Feeling Lucky?
Let’s face it, vaccinations are a crap shoot just like life. We’re just playing the odds – either you risk your child catching a potentially deadly disease or she may contract a rare and just as horrific side effect from the vaccination. Either way, you’re taking a chance. I'm a parent, just like you, and there's no PHD attached to the end of my name either. That doesn't mean I'm not curious and anxious about my child's health. I myself have two children, ages five years and five weeks old. The oldest, my son, has been thoroughly vaccinated with all the necessary shots - or at least what my state has decided is necessary - except for the chicken pox vaccine. I’m still struggling with the decision as to whether my son will ever get his chicken pox vaccine and which vaccinations my daughter will get… if any. To be clear, though, I am not anti-vaccine. I’m pro-education. Vaccinating is a decision every parent must make and all we can do is learn as much as we can and make a decision that we can live with. This is what I’ve found during my research…

What is Haemophilus Influenzae type b,(HIB) disease?
Haemophilus Influenzae type b, (HIB), is a serious bacterial infection that can cause meningitis, pneumonia, swelling of the throat, and other disease complications including dealth. Although the name makes it sound a lot like the flu there is no relation. Treatment mainly consists of intravenously administered antibiotics and oxygen therapy.

This type of bacterial infection can start out very simply and grow to a very serious problem. Let me explain...if this bacterial infection stays in your throat or nose it's a simple infection that your body can fight off. However, if the infection travels to your lungs or into your blood, you'd be facing a very serious life threatening infection. The scary thing is that what seems to be a simple cold or maybe something that's turning into a sinus infection can quickly turn into a life or death battle. Before the vaccine was licensed for use in the United States 20,000 people were infected annually and 1,000 died each year.

What is Meningitis Anyway?
So, if you've been following along with this Vaccination Series you'd now know that your child is being given two different vaccines (HIB & PVC) in order to prevent meningitis. So let's stop for a minute and take a closer look at meningitis.

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding a person’s spinal cord and brain. Some common symptoms of meningitis include headache, a stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, and high fever. Many times the symptoms in infants are very difficult to notice. Meningitis is so serious in infants because the symptoms can just seem like fussiness and an unwillingness to eat. This also shows how easily the disease can progress without diagnosis and then can become fatal.

Deadliness...
There are two types of meningitis: viral or bacterium. Viral meningitis is pretty common, and usually less severe. Your child can, in most cases, overcome the illness without treatment. However, bacterial meningitis can be serious, and may cause hearing loss, learning disabilities, neurological damage, and even death when treatment is delayed. Unfortunately the only way to correctly diagnose this disease is by performing a spinal tap. This means that a doctor has to insert a needle into your lower back to obtain fluid from the spinal canal. Only then can it be properly treating with intravenously administered antibiotics.

3 types of Bacteria that cause Meningitis
1.Haemophilus influenzae 2.Streptococcus pneumoniae 3.Neisseria meningitidis.

Bacterial meningitis is not spread by casual contact like breathing the air of an infected person, however Haemophilus influenzae and other bacterial infections that can lead to meningitis, are passed person-to-person thru sneezing, coughing, and secretions from an infected person.

To further protect people between the ages of 11 to 55 against bacterial meningitis the Food and Drug Administration approved a new vaccine Menactra in January of 2005. The Centers for Disease Control favors routine immunization for all adolescents and college freshmen living in residence halls. Close contact is among the risk factors for the ailment. In the United States, fewer than 3,000 cases of invasive meningococcal disease are reported each year, according to the CDC. People 15-24 suffer the highest mortality rates, and survivors can suffer mental disabilities, hearing loss, and paralysis. Worldwide, more than 500,000 cases of meningococcal disease occur each year, causing 135,000 deaths.

The Vaccine… Haemophilus influenzae type b,(HIB)–recommended at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 12-15 months. The two most common Haemophilus influenzae type b,(HIB) vaccines are Trihibit and Comvax.Trihibit was first licensed for use in the United States in 1985.

Is it worth it?

• Possible serious reactions to the Haemophilus influenzae type b Vaccine (HIB): Up to a quarter of children have some redness, warmth, or swelling at the site of the injection. One in 20 children has a fever of 101 degrees F (38.3 Celsius) or higher. These symptoms may show up within a day of vaccination and can last two to three days.

  Severe allergic reactions are rare, but possible with any vaccination. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, an increased heart beat, and dizziness. These would occur within a few minutes to a few hours after receiving the shot. Call your doctor immediately if your child has any of these symptoms.

• Possible serious reactions to the Haemophilus influenzae type b Bacterial Infection: meningitis, pneumonia, swelling of the throat, and other disease complications including dealth.



• People who should NOT get the Haemophilus influenzae type b, (HIB) vaccine: Anyone that is younger than 6 weeks of age, and is over 59 months of age (4yrs & 1 month). After the child's fifth birthday the risks of contracting the disease drops considerably. This immunization is also not recommended for anyone who is over fifty.
  As should be the case before giving your child any vaccine... ask yourself these questions:
  
  
  • Is your child sick today?
  • Does your child have any severe (life-threatening) allergies?
  • Has your child or a sibling ever had a severe reaction after a vaccination?
  • Does your child have a weakened immune system (because of diseases such as cancer, or medications such as steroids)?
  • Has your child gotten a transfusion, or any other blood product, recently?
  • Has your child ever had convulsions or any kind of nervous system problem?
  • Does your child not seem to be developing normally?

  If anyone of these questions apply to your child then be sure to talk to your doctor about the threats and possible side effects each vaccine could bring to your child. At the very least ask to postpone the immunization until your child is feeling better or until you've had more time to unerstand the vaccine. It's always better to be 100% healthy and comfortable with your decision before giving any immunization to your child.

What if something goes wrong?
In the event your child has a vaccine-associated injury, or even if you think a vaccine might have caused a medical problem your child has, you should report the problem to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Even if you are unsure if the reactions are caused by the vaccine it's still important to report it to Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. The more information given to them the better...one of the purposes of VAERS is to help researchers identify unknown side effects, or even to show that some reactions are not caused by vaccines.

You can also report a vaccine reaction to Vaccine Adverse Event Reaction System yourself. The toll-free information line is 1-800-822-7967. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program is a federal program that offers compensation for the care of anyone believed to have been injured by vaccines. For more information, you can call the program toll-free at 1-800-338-2382.

The most important question of our time...
As with any type of health related issue, there is a lot of conflict and heated debate on the subject of vaccinations. I would expect nothing less when our children’s health is the topic of discussion! Unfortunately, parents should be able to trust the initialed committees and associations that are specifically established to do the research and let the public know what is in the best interest of children and, dare I say it… in the best interest of society. However, that isn’t always the case when there’s money involved, and there are billions of dollars involved in vaccinations. Don’t kid yourself, there are drug companies tripping over each other to be able to provide countries with necessary vaccinations, and many are very necessary. The most important and still unanswered question of our time is - which vaccinations are necessary and which aren’t worth the risk of the potentially horrific side effects? Will parents and doctors be able to sift through all of the information and propaganda to find the answer? If so, will it happen in my child’s lifetime?

Still have questions?
Call the CDC National Immunization Hotline at: (800) 232-2522. This is a government funded organization that’s full of information and you can ask any vaccine question you can think of. Write down your questions and call as much as you need to. If the first person you talk to can’t answer your question, then ask them who can. They’re up-to-date with all the latest news and headlines. These are our tax dollars at work here so feel free to use them! If you want to know the latest headlines regarding any immunization, I recommend just doing a quick search on your favorite news site.

• CDC's National Immunization Program
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reaction System 1-800-822-7967
• FDA 1-800-835-4709 & 1-888-463-6332
• Search the FDA website
• Kids Health
• Immunize.org
• An article from MSNBC that talks about the adverse reations of Prevnar.

There is alot of conflicting information about vaccinations these days and everyone seems to have a different oppinion! I did my best to look for all sides of the story but, please remember that I'm not a doctor and nothing in this article should ever be taken as a replacement for true medical advice from your pediatrician. Keep good communication with your child's doctor and keep in mind that no matter what the question is... it's always worth asking.

Kristi

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