vaccines

[FitNurseRN]

I am wondering what you guys think about the vaccine controversy. My DH is really opposed to loading our son up with all the vaccines at once. Does anyone else feel like this?? I know they all are not necessary when they are little. i think we are going to wait on some of them.

melissa

 

[kristan]

I don't buy in to the controversy. We held off on one of the hepatitis vaccines, but that's about it. Our area has had pertussis (sp?) and mumps outbreaks- that scares me.

 

[melimcn]

I think we plan to get everything all at once. No need to put the little one through multiple rounds of shots if unnecessary. And my theory is better safe than sorry.
You never know what people are walking around with today.

 

[FitNurseRN]

we were going to hold off on the hepatitis b vaccines until he gets older. The rest we were going to get on scheduale. We are going to follow the advice of the pediatrician I just dont want to give him anything he doesnt absolutly need right now. but, on the other hand i dont want him at risk for any diseases that he may come into contact with. I am just scared about the whole autism issue and vaccines.

 

[Manmohini]

I highly recommend "The Vaccine Book" by Robert Sears. It came out at the end of 2007, so it is up to date. Sears is a respected pediatrician and the son of the Sears who wrote "The Baby Book." His take on vaccines is the most balanced I have read. The topic is so polarized that I find anti-vaccine writers shrill and fanatical, and pro-vaccine writers smug and uncritical of the status quo. Sears is not anti-scientific or anti-vaccine; he offers a critical and level headed approach to the topic.

I took my son for his first round of vaccines last week, and I worked out an alternative vaccine schedule with my doctor. Most of it has to do with not loading him up with too much aluminum at once. The DTaP shot and the Pc shot are aluminum containing, so instead of receiving these in the same month as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, he will be receiving them on a staggered schedule to allow his little body to better process it. I beleive the recommend amount for aluminum in an adult is 25mg, and some of these shots have 600 to 1200 for a newborn. I agree with you about the Hep B vaccine if you yourself are not a carrier. The polio vaccine, believe it or not, unless you plan to travel to Africa or India or a place where polio has not been eradicated, can wait until 1 year. There is almost no risk of contracting this. One consideration is if your baby is in daycare; Then I'd probably go ahead with most shots on schedule. But if the baby is strictly breastfed and staying in your home most of the time, then you can work out an alternative schedule. In his accessible and readable book, Dr. Sears helps parents to design alternative vaccine schedules. For those parents who are weary of vaccines, he even offers a limited schedule of the most important vaccines. That one was a little too selective for me.

My son was tremendously out of sorts for 4 days after his vaccine. Still, whooping cough is an epidemic right now, so I couldn't justify not getting the DTaP vaccine. You do have choices, though, and I specified to my doctor the manufacturer of the vaccine we wanted. It was the least aluminum containing, and it was free of animal tissues. There are three possible choices for you among the DTap vaccines. Other vaccines might have anywhere from 2-5 choices.

I am impressed by the eradication of polio in America--this speaks well for vaccines. However, there have also been problems and disasters with vaccines in the past, so I think you are wise to be weary of them and to try to limit your risk as much as possible. I lamented to my husband how there was no ideal answer. I hate to have to vaccinate a 2 month old infant, but even more, I hate the horrible diseases. You have to find the compromise that you can live with.

Good luck. Let me know what you decide. I really agonized over this one, and I still don't feel good about it. I wouldn't feel good saying no to vaccines, or saying yes to the standard schedule. I don't even feel good about the well researched compromise.
Manmohini

 

[MSJ]

We participate in the standard vaccines offered to the little ones. We do delay the Hepatitis B, however. I have turned down vaccines that are too new--I like them to be out in the general public with very, very low risk of complication before I'd risk them. Some, like the new one aimed at teen girls, will just be a plain no, not that I want to open that whole can of worms.

Best of luck with your decision.

Maggie

 

[cjbate]

I would hold off on the Hep B until later, if ever...you generally aren't at risk as a baby. Don't vax while sick. Don't give multiple shots in one visit. Ask for the MMR to be split into 3 separate shots. Space them well out. These are reasonable precautions. With the huge increase in childhood asthma, autism, ADHD and allergies, there has got to be something going on. I think it is best to be safe. Find a pediatrician who will work with you. Good luck!!

Jen

 

[Manmohini]

Jen,
I have asked my doctor to break the MMR into three shots, and they claim that they haven't done that for a patient in six years, and that the separate shots are hard to get. They told me I would have to specially order them, but they couldn't remember from where--some vague remembrance of a pharmacy in Connecticut. Do you remember where you got that shot from.

I agree with the rest of what you said about the shots.

There's a good article in this month's issue of "Mothering" magazine about the troublesome presence of high aluminum content in shots.
Manmohini

 

[dlavie]

I have an autistic son and we've had him tested for mercury poisoning and he came up clean, that wasn't the cause for his autism.

It's not the vaccine or the medicine thats causing the controversy it the mercury based product called Thimerisol that is used to preserve the vaccine. I'm told that Thimerisol free vaccines are available. You should discuss the matter with your child's pediatrician, if you don't trust the doc you ned to find one that you do.

All of the advice on these boards and all of the books written aren't any help at all if you don't trust your doctor.

 

[CathydsRNA]

Hi all,
I used to work in the area of vaccines and immunology. Thimerosal is no longer added to routinely administered childhood vaccines in the United States. Although there is some risk of a negative reaction to any vaccine, such as an allergic reaction and some severe allergic rxs, for anyone (including kids), the risk is low and does not outweigh the benefit of protecting children from these viral diseases, which if contracted have a extremely higher chances of causing serious adverse events than the vaccine itself . As one poster pointed out, for several vaccines, there are different versions and you can do your homework to decide which particular version of a vaccine is for you .

And though we are aware of what vaccines did for small pox and polio and rabies for example, other viral diseases such as measles, chicken pox , rotavirus, HepB and bacterial infections with Haemophilus influenza and meningococci are not infrequently associated with very severe diseases and syndromes including death. I would definitely recommend vaccination. Know what the risks of not vaccinating your kids are in addition to knowing the risks of the individual vaccines .

Also although there has been concern about a link between vaccines and autism this is primarily because autism manifests itself in kids shortly after the age at which kids get their first vacccines and so many look at this as cause and effect. However, numerous retrospective studies looking for a coorelation between autism and vaccination have failed to show a link. These studies were done by looking at the incidence of autism over the years and incidence of vaccination over the years of the study (decades of data). These include studies with specific vaccines too such as MMR. This does not mean that rare isolated atypical adverse events are not associated with vaccination but these are rare and isolated. There is a much greater chance of your child becoming more ill if he/she contracts the disease itself unless you are banking on the fact that he/she won't contract the disease but this is a bet I personally would not want to take.

 

[cjbate]

Manmohini: My SIL just got them split up for her son, I will ask her who the pharm/manuf was. We did the MMR 3 in 1 at age 18 months or whatever.....before we realized....and then for his 5 year old shots I requested titres and he was already immune to all 3, so didn't need the boosters.

I don't think it is all that rare to request them separately (THESE DAYS ANYWAY), perhaps only at your ped office is it rare. They are probably hoping you will just drop the whole thing and get the 3 in 1....

Just had to correct a few things, truly not wanting to stir the pot, and I doubt if I will, there is more than enough info all over the web, on both sides of the debate.....MMR never had thimerosal in it, in this case, it was the "triple" nature of the vax and in some cases of autism, the immediate onset of autistic characteristics once the shot is given usually after 18 months of multiple thimerosal laced vax's, and often multiple treatments of antiobiotics for various reasons, such as ear infections. And in patients with family histories of autoimmune diseases. So.....anyway.....that was the pattern....

Plus.....

Mercury clears the blood in 7 days so it is very difficult to detect after that time period, once it has already settled in the brain or other fatty tissues. Just had to throw that in, it makes it all clear as mud, ha.

Thankfully in this day and age people can usually locate & research the studies for themselves and decide if they were properly conducted by people with no vested interest in the outcome...at least if that is properly disclosed.

Tough decisions for moms who are just trying to figure out the best course of action....everybody wants a healthy kid Autism rates my neck of the woods are through the roof.

Respectfully,
Jen