Vaccinating Newborns not as safe as you think

I'm completely against vaccinating newborns. I think we should wait until they're older, at least 6 months old. The reason we don't vaccinate newborn puppies and kittens is because the maternal antibodies interfere with proper immunity....same for humans. Even if they're bottlefed, they retain the maternal antibodies from the womb for quite awhile after birth, and breastfed babies get maternal antibodies for much longer. I've never understood why doctors push vaccinations for newborns. It makes no sense.

I just got the PT vaccine. I'm a former smoker, have asthma and allergies, and have had a history of bronchitis and pneumonia. Also my DIL is expecting triplets in the fall. They will be preemies, and I want to make sure I don't infect them with something.

PT? Do you mean pertussis and tetanus? The pertussis vaccine does not prevent transmission (in other words, even if you show no symptons, you can still carry and pass on the disease), and tetanus, as far as I know, isn't contagious (and, it can't live in an areobic environment, so if you have a bleeding cut, tetanus won't be able to survive in the wound.)

Yes, pertussis and tetanus. My doctor recommended it. It is recommended for anyone spending time with newborns, and anyone with lung issues.

http://www.adultvaccination.org/whoo...munization.htm

Of course they recommend it. That doesn't change the fact that the pertussis vaccine does not prevent transmission and that you can't catch tetanus from someone.

It's also recommended that newborn babies get vaccinated for HepB. That said, since I knew my son wasn't going to be having sex or sharing dirty needles any time soon, I opted out of that (and the rest of 'em as well).

Not really trying to start a debate here; just wanted to let you know that being vaccinated againts pertussis doesn't ensure that you won't pass the disease on to others.

It doesn't prevent it either. At least not very well. I got Whooping Cough (pertussis) when I was about 8. I got it BAD. I was fully vaccinated according to the doctors' recommendations (I was the oldest and my mom hadn't developed a game plan yet, so she just did whatever the doctor said). My next younger brother was also fully vaccinated, though she didn't do it on the doctors' schedule. My youngest brother---about a year old---hadn't even been vaccinated (he was 18 months old when he got his first shots, and then only because the Navy made my mom do it) at all at that point, and he didn't get it. Not even a little cough. Hmph. Of course, he was still nursing at the time so maybe that's what prevented it.

And every couple years Mumps goes around in the area (mostly Iowa). So far the ones that get it worst are those that have been fully vaccinated. Weird.

I do think the tetanus vaccine is worth it. Tetanus is nasty. But I don't think the vaccine is a good idea until you're old enough to actually be exposed. 2-3 years old, I'd say. Depending on the circumstances. But it's not contagious so I dont know why they'd recommend it to people who will be around young babies. Except that the vaccine is in a combo with pertussis.

I've never understood the reasoning behind giving newborns the HepB vaccine. Vaccinating babies against a sexually transmitted/bloodborne virus doesn't make any sense at all.

I can think of only one situation where they might find it useful, and that's if the baby needs a blood transfusion early on.

I had two blood transfusions shortly after my birth (at a week old, and a month old) due to the RH factor. Also, when I was 5, I had an HIV test (I was born in 1982, before they realized HIV was spreading through blood transfusions). I was fortunate...I received perfectly disease-free blood.

Willowy-you're totally right. The effectiveness of the pertussis vaccine leaves much to be desired. (But then again, I think that all of the "recommended" vaccines leave much to be desired.)

As for tetanus-there's a tetanus immunoglobulin (spelling check on that-sorry!), called TiG, I believe. If a person sustains a wound where tetanus might live (like say, a nail puncture wound that doesn't bleed), they can get a TiG shot at the ER to combat the tetanus. Why ER gives tetanus boosters after an injury mystifies me.

Probably because they figure if you're dumb enough to end up in the ER with one tetanus risky wound, you're likely to have one again within the next ten years. I can't really argue with that logic... I get a tetanus risky wound/scratch every couple of months.

Since that one is only every 10 years, I can't see really being against it. As for vacs in babies, do them later and space them out. It doesn't need to be any more complicated then that. Parents should research the particular vacs used.
Did anyone else notice that the site linked to still touts the autism and vaccine link? I don't suppose anyone knows what happened to Dr. Wakefield?

But the tetanus vaccine wouldn't work if you had already gotten tetanus. If you presented with a wound that was likely infected with tetanus, you would need the TiG to treat the infection. The tetanus vaccine would do nothing for your present situation. Does that make sense?

Yes, but not for what I meant. I meant they're giving it to you because they figure you're accident prone and may not get the booster otherwise unless they jab you in the ER while they have you there. That "oh look, this person does stupid things. They may eventually need this tetanus booster".

Stupid things, btw, includes not being careful handling rusty fencing around here. If you live in a rural area, you'll end up stuck or cut on it at some point in your life.

As far as I know the tetanus shot they give you after a deep cut or suspected exposure to the tetanus bacteria contains immune globulin that helps your body fight the bacteria, which is different from the vaccine since it doesn't contain an inactivated toxin like the vaccine does.

On the subject of vaccinations, pertussis and infants:
Whooping Cough Kills 5 in California; State Declares an Epidemic

That information is incorrect, Cindy. WIC benefits are in no way tied to immunization. I've heard stories of different WIC offices giving ppl a hard time, but ultimately, they have no leg to stand on. If you qualify for WIC (regarding income/family size), you can get the benefits.

Cindy-I'd advise your friend to find a new doc. There's no reason to fight with one who doesn't respect your choice as a parent. A lot of time, family doctors are more laid back about vaccinations (especially if they're a bit older-they've seen the diseases and know that contracting them doesn't mean an immediate death sentence). Also, if you want to point her to another resource, tell her to check out the Finding Your Tribe forum over at Mothering.com. She can ask people who are from her state/area if they have any suggestions for non-vax friendly docs.

If it keeps ME from getting it, it will be worth it. I am not vaccine adverse. I am seriously considering getting the shingles vaccine, since I've know people who had horrible bouts of shingles. If my insurance covers it, I'll be sure to get it.

Your other option is to find some kids with chicken pox to babysit. That would be unlikely since kids are now usually vaccinated against it - which is why you have to get the shingles vaccination.

That's terrible. Were the all shots and spay done at the same time, though? It dramatically increases the risk of complications.

General rule I follow for vacs for people and animals. Get just what's needed, know the risks each vaccine has, space them out, and don't do it when there's some other serious treatment (ie surgery) being done.

I do recommend that you still get your dogs vaccinated if they interact with other dogs. But just the core vacs and only when their health is at it's best. Same with kitties.

Oh, no! Something else I have to look into and worry about before September.

I had a bad case of chicken pox as a kid, and I thought that you were more likely to get shingles if you've had cp. I also have the facial (cold sore) herpes virus. A fever, cold or even stress or a sunburn can bring on the lip sores. As miserable as those are, I can't imagine what shingles would be like.

I think you have to weigh the risks. I do get flu shots (usually, but not last yr.) and pneumonia vaccine due to lung issues.. I do not have my CRF cat or my indoor only cat vaccinated.

All you have to do is go through an old cemetery and look at the grave markers of children. My g-g-grandparents had 9 children - 4 girls, 5 boys. All the boys were dead before the age of 6. I don't know what killed them, but it was not uncommon in those days (1840-1855) to lose several children within a family, and in those days they had large families. Chances are it was something we can now prevent with vaccines - measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, diphtheria, polio, etc.

^O/T, but half of my grandmother's babies died during or right after childbirth. Due to what they treated women with back then.

You only get shingles if you've had chicken pox, it's the same virus. The reason is that being around kids naturally infected helps is that it naturally boosts your immune system to the virus through exposure.

No kids naturally infected, no natural immune boost for us who caught it. Eventually the cycle will be wiped out completely but there will be a lot of us around for a while.

You know, I think there might be some creams with l-lysine in them. You might look into that and if it would help you.

The incidence of and mortality from these disease saw a marked decline before mass vaccination due to human intervention in areas such as sanitation, proper food handling, access to clean water, and quarantine procedures. Additionally, as family size decreased, so did the incidence and mortality rate of these diseases.