Immunizations

[green1]

So we brought our daughter to the Pediatrician today for her 18 month checkup, 1 month late. Doing well, 80% in growth and weight. Woo hoo.

The point to this thread thought is that we have done a lot of research about immunizations, reactions to immunizations, state and federal regulations regarding immunizations and alternative schedules rather than the normal one. The reason for this is that we believe, and it is completely our personal belief, that loading a ton (upwards of 20 shots) into a baby under 18 months old may not be the best way to do it. So we decided to stagger the immunizations, break out the ones that are grouped together and spread them out over a longer time frame. Just to give her body time to recover before the next shot hits her system.

Today we were going to give her Hib and IPV (Polio). After speaking with the doc and telling him what we wanted to vaccinate her against he looked through his chart and said "Oh, she doesn't need Hib anymore because she is over 18 months old". First, we didn't see that in any of research. Second, it is an immunization that will stay in her system for years, why does she not need it after 18 months?

I understand the need to immunizations. But why do we need an immunization for everything? There is one for chickenpox. Chickenpox! My mom set up chickenpox parties for the neighborhood kids so that everyone would get it at the same time and be done with it. Hep A, most commonly a sexually transmitted disease is being vaccinated against in infants. Why?

OK, that is my rant for today. Has anyone else come across this, or is currently dealing with this?

[sunseeker]

If she want to go to college, or school for that matter, most states require certain immunizations.

Just an FYI....

[SharkOnLand]

I heard on the radio this morning that they did a study of playgrounds and found a crapload of viruses/bacteria, including e.coli and Hepatitis A. On a playground. You may think of Hep A as being sexually transmitted, but it's definitely not limited to being only sexually transmitted.

And chickenpox, while usually just a short illness for kids, can be deadly sometimes, and if one doesn't get it as a kid, can be brutal as an adult.

[pbans]

My pediatrician actually advised AGAINST the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine.....of course, that was when it had first come out....maybe the research has caught up with it now.....but he felt on that one the risks of the vaccine outweighed the risk of complications with chicken pox.

As it turns out, my daughter has NEVER had them....in spite of being exposed many, many times.....I don't know whether she had such a mild case we didn't know or if she's just some freak of nature......

We are looking a guardisil now......it irritates me that my insurance won't pay for it and it's not available at our health dept yet.....

[green1]

If she want to go to college, or school for that matter, most states require certain immunizations.

Just an FYI....

She will get all her vaccinations, well almost all. We aren't going to do chickenpox, but rather let her get it. If they demand that she get the shot we will do a titer an they can do an antibody count to prove she doesn't need it.

[buffettbride]

Because my daughter has a compromised immune system, it's important for her to be vaccinated because illness affects her about 10 x worse as it does a healthy person--although she had received most of her immunizations prior to being diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

What I think is important is to make an informed decision based on what you as a parent are most comfortable with and work with a health provider who supports that decision.

As OCD as I am in decisions about my kids, I never really questioned vaccinations. I weighed the benefits against the risks and felt far more comfortable vaccinating than not. (Ok, I'd be a little sketchy if I knew my kid was in class with one of the non-vaccinated ones--especially something like Whooping Caugh) but I don't think schools can share that information.

I'm not sure what goes into a decision to make a vaccination required (such as the chicken pox one which was optional when my daughter was born but is now a required immunization to enter kindergarten and a booster at age 10 I believe).

Then there is my opinion about doctors---some of them are very, very good and others are just plain lousy. Finding one you like and makes a connection with you and your family is important. But, medicine is a business. A big one. Largely based on the pharmaceutical industry which seems shady, at best. For example, my daughter's condition has no cure per-se, but is remedied by not eating gluten. There's no medicine for it--no shot, no pill, nothing she can take to make her well other than avoid the bad foods. Well, that doesn't make my doctor any money (well, it sorta does because she'll have all sorts of blood tests and DEXA scans throughout her life). We've had great luck with our doctor, but I have heard many, many, many stories from other Celiac sufferers who doctors discount the Celiac diagnosis because it's not a money maker for them--it's easier for patients to be sick with "IBS" trying prescription after prescription. Now, that seems a little extreme, but it's likely the truth is somewhere in the middle.

[buffettbride]

We are looking a guardisil now......it irritates me that my insurance won't pay for it and it's not available at our health dept yet.....

That's the HPV vaccine, correct?

I don't know if my insurance covers it or not, but it came up at Victoria's 10 yr well child check. I said I'm pretty sure she's not in the HPV risk-factor range yet and we'd hold off on that one for a while. I'm ALL for it though.

[green1]

I heard on the radio this morning that they did a study of playgrounds and found a crapload of viruses/bacteria, including e.coli and Hepatitis A. On a playground. You may think of Hep A as being sexually transmitted, but it's definitely not limited to being only sexually transmitted.

And chickenpox, while usually just a short illness for kids, can be deadly sometimes, and if one doesn't get it as a kid, can be brutal as an adult.

I know that chickenpox in adults can be bad, but the vaccine is only good for 10 years and then you need a booster. So the infant gets the vaccine, the middle schooler will get the booster. Then in 10 years when they are done with college and on their own what happens? They will probbaly end up getting the virus as an adult.

[buffettbride]

I heard on the radio this morning that they did a study of playgrounds and found a crapload of viruses/bacteria, including e.coli and Hepatitis A. On a playground. You may think of Hep A as being sexually transmitted, but it's definitely not limited to being only sexually transmitted.

And chickenpox, while usually just a short illness for kids, can be deadly sometimes, and if one doesn't get it as a kid, can be brutal as an adult.

Hep A comes often times when folks go potty and don't was their hands then touch other people's food and stuff.

[buffettbride]

If she want to go to college, or school for that matter, most states require certain immunizations.

Just an FYI....

There's ways around those, too. I used to participate on a "mommy" board where many, many parents were against most if not all vaccinations and there were all sorts of ways to get around them.

[12vmanRick]

a guy that went in the military same time as me didn't have his shot records, they told him he had to redo everything. He told them he had a condition where his body didn't react well when he got a lot of shots at one time. They made him take them all anyway. He went into anaphylactic shock, damaged his pancreas and some other things. He got a medical discharge and his parents sued the military.

[green1]

We are looking a guardisil now......it irritates me that my insurance won't pay for it and it's not available at our health dept yet.....

That's the HPV vaccine, correct?

I don't know if my insurance covers it or not, but it came up at Victoria's 10 yr well child check. I said I'm pretty sure she's not in the HPV risk-factor range yet and we'd hold off on that one for a while. I'm ALL for it though.

Isn't this is vaccine for cervical cancer? It is up for discussion to mandated by VA for all school children to have this shot. Don't know enough about it yet though.

[12vmanRick]

We are looking a guardisil now......it irritates me that my insurance won't pay for it and it's not available at our health dept yet.....

That's the HPV vaccine, correct?

I don't know if my insurance covers it or not, but it came up at Victoria's 10 yr well child check. I said I'm pretty sure she's not in the HPV risk-factor range yet and we'd hold off on that one for a while. I'm ALL for it though.

Isn't this is vaccine for cervical cancer? It is up for discussion to mandated by VA for all school children to have this shot. Don't know enough about it yet though.

HPV is the human papaloma virus that they BELIEVE is a precursor to pre cancer cells that can then turn into cancer of the cervix. I only know all this because of some issues Nicole went through a while back. To me it all sounds like, if this, was this, if this happens, if if if if... and the MAYBE this will fix the if.

[buffettbride]

We are looking a guardisil now......it irritates me that my insurance won't pay for it and it's not available at our health dept yet.....

That's the HPV vaccine, correct?

I don't know if my insurance covers it or not, but it came up at Victoria's 10 yr well child check. I said I'm pretty sure she's not in the HPV risk-factor range yet and we'd hold off on that one for a while. I'm ALL for it though.

Isn't this is vaccine for cervical cancer? It is up for discussion to mandated by VA for all school children to have this shot. Don't know enough about it yet though.

The same debate is going on in most states right now. The medical community (and others) wants it to be a mandatory vaccine. It prevents the two biggest forms of HPV which lead to cervical cancer. Because HPV is an STD, some groups don't think it should be a required vaccine since that would imply girls were actually having sex.

[green1]

HPV is the human papaloma virus that they BELIEVE is a precursor to pre cancer cells that can then turn into cancer of the cervix. I only know all this because of some issues Nicole went through a while back. To me it all sounds like, if this, was this, if this happens, if if if if... and the MAYBE this will fix the if.

That is my issue with a lot of the vaccines. Like the flu shot. The current year flu shot is created from anitbodies from last years flu. They are dozens of different strains that continue to mutate.

Or this shot handles the 7 most common of the 24 variations of this disease. Well what about the other 17 strains.

[NorthcoastParrothead]

FYI- HepA Is Food/Water transmitted Hep B is transmitted via blood or sexual contact.
Gardisil should be at all Public Health outlets very soon.


Note: Children need to be immunized. Many lives have been saved in the last 100 years. Also needless suffering from many childhood diseases have been eliminated or greatly reduced.
Agree the Zoster( chickenpox one may be overkill)
HiB is a very deadly disease for children and the elderly , do not dismiss it. These immunizations protect not just children, but the Senior Citizens in the family and community as well.
Adults also need to be aware and keep immunizations up to date.

[green1]

The same debate is going on in most states right now. The medical community (and others) wants it to be a mandatory vaccine. It prevents the two biggest forms of HPV which lead to cervical cancer. Because HPV is an STD, some groups don't think it should be a required vaccine since that would imply girls were actually having sex.

I have heard the debates but have only paid passing attention to them. I heard this thread. But I also heard that there is no long term study of the affect this vaccine will have on the girls reproductive ability. Have you heard this, or anything about this?

Again, I only have a passing knowledge of this as there lots of other vaccines that we are researching.

[green1]

HiB is a very deadly disease for children and the elderly , do not dismiss it.

That's my point, if it is a deadly disease then why doesn't my daughter need to vaccination after 18 months?

[buffettbride]

The same debate is going on in most states right now. The medical community (and others) wants it to be a mandatory vaccine. It prevents the two biggest forms of HPV which lead to cervical cancer. Because HPV is an STD, some groups don't think it should be a required vaccine since that would imply girls were actually having sex.

I have heard the debates but have only paid passing attention to them. I heard this thread. But I also heard that there is no long term study of the affect this vaccine will have on the girls reproductive ability. Have you heard this, or anything about this?

Again, I only have a passing knowledge of this as there lots of other vaccines that we are researching.

I have no idea about the reproductive ability ramifications, if any. I figure I'd address it in a few years (hopefully many, many more) when the possible appropriateness for the vaccination comes up. Celiac Disease can also affect fertility--or at very least the ability to carry a baby to term--so that is a risk we'll have to take into consideration--and we might ultimately leave it up to her when she's a bit older.

[Dezdmona]

I'm glad my son got the chickenpox vaccine [and the booster when he turned 8]

By avoiding chickenpox, he will not EVER have Shingles when he is older.
A infection that re-occurs from the dormant chickenpox virus in the spinal column in adults decades after the original infection. (My Mom had a terrible case).

He knows how his Grandmother has suffered with Shingles, and if there is any heredity component, and if he has to have boosters, he will just get them along with his tetnus shots as he gets older.

Re: HiB... http://www.vaccineinformation.org/hib/qandavax.asp