RSV vaccination

[klondike]

Dear klondike,

You should book a free NHS RSV vaccine if you have not done so already. This is because you are aged 75 to 79 years (or recently turned 80).
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. blurb
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https://www.gov.uk/rsv-vaccine


Anybody had one?

[Raven]

Yes last summer, not because of my age but because they said I was high risk, think it's every second year you get one.

[Vlad]

I just got one of those too.

[Alex]

Nope

[klondike]

Yes last summer, not because of my age but because they said I was high risk, think it's every second year you get one.

The NHS info says it's a one off. The shingles one I had a while back was too. I'll wander into the GPs to see if I can book one - walking up there is quicker and more entertaining than sitting on the phone waiting. I had an annoying virus before Christmas that left a bit of a chest infection that took ages to clear which was probably one of those.

[Raven]

The NHS info says it's a one off. The shingles one I had a while back was too. I'll wander into the GPs to see if I can book one - walking up there is quicker and more entertaining than sitting on the phone waiting. I had an annoying virus before Christmas that left a bit of a chest infection that took ages to clear which was probably one of those.

Even better, I hate going to the Vac Centre for injections.

[Ruthio]

Yep, don't hesitate just do it!
Nurse told me that many hospital deaths during early stage of covid/ lockdown era weren't due to covid but RSV

[Alex]

" As with any vaccine, Abrysvo may not fully protect all those who receive it!   A bit like Covid vaccine then  ?

[klondike]

Viruses are RNA based rather than DNA and that means they mutate much quicker than bacteria. Plus there are usually a bunch of them similar but not identical in circulation. They hope the vaccines will be more hit than miss. At least the only inadequately tested ones sfaik are the COVID ones.

[Mups]

Viruses are RNA based rather than DNA and that means they mutate much quicker than bacteria. Plus there are usually a bunch of them similar but not identical in circulation. They hope the vaccines will be more hit than miss. At least the only inadequately tested ones sfaik are the COVID ones.

What I don't understand is,  they say this vaccine is just a one-off,   yet if this virus keeps mutating how can only one vaccine do the trick?

This is exactly what happened with the Covid vaccs, wasn't it. 
We were told Covid kept mutating,  so they had to bring out another vaccine every few months.

[klondike]

Well my understanding is that a virus has a mechanism that allows it to penetrate a cell membrane so once inside it can divert the cell processes into producing copies of itself. To work it must be able to get in. Mutations in the mechanism it uses to make entry are liable to make the virus non viable so that segment of the RNA that produces the "burglary tools" doesn't change substantially but they do have to tweak the vaccines every so often.

The vaccine is a copy of that RNA segment (the spike protein they were always going on about). The immune system encounters the vaccine RNA segment and recognises it as an illegal immigrant and sets about destroying it. The immune system is then primed for when it comes across the actual virus.

The vaccine is only a portion of the virus so can't reproduce and hopefully will cause the patient no harm. As we know though that isn't always the case and kicking the immune system into activity can lead to adverse side effects. This is why vaccines are supposed to be very thoroughly tested. A process that can take a decade or more. They panicked over Covid and the vaccines they injected everybody with didn't actually work very well. They didn't stop infection, didn't stop transmission so they decided to claim they reduced severity without any evidence. The only genuine evidence about them is that they did have adverse effects on some right up to the point of killing some people.

February 14, 2025, 05:38:29 PM
I did book in for the RSV vaccination. Hopefully I won't regret that.

I may as well have phoned though because when I was in reception after a long period of screen gazing I was asked if I could get to the other surgery (Whitefields) I said yes and almost immediately was given a date and time. When the text confirming the booking came it said Delapre surgery. So I had to phone which naturally took an age - 31m 31s according to my call log with most of that an annoying woman telling me I could book online - this option remains open for about 5 minutes daily before they say they can't take any more requests and that is regardless of what the request may be. The text was correct. I have already been to the wrong surgery twice because reception didn't make clear which one they were booking me into.

[GrannyMac]

I've had it, so far so good. I've had a problem with one lung in the past, any chest infection went straight to it, and i've needed high doses of antibiotics and even steroids to clear it.

I've also had the pneumonia vaccine, a one off. That was a while ago.  

[Mups]

Klondike said -

Today at 05:38:29 PM
I did book in for the RSV vaccination. Hopefully I won't regret that.

I may as well have phoned though because when I was in reception after a long period of screen gazing I was asked if I could get to the other surgery (Whitefields) I said yes and almost immediately was given a date and time. When the text confirming the booking came it said Delapre surgery. So I had to phone which naturally took an age - 31m 31s according to my call log with most of that an annoying woman telling me I could book online - this option remains open for about 5 minutes daily before they say they can't take any more requests and that is regardless of what the request may be. The text was correct. I have already been to the wrong surgery twice because reception didn't make clear which one they were booking me into.

*  *  *

Sounds like you had a fun day then.  

Thankyou for the explanation regarding your vaccine thoughts.

What I don't quite see though,  is if an immune system attacks the tiny portion of virus introduced into a body,  and it kills it,  why isn't the vaccine killed off, and your protection all gone?

Do you know if it's a live vaccine you're having?


(Sorry,  just looked it up, and apparently the RSV is not a live vaccine).

[klondike]

I had the pneumonia vaccine the same time as the shingles one.

The vaccine gives the immune system a sight of what the virus looks like. It's presence stimulates the immune system into a response and that response is then a learned response so should the immune system encounter the real virus it has already "seen" it before and gets a flying start on tackling it before it can get established and present far more virus particles because it has had time to produce more in the body before the immune system woke up to the threat. Sorry about the anthropomorphic way I've put this I find it easier to describe it that way. It's all chemistry not intelligent reactions to anything.

[Mups]

Sorry if I seem thick.

You have much patience.