given a pneuminia one a few years ago but not shingles yet. I had the first three Covid jabs but have had no more. The reason for this is that after the third jab I got a thrombosis in my leg and then a pulmonary embolisim which put me in hospital. I now have to take blood thinners indefinitely, so I won't be having anymore:)
ReplyDeleteI've had all the jabs that I've been offered, although strangely I've not been offered Covid or flu jabs this year. I had everything offered as a child too and wish there had been a chicken pox vaccination back in the day as I caught it twice, once as a youngster and then again when I was 16, I was really ill that time. Yes, it the BCG TB tester jab that leaves you with a pretty pattern on your arm for a few days.
ReplyDeleteNo more Covid boosters for me either. My cardiologist blames my strokes on the Covid vaccine. She said 15% of people have that reaction and made me promise not to get any more.
ReplyDeleteI had chicken pox when I was pregnant, I was very ill and couldn't even take paracetemol. The year before that I got German measles - my GP said I must have had a very sheltered childhood!
ReplyDeleteThe little round circle of vaccinated skin that I got in the 40's was for smallpox. It caused a oozy sore place that scabbed over and left a dotted little circle scar which if I search for today on my upper arm, could probably still locate at 82. A TB scar is nothing I remember, except vaguely being told I had to show proof of vaccination if I wanted to work as a waitress in a restaurant as a teenager.
ReplyDeleteI've had some and not others. The one on the sugarlump was the easiest wasn't it. I steer clear of all the controversy. It's down to personal choice and not a conversation I have with people I consider it none of my business. Arilx
ReplyDeleteLike you, I remember the schools providing vaccinations. I've had all the childhood vaccinations and a couple Covid shots. That will be enough for me. As more seniors get Covid boosters, more adverse reactions are being seen. I wonder if anyone is collecting the data? Some reactions are quite serious.
ReplyDeleteJust had my latest Covid booster with no ill effects. had a cold recently and tested myself twice for Covid as I had commitments that meant being out with others. Both times negative. My husband caught the cold then learned a couple of days ago he had exposure to Covid so he tested and was negative. He's had a charmed experience with Covid exposures including being exposed to me when I had it in Aug '22.
ReplyDeleteIt's your choice, Sue whether to have the boosters. You know what to do to stay safe from Covid.
i haven't had any more covid boosters either, i don't mention it to anyone else because i have had negative remarks but like yourself i feel it's my choice x
ReplyDeleteI have a flu jab each year because of my bad asthma. I've had the Covid jabs too so far, for the same reason and because of trying to protect Keith - I was booked in a week after I came down with it! Having had mumps as an adult, it wasn't pleasant and better to have it as a kid or be vaccinated. I also had I thin it was Chickenpox when the kids all had it (Danny only a 6mth old baby, bless him). I was glad to get the Shingles jab last week and it seemed to boost my immune system staggering still from Covid, as I've felt better since being jabbed.
ReplyDeleteSeveral responders have stated that they will not get any more booster shots and if they feel ill, they will just stay home. But isn't the whole idea is the booster that it would keep the symptoms mild if you are exposed to someone else who has the virus and has been around you. Staying home if you are ill does nothing to protect you if you are exposed to someone else who is sick.
ReplyDeleteI've had all that's going, even the one for man-flu (it comes in a brown pint bottle and you take one per day).
ReplyDeleteNo more boosters for me. I finally caught Covid (which is strange that it took this long, as I was teaching at the time and surrounded by all kinds of germs). I have a mark on my arm from some sort of vaccine as a child - all of us had it - but I don't think it was for TB. In Canada, children can get the chicken pox vaccine now. I've had flu shots on and off over the years. I had the single shingles vaccine because I'd seen so many of my colleagues suffer with shingles, sometimes more than once. Unfortunately, the whole covid vaccine thing became a politically divisive tool in Canada and tore families and friendships apart. I hope those days are gone. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteLike you, Sue, I had all the various vaccines growing up, as did my siblings and all of our own children when we had them. Had pneumonia shots a few years ago. Had the initial Covid shots (Moderna) and booster (J&J) the 1st year. Some years I get flu shots. Others not. Mostly I follow old habits. Eat right. Take vitamins. Wash your hands. Stay home if you're sick. Avoid crowds in cold/flu (and now Covid) season. --Elise
ReplyDeleteI remember having the Rubella vaccination. I think a couple of people passed out. We were all lined up in school being rather nervous lol. There were such horror stories!
ReplyDeleteLast year was my first year getting the flu vaccination. I got it along with my Covid booster. This post reminded me that I need to schedule both. I did have Covid back in September and was advised to get it a couple of months. However, I want to get both before I go to daughter's house. I'll be staying there for a while waiting the birth of my first grandchild. I want to make sure to get the vaccinations before I go!
Sue, I believe the vaccine that left the circle of dots was either TB or smallpox. In Canada the TB vaccination is now only given to select groups who are at high risk of contracting it. Smallpox has not been given since the 70’s, however, I do remember getting it in my foot to get rid of a plantars wart.
ReplyDeleteAs for vaccines…I got a flu shot this fall and will get a pneumococcal one soon. Discussed Covid boosters with my doc and he said I’m fine without…had two initial jabs and Covid twice. He said he’s not getting any boosters either. Acknowledged he shouldn’t say all that, but there you are.
Am really enjoying this series.
Another one of the “take any vaccination that is going” gang here.
ReplyDeleteI never had the flu vaccine until I caught flu one year. I spent two days in bed. On day three I decided to pull myself together hot up, showered and dressed, went down stairs and had to sleep on the sofa for six hours to recover from the effort. Since then a flu vaccine each year.
To my knowledge I haven’t had COVID - could have had it and been asymptomatic of course. That’s assuming you believe there is a virus and it’s not all a hoax of course.
Nice spectrum of differing views here all respectfully presented and no nasty comments - which I think reflects your blog.
Interesting blog. You start as if you give the impression that you will have every vaccination going and you believe in the importance of them , but surprisingly state that you are not having your booster and stopped at 2 Covid vaccines? Why?
ReplyDeleteThe reason I ask is it seems that many people are deciding not to have any more Covid jabs but are still having their flu jabs for some reason.Why?
Read Sue’s reply to my question early this am.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful post.
ReplyDeleteI have lost confidence in the information about the Covid vaccinations and have decided not to have any more.
Once we believed that there was integrity in scientific research.
Nelliegrace
Thanks Jan. Will do.
ReplyDeleteThere were no permission slips in the US for vaccines. I can remember lining up in the hallway and waiting for your turn. I've had covid three times and I have all the shots that have been offered. I always get a flu shot and this week I'll get an RSV shot. I'm 72 and have a heart condition. I used to get the flu every year until I started getting the shot. I haven't had it once since. It's a free country here and there so I think it's up to each person what they want to do with their body. My thing is don't complain about being ill if you haven't taken the shots. When I had covid I did take the medication and was better in a couple of days. Having covid and exposing children is BAD!
ReplyDeleteI tested for Covid quite a bit when I was visiting very elderly relatives when we were first allowed to start mixing again after the lockdowns. I tested positive after my grandchildren kindly brought Covid back from France a couple of years back. I currently have Covid again as I went to help remaining elderly relatives after one was sent home from hospital too soon after an op and and fortunately only have fairly mild symptons. Ironic I got it from them who were such diligent shielders. I have had all Covid and flu jabs but it is a personal choice. PatC
ReplyDeleteThe daisy prick that you had prior to getting your BCG vaccination left the ring of dots.
ReplyDelete