The issue of vaccine safety has been going back and forth over the past few years. Parents have been understandably concerned about reports which suggested that certain vaccines posed a risk to young children, especially with regards to autism. Now a new study out of Italy may put some fears to rest.

According to reports, the study involved thousands of babies who received whooping cough vaccines. They were split into two groups based on the levels of the preservative thimerosal in all their shots. Thimerosal is a mercury-based vaccine. Mercury is at the center of the issue with those of us who opposes vaccines for children.

Ten years after they received the vaccines, 1403 of the children underwent a number of tests to assess their brain function. According to the researchers, they only found minor differences in two out of twenty four measurements, and in their opinion those cases “might be attributable to chance.” The results showed that the children in both groups had normal results on 11 tests in the areas of memory, attention, and motor skills as well as other brain functions. Even more noteworthy, they found only one case of autism and this was among the group that got a lower dose of thimerosal. The results were published in the February issue of the medical journal, Pediatrics.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Alberto Tozzi of Bambino Gesu Hospital situated in Rome, said, “Put together with the evidence of all the other studies, this tells us there is no reason to worry about the effect of thimerosal in vaccines.” This seems like good news on the face of it, but it isn’t clear how much it will do to quell the debate in the US and other countries worldwide.

Now the ingredient can only be found in some flu shots. It is used to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus in the vaccines. European countries started removing it as early as 1999, and health officials in the US felt it was best to remove it in order to limit the exposure of children to mercury. In fact health authorities stopped using thimerosal in vaccines in 2001.

Interestingly the study was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, experts in the US who have been following the issue seem quite pleased with the results. Jennifer Pinto-Martin, an epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania was quoted as saying, “It’s yet another well done, peer-reviewed research study that has demonstrated there is no risk of any neuro-developmental outcomes associated with thimerosal in vaccines.”

Whether parents, not only in the US but also around the world will share her optimism remains to be seen. It would not be surprising if another study is released that contradicts this one at a later date. In the meantime it is hoped that this new information will help to allay fears and help parents make informed decisions about the health of their children.

In the land of parental debates, the issue of childhood vaccinations is as polarizing as ‘breast or bottle,’ and ‘co-sleeping or crib.’

August, National Vaccine Awareness Month, is a good time to become educated about the facts surrounding the decision of whether or not to immunize your children.

For some parents, religious and philosophical issues make the question a ‘no-brainer.’ For the rest of us, who might be struggling to make the correct choice and do what we feel is right for our children, making an informed, unbiased decision is the key.

That’s where National Vaccination Awareness Month comes in: the facts are out there, readily available, to help us choose. It’s not an ‘all-or-nothing’ decision, either. In most states where vaccinations are not mandatory, parents can ‘cherry pick’ which shots they want their children to receive, or can withhold vaccinations until after the age of 2, when a child’s immune system has had a chance to become fully developed.

Before the age of 18 months, if you follow CDC recommendations, your children can receive more than 20 shots. That number may increase to more than 75 before children begin kindergarten, according to some accounts.

For me, ‘because the doctors say so,’ is just not a good enough reason to get my child vaccinated. And according to this article published on MSNBC.com, many parents feel as I do. The article spotlights one town in Oregon with a 30 percent exception rate for vaccinations for children entering kindergarten. Oregon is one of 21 states that permit exemption based on ‘personal belief,’ defining religion as ‘any system of beliefs, practices or ethical values.’

These broad criteria permitting exemptions from vaccinations has created unprotected pockets in communities across the country, pockets that bring increased risks of childhood diseases to society as a whole.

It’s clear that vaccinations have nearly eradicated horrible diseases such as small pox, measles, mumps, diphtheria, pertussis and polio. Experts say some parents are getting more lax on vaccinations because the consequences of these diseases no longer reside in our conscious memory, but are mere tales of long ago.

The CDC recently reported that, in the first seven months of 2008, record numbers of measles cases have been diagnosed, with 131 cases v. last year’s 42. Many of these cases involved children whose parents refused to have their children immunized.

While it would be nice if the decision to immunize or not was one, like breastfeeding or co-sleeping, that affected only the parents and children, experts fear that non-immunized children affect ‘herd immunity,’ or the ability of a community to ward off the spread of disease, protecting those for which a vaccine doesn’t work or wears off.

Does it make me a selfish parent to be concerned exclusively about my own child’s well-being? I’m still skeptical as to the reliability and safety of many vaccines, which puts me back at square one, doing more research before we (my husband and I) make our choice. If this post sounds like I’m wavering like a politician? well, I am!

In honor of National Vaccine Awareness Month, I’ve compiled what I hope is a balanced list of links to articles regarding childhood vaccinations to help you in your own search for more information and the eventual right decision for you and your own children.

The article that sparked this post

Vaccines for grown-ups, too?

Updated list of recommended vaccinations

The CDC?s word on vaccines

Several news headlines about children’s vaccines caught my attention as well as that of fellow blogger Dawn Allcot last week .

FDA Approves 5-in-1 Children’s Vaccine – HealthDay News

New Combination Vaccine for Children – New option could mean fewer shots for 4 to 6 year-olds in the U.S. – PRNewsWire News Releases

Controversies have been brewing over children vaccination. On the one hand, many parents feel their kids are getting too many shots, sometimes with serious repercussions (see posts on autism). On the other hand, the recent serious outbreaks of measles and chicken pox in the US and many European countries remind us of the reasons for immunization.

What surprised me about these news is the line that said

“Currently, children in the United States receive up to 23 injections by the time they’re 18 months old, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“

I couldn’t seem to recall that my sons, now 5, had that many shots in Germany. So I went through our immunization records and counted.

My boys had each, in total, 11 shots. Six of these are highly recommended (though not compulsory) and paid for by the state health insurance. The other four, the shots for varicella (chicken pox) and pneumococcal or PCV were optional and cost extra.

Then, I revisited the BOL the post on the CDC guidelines on children’s vaccinations and compared. And I was quite shocked!

For a clearer comparison, I’ve prepared the following table comparing the number of injections a child of 18 months can get in Germany and the US:

German recommended shots (up to 18 months)

• 4 doses of 6-in-1 vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, haemophilus influenzae type b, hepatitis B and polio
• 2 doses of 3-in-1 vaccine against mumps, measles, and rubella
• 4 doses of vaccine against pneumococcus (optional)
• 1 dose of vaccine against varicella (optional)

Total without optionals: 6

Total with optionals: 11

American recommended shots (up to 18 months, excluding hepatitis A)

• 3 doses of vaccine against hepatitis B
• 4 doses of vaccine against pneumococcus
• 3 doses of vaccine against rotavirus
• 4 doses of vaccine against haemophilus influenzae type b
• 3 doses of vaccine against polio
• 5 doses of vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis
• 2 doses of 3-in-1 vaccine against mumps, measles, and rubella
• 1 dose of vaccine against varicella

Total: 24

In this table, we see American babies get way more shots than (my) German babies by age 18 months. Had I opted out of the two optional vaccines, my boys would have gotten only 6 shots – compared to 24!.

So why the big difference in the number of shots?

For one thing, Germans do not give shots against rotavirus. But the major difference is due to the fact that my sons seem to have gotten more combi-shots. A combi-vaccine is one vaccine which works against several diseases.

So indeed the news items were right – the combi-vaccines would indeed drastically reduce the number of shots that an American baby gets. But the question is, WHY ONLY NOW?

It’s only a few days ago (June 20, 2008) the US FDA approved Pentacel, a vaccine is to be used for active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis and haemophilus influenzae type b. The vaccine can be given as early as 6 weeks and right up to before a child’s 5th birthday. Four days later, (June 24, 2008), the FDA approved another combi-vaccine Kinrix, this time for 4 to 6 year-olds. Pentacel is manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur and Kinrix by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.

I am no vaccination expert even though I work in the pharmaceutical industry. I therefore can’t tell you why it’s only now that the US is playing catch up when it comes to using combi-vaccines whereas this seems to be common practice in Germany (and most probably in other European countries as well) 5 years ago or even earlier.

I can’t also tell you whether these new combi-vaccines are more effective or less effective than monovalent vaccines. Or whether they will lower the incidence of vaccine-associated autism.

All I can say is that, I am all for immunization but the less pain for baby, the less pain for everybody.

Yesterday, my toddler and I were invited to a party – a chicken pox party.

Have you heard of chicken pox parties? The parents of a child who has caught chickenpox invite his or her friends to their home to catch the disease, believing it’s best for a child to have the disease early and “get it over with”, and then be immune for the rest of their lives. Catching chickenpox in adulthood is a much more serious disease with a much higher complication rate.

Chicken pox is routinely immunized against in the USA but some parents believe that the “natural” immunity from catching the real virus is better than the “fake” immunity from the vaccine.

In most cases, in a healthy child, chicken pox is a mild disease that gets better after a week or two. Proponents of chicken pox parties argue that getting the disease now is better than risking the side effects of the vaccine, and that the vaccine isn’t even particularly effective.

They have a point about the effectiveness. Once you’ve had chickenpox, you won’t get it again. But what about the vaccine? The vaccine has quoted effacy rates of around 80%, which means 80% of children immunized will actually become immune to chicken pox, and the rest will be either somewhat, or not at all immune. The vaccine has only been available for around 20 years, so no-one can say if it does give lifetime immunity.

And in fact some children loose the vaccine immunity 5-8 years after being vaccinated. Some people are worried that as the vaccine immunity wears off in adults, there will be an epidemic of adult chickenpox, which is much more painful, and can be much more serious. But there’s no evidence for this. Many doctors believe children immunized as babies will either keep their immunity for life, or loose it with a few years. The ones that loose immunity will likely catch chickenpox as a young child, and then be immune anyway.

And about the side effects? Less clear. Chicken pox vaccine has never been linked to autism, like MMR has, but side effects of the vaccine are reported for around 5% of vaccines given. Most are mild – a small rash, low fever – but rarely more serious reactions occur. No deaths have ever been reported as a result of the chicken pox vaccine.

No so for chicken pox itself. Almost all cases are mild, itchy, annoying, but mild, and get better. Complications can occur though. Before the vaccine was introduced, every year in the USA, 4 million people caught chicken pox, 10,000 people were admitted to hospital, and around 100 – half of them children – died.

40 million doses of chicken pox vaccine have been given since it was introduced in 1995. So since 1995, no-one has died from the vaccine. In the 40 million chicken pox cases in the ten years prior to the vaccine being introduced, 1,000 people died of the disease.

My feeling is that it’s too early to tell whether it’s better for a child to be vaccinated, or try to get natural immunity from a chicken pox party. There seems to be potential advantages and disadvantages to both.

There’s a very serious reason why chicken pox parties are a bad idea. It’s got nothing to do with the little guests that are trying to get infected. It’s to do with the adult guests, and anyone else who they might transmit the disease to.

Pregnant women should never expose themselves to chicken pox. Chicken pox can cause birth defects, including damage to the baby’s brain, skin and eyes, and other neurological damage. Don’t go to a chicken pox party if you are pregnant, might be pregnant, or even trying to get pregnant. Or live with, work with, or spend time with anyone who is pregnant.

Young infants, the very old, people with AIDS, leukemia, and other immune-compromised diseases are all at a much greater risk of complications from chicken pox. Chicken pox won’t neatly infect just the kids it’s supposed to. The children can spread it to any unintended person who may not be very grateful.

So your child might catch it, but so might you. The Mothering.com article promoting chicken pox parties describes the case of the uncle of a child that caught chicken pox at the party as the “the worst case his doctor had ever seen” with sore kidneys and hundreds of lesions, even down his throat.

So in summary – going to a chicken pox party may, or may not benefit your child more than the chicken pox vaccine would. No-one really knows the answer because the vaccine is still new. But the risk to you, to pregnant women, babies, and other people you know, outweighs the benefits.

As traumatic days for moms go, my son’s first set of immunisations at two months ranks pretty high. After the doctor examined him, the nurse came in with the shots. JabJabJab. A pause. Then that intake of breath, and WAAAAAAA!

The nurse suggested breastfeeding him to comfort him, but he was screaming too much to latch on. It took what seemed like an eternity for him to calm down enough to latch on. Then he wouldn’t let go. They let me sit in the office with him, then half-an-hour later they needed the room so we had to leave. He screamed all the way home, all the way around the pharmacy because I had no Tylenol at home, all the way back in the car, then nursed, half-asleep, for approximately five hours. Then he was fine.

Injections do hurt, and also it’s a big shock. Babies usually have never experienced pain like that, and they have no idea the shots are coming, hence they really scream their hearts out after vaccinations. My son set the bar pretty high for his reaction to the shots, but almost all babies are upset by vaccinations.

Modern vaccination injections have chemicals called adjuvants in them. The job of the adjuvant is to cause the body to react more effectively to the vaccine, making the vaccine work better, but also making the injection site hurt more. It’s very common for babies to have redness or bumps at the injection site, and their legs will be quite sore for a few days. Your doctor should tell you what is a normal reaction to each vaccine, but if you are at all concerned, then call your doctors’ office. That’s what they are there for. And here’s a few tips to make the shots easier.

• Buy infant acetaminophen – brand name Infant Tylenol, also sold as store brands – before the appointment. Your baby’s pediatrician will probably recommend a small dose, but do check with the pediatrician before giving any medication to your baby. The doctor will be able to tell you how much, and how often is appropriate. You can bring the bottle with you to the appointment and give baby right after the shots if the pediatrician gives the OK. Don’t use any other pain relievers except acetaminophen unless your pediatrician expressly tells you to do so.

• Dress baby in comfy, non-rubbing garments to the appointment and for a few days after. Almost all infant vaccination injections are given on baby’s thighs. Clothes like shorts, skirts, and soft sweatpants will minimize irritation. Tights and jeans are out. Avoid tight waistbands which are very difficult to get on without hurting the injection site. If it’s warm, forget pants altogether.

• Nurse, or give baby a pacifier or bottle, whatever comforts your baby most after the injections.

The first few sets of shots are the worst, but It does get easier each time. By the time my son’s one-year shots came around, he took them with just a whimper and then started flirting with the nurse to get a sucker.

Every parent knows that babies and children, and even some teenagers must have certain vaccinations to protect against some childhood diseases. The following article will look at the various vaccinations and when they should be administered.

Birth:

• Hepatitis B vaccine: This vaccine is given as a series of three shots. The first shot is generally given at birth, but is one of those that may be given at any time if it was not given at birth. This offers protection from the dangerous Hepatitis B virus. This virus causes liver damage and can eventually result in the death of the affected person.

1 to 4 months old:

• Hepatitis B vaccine (second dose) The second dose of the Hep B vaccine is normally given between 1 to 4 months after the first dose.

2 months:

• Pneumococcal5 or PCV At two-months old the infant is generally given the first of four injections which protects them against the dangerous pneumococcal infections. These infections tend to affect children younger than two.

• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 – Also known as DTaP, this is a series of five injections that is given starting at 2 months old. The last shot is normally given when the child is between 4 to 6 years old. A booster shot, called Tdap is also given when a child is between 11 and 12 years old. These vaccines protect against serious throat infections (diphtheria), lockjaw (tetanus) which can cause severe nerve damage due to a wound becoming infected, and whooping cough (pertussis).

• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 (Hib) – Also known as Hib, this vaccine is first given at 2 months old with follow-up injections given at ages 4 and 6 months old. Some children do not need the 4 to 6 months shot if they received PedvaxHIB or ComVax vaccines.

• Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP – This is another important vaccine that is generally first administered at 2 months old.

• Rotavirus – The RV vaccine is given in three dosages to offer protection against gastroenteritis which can result in severe diarrhea and vomiting.

3 to 4 months:

• Rotavirus or RV (Second dose) Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP (second dose)
• Pneumococcal5 or PCV (second dose)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 or Hib (Second dose)
• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 (Second dose)

6 months:

• Influenza – The flu shot is normally given anywhere starting at 6 months old and should be given yearly thereafter.
• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 or DTaP (Third shot)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 Hib (Third shot)
• Pneumococcal5 or PCV (third dosage)
• Rotavirus or RV (Third and final injection)
• Influenza (First of annual shots)

6-18 months:

• Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP (third injection)
• Hepatitis B vaccine (final of three dosages)
• 12 ? 15 months:
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella7 (MMR) (First dose) – Children are given this injection to protect them against measles, mumps and rubella or German measles between 12 and 15 months old.
• Varicella8 The chickenpox shot like the MMR is given between ages 12 and 15 months. Pneumococcal5 or PCV (fourth and final dose)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b4 or Hib (Final dosage)

12-23 months:

• Hep A (2 doses)

15-18 months:

• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 (Fourth dose)

4-6 years old:

• Meningococcal or MCV ? only recommended for children who are at high-risk for the disease.
• Varicella (Second and final dosage)
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella7 (MMR) (Final dose ? although given at this time, it can be given earlier once 28 days has passed since getting the first dose.)
• Inactivated Poliovirus or IVP (Final shot)
• Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis3 (Fifth and final shot ? a booster shot is given at 11 or 12 years old).

These vaccines are important to help protect babies and children from many preventable diseases and infections. In addition to the vaccines for young children listed above, it is important to remember that children older than 6 and college students (especially those boarding in dorms) have additional vaccines that they should get as well.

You can download the Official Immunization Chart on the CDC Website

Remember Julie Fletcher`s post about the link between autism and mercury? Here `s a study that supports her urge to ?get over it.?

Thimerosal is a mercury-containing substance used as a preservative for vaccines. It was feared that vaccination can actually cause mercury-related disorders including autism. That`s why since 1999, thimerosal was banned from childhood vaccines in the US.

This study followed up 216 babies in Argentina, where thimerosal is still being used in kids. Their results show that children`s bodies actually get rid of ethyl mercury ? the kind found in thimerosal ? very fast. The half-life? the time it takes for the body to get rid of 50% of the substance ? of ethyl mercury in these kids is 3.7 days. The half-life of the dreaded methyl mercury that`s found in contaminated fish is 44 days ? about 12 times more! The fast elimination rate of mercury from thimerosal prevents the build up of this substance and makes it unlikely to cause autism. In fact, the incidence of autism has continued to increase despite removal of thimerosal from children`s vaccines.

These results are actually good news because there is no need to change the manufacturing process of childhood vaccines, thus making them cheaply available to children in less developed countries.

Sources:

Healthday News, 13 Feb 2008

Pediatrics February 2008

People will pick up on anything to accuse of being autistic. Absolutely anything.

More children are being diagnosed within the Autism Spectrum each year and the anti-vaccine movement just eats it up. Despite the fact that for years scientists and researchers have published comprehensive information disproving the link between the type of mercury found in vaccines, rabid protesters of vaccines still point fingers. See more about the disproving here – Infant study casts doubt on vaccine-autism link.

Perhaps these people fail to notice that the spread of autism has occurred at nearly the same time as the mass introduction of preservatives and other agents into our food supply. Maybe many of these people who are against vaccines would enjoy a back to the past approach of living. You know . . . Fighting off smallpox, polio, and other nasty bugs. I mean, living with those diseases is much better than trying to change the diet your child has. Right?

The link between diet and autism is becoming increasingly clear as research is progressing. Many websites and books are available on the subject, so why the hoo-ha about vaccines? Because of laziness, pure and simple. Or perhaps the need for drama, the need to work for a cause. But, this cause has no real science behind it.

On the other hand, diet and autism have a huge amount of research and proof. Many studies regarding the proteins in wheat and dairy, how they react in a child?s system have been done. Parents around the globe find their children released from the grips of autism by following strict diets that exclude wheat products and dairy. The proteins that are causing the problem in the child?s nervous system are gluten and casein.

Both of these act as opiates on an autistic child?s brain and body. That is one reason children in the autism spectrum are found to have such odd diets. They become addicted to these food items, literally. Chicken nuggets, sandwiches, milk, and any food with gluten or caseins in them.

Of course, many people who advocate the discontinuance of vaccines might come to me and say, ?What do you know? My child never exhibited signs of autism until after she had a vaccine.?

Perhaps this is true. But, normally the real diagnosis of autism does not occur until well after a child has received all of their vaccines. A child may behind in their development, but most of the time, these developments are coming at the same time the vaccines are, so a link is supposed.

I challenge all parents of autistic children to begin eliminating dairy from their child?s diet. Try this for a few months. If an improvement is seen, then move to wheat containing products. It will take time and be a challenge, but the possible benefits outweigh any risk. Once you have tried this, consistently, come back to me and tell me how vaccines are ruining our children?s lives.

This post does not reflect the views of Babies Online or it’s affiliates. The opinion expressed within are those of the writer alone.

Researchers report that therapeutic vaccines to fight breast and ovarian cancer are in the first stage of clinical trials to determine their effectiveness and safety.

Dr. Leisha A. Emens, assistant professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University is working on a new therapeutic vaccine to fight breast cancer. The vaccine is designed to treat HER-2/neu disease, a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer. The vaccine is designed to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight the cancer.

Emens has found that combining the the vaccine with specific currently used chemotherapy drugs increases the vaccine’s effectiveness. She is also working on a vaccine that when used in conjunction with chemotherapy, would prevent blood vessels from feeding the cancer, essentially starving and killing the cancer cells. So far, Emens and her colleagues have enrolled eight breast cancer patients in the treatment and have seen positive results. By continuing their research and further developing immune-based and gene-based therapy, Emens says we can expect to cure breast cancer in our lifetime.

The vaccine for ovarian cancer, developed by Dr. George Coukos, assistant professor at University of Pennsylvania’s division of gynecologic oncology, is designed to “re-educate” the patient’s immune system cells to destroy cancer cells. The trial is a phase I/II trial that is just getting started, and will include about 30 women with ovarian cancer. The trial is being used to test two different new drugs, to see which is more effective. It involves creating individualized cancer vaccines composed of a patient’s own cells, so treatments are customized for individual patients.

There were some 22, 430 new cases of ovarian cancer and approximately 15, 280 deaths from the disease in the U.S. in 2007. About 178, 480 U.S. women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year and about 40, 460 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. These staggering numbers are certainly reason to support and hope for cures to these devastating diseases.

www.everydayhealth.com

You?d think you?ve heard it all: product recalls from toys to diapers to baby gear. Then comes the real shocker: recall of baby vaccines.

To be quite fair, the vaccines? manufacturer Merck of New Jersey acted very responsibly. On 12 December 2007, the company announced a voluntary recall of several lots of vaccines because they could potentially be contaminated due to manufacturing problems. The problem was identified during in-house standard process evaluations.

The vaccines in question were:

? PEDVAXHIB is a vaccine against the seasonal flu and is given to babies from age 2 to 71 months.

? COMVAX is a vaccine against the flu and hepatitis B given to babies aged 6 weeks to 15 months.

The lots affected were those vaccines distributed starting April 2007.

Despite fears, serious adverse effects from the possible contamination are very unlikely. So far, there have been no reports of any ill-effects. Merck is working closely with the US FDA to trace the said lots and inform doctors about the problem. In addition, they are making sure that future batches of these vaccines will be problem-free.

Sources:

Merck Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain Lots of PEDVAXHIB? and COMVAX?, Merck News Item 12 Dec 07.

US FDA Consumer Update 13 Dec 07.