By Sara Keli
Imagine that one morning you are feeding your four-week-old baby when you notice a little drip from her nose. It’s probably just baby’s first cold – unsurprising that she has a cold so young when she has a big sister who goes to daycare – but you decided to take her to the doctor anyway.
You expect the doctor to suggest some baby cold medicine but instead he suggests a trip to the hospital … just to be on the safe side.
Your baby seems in good spirits so you aren’t too worried … fast forward to a blood test, chest x-ray and lumbar puncture and it’s all a blur when you hear the word ‘meningitis’ tumble out of the doctor’s mouth. Your baby is quickly hooked up to a drip and pumped full of antibiotics, and in an instant you’ve gone from baby’s first cold to a terrifying, heart-stopping feeling of dread and fear.
We were fortunate that in our case the meningitis was viral, so after three sleepless nights in hospital, we were sent home. But that experience has defined so much of how I parent my kids.
Anything I can do
I believe that we have no more important job than protecting our kids. In the same way that I keep my kids rear-facing in their car seats well beyond the legal requirement of six months, and limit their screen time on devices by setting parental controls around what they can access, I will do anything I can within my power to protect them.
Vaccination is one big thing I can do to protect them in what can be the difference between life and death if they were to contract a particular virus or disease.
After our experience in hospital, as amazing as the doctors and nurses were in caring for my baby, it’s not a place I would like to be again caring for a sick baby or child.
The argument against vaccinating
The most common arguments against the flu vaccination just don’t sit well with me.
There are two main arguments I hear people using. The first is that the flu vaccination doesn’t cover all strains of the flu. This is correct … but what the flu vaccination does cover is the most common and dangerous strains. Those are the ones you really don’t want to catch and you don’t want your baby to get them either!
The second argument is that you’ve never had the flu before so you don’t need to worry. I look at this argument the same as I do the argument for using seatbelts and car restraints for babies and kids. If you aren’t in a car accident, a seat belt isn’t really necessary … but if you’re in a car accident a seat belt will play a huge role in your survival. Nothing is guaranteed, but are you willing to take the risk?
As at 8 July 2019, there have been more than 130,000 cases of laboratory confirmed influenza across Australia. More than 200 of those people have died – many of them young, fit and healthy people who you would expect would be able to easily fight the virus. I, for one, don’t want my kids in those statistics.
A simple choice
I look at my decision to vaccinate my baby, and our whole family, against the flu as a simple choice. I am aware that there can be side effects that come with vaccination. I know that we aren’t covered for all strains of the flu and may very well still get sick.
But I also know that this is the right decision for us and we will continue to get the flu vaccination every year. Winter is hard enough as it is with the onslaught of colds and other bugs that the kids bring home from school and daycare, without having to fight a potentially deadly flu virus. I’ll take a needle every day of the week over that.
Flu facts
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