How do I protect my child from swine flu?

By Carley Bowman BBC News

Ben is at risk of complications from swine flu

How can I protect my child from swine flu? It is a question that has kept me awake at night.

For several weeks I have been waiting anxiously for my GP to call my three-year-old son Ben in for the vaccine.

But when the call finally came questions flooded into my mind.

Is it safe? Does he really need it? Will he suffer any side-effects? What are the risks if he doesn't have it?

There will be many families facing the same questions across the UK.

We are no different, other than my son is one of the first batch of patients to receive the swine flu vaccine as the immunisation programme rolls out through GP surgeries.

Doctor's advice

He is in the priority "at risk" group as he has a complex heart condition and recently had his airway reconstructed in pioneering surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

I know that giving my son the vaccine is in his best interest Advice to pregnant women

In reality, my son is equally at risk from seasonal influenza.

He has had the annual flu vaccine each year of his life. I have never before questioned whether that is the right course of action.

I have simply taken the advice of Ben's doctors.

However, it has been very hard to ignore the press coverage over recent weeks and months - particularly those reports questioning whether the swine flu vaccine is safe or has been fast-tracked without sufficient time for testing and assessing the potential side-effects.

As a journalist I have tried to sift through all the information available on swine flu and weigh up the evidence.

But as a parent it is very difficult to ignore some of the more alarming headlines in the press and sense of fear the word "pandemic" creates.

I know that giving my son the vaccine is in his best interest.

It has undergone significant human trials and has been approved by the European Medicines Agency which is responsible for licensing new treatments.

In fact, seasonal flu vaccines follow a similar fast-track system as the medication has to be tailored to each new flu outbreak.

But that does not stop me from worrying about making the right decision.

Treading water

I have a lot of experience of paediatric intensive care units, sitting beside my child while he struggles to fight off one serious infection after another and praying the drugs pumping into his body will finally help him turn the corner onto the road of recovery.

In my head and my heart I know I must do everything possible to protect him from that again.

As my GP explained, handling this pandemic is not an exact science but doctors are acting on the data and information they are able to collate as it runs its course.

They say Ben should have it. I believe they are right.

As a family, we have been treading water for months, not able to send our little boy back to nursery as he would be most likely to catch swine flu there.

We have been unable to socialise comfortably with other people showing cough and cold symptoms in case they harbour the virus.

It feels like danger is everywhere.

It is tiring. We want our lives back. The vaccine is not a complete guarantee but, on balance, gives Ben the best chance of staying symptom free - and lowering the stress levels of his parents.

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