Vaccination Part 2

Today is the day that I must make the decision for vaccination for Jaxson. I have been doing my research and here is a summary of my findings (if you want the footnotes you will just have to wait!):

According to the APA Jaxson is due for the following shots at 2 months:

HIB- Facts: Haempolhilus Influenze Type B is a bacterium that can cause meningitis, blood infections, bone infections, and pneumonia. It is transmitted like the common cold. Typically, the bacterium stays in the ear, nose, and throat. Is it common? No. There are currently only 25 cases a year in the US. Can it kill you? If the bacterium turns into meningitis, there is 5% fatality rate and in 25% there is brain damage. Is it treatable? Yes, it is treatable with IV drugs. What is in the vaccine? The bacterium is grown in a petri dish and filtered. You can find manufactures who do no use any aluminum in the vaccine. Side effects? The vaccine has the least amount of side effects of all the vaccines. It can cause what is called "standard side effects" such as fever, fussiness, redness and swelling at the injection site.

My thoughts on HIB: HIB can cause serious illnesses. Since the vaccine is one of the most pure and has the least amount of side effects, we will be giving the version without aluminum at 3 months.

PC- Facts: Pneumococcal Disease is a bacterium that causes a wide range of illnesses, from mild cold and ear infections to severe pneumonia, blood stream infections, and meningitis. It is transmitted like the common cold. Is it common? Yes, it is most common cause of meningitis and respiratory infections. Can it kill you? Yes fatality rates range from 20-30% for blood stream infections and meningitis. Is it treatable? Yes IV medications and hospitalization for several days is the common treatment. What does the vaccine contain? Seven strands of the bacteria are cultured in soy and filtered. The vaccine contains toxoid of the bacteria and aluminum. Adverse reactions have been reported. 4100 in 53,000 reported adverse reactions. Most were said to be mild, however, one side effect is alarming. Seizures resulting from high fever average 20,000 in two years.

My thoughts on Pc: The illnesses caused by the bacteria are common and can be serious. The fact that the vaccine contains aluminum and can cause seizures is alarming. In my opinion the risks do not outweigh the benefits in this case, but I will opt to give this vaccine only in conjunction with other vaccines that do not contain aluminum, or alone. This will most likely be in the 3rd month.


DTaP Facts: "D" stands for Diphtheria which is a very severe throat infection cause by bacterium. Symptoms include sore throat and trouble breathing. It is transmitted like the common cold. Is it common? Currently, on average, 5 cases reported each year in the US. Can it kill you? Yes, 10% of cases are fatal. Most cases are found in developing countries.

"T" stands for tetanus. A bacteria infection must be introduced through deep wound or needle injection. Can it kill you? In developing countries 200,000 people die each year. However, in the US most people get proper care for a deep wound and tetanus is uncommon. It can cause muscle paralysis. Is it treatable? Yes and No. If the bacterium has entered the blood stream a vaccination can help eliminate the germs but cannot reverse the paralyzing toxin. An infected person would have to be put on intensive care and life support while the paralysis wears off.

"P" stands for Pertussis: "Whooping Cough" caused by a bacteria that infects the lungs. Symptoms are similar to the common cold at first and then severe coughing fits develop making it hard to breath. Is it common? Yes 25,000 cases in the US were reported in 2005, but the numbers have been falling in recent years. Can it kill you? Yes, there is a 1% fatality rate and is most common in children under 6 months of age. Is it treatable? Yes and no. Antibiotics kill the germ, but the damage to the airway produces weeks or months of ongoing coughing.

This is a three part vaccine. One for each bacteria. The bacteria are grown in cultures and then purified using a lot of chemicals including formaldehyde and aluminum.

My thoughts on DTaP: The most important or potentially dangerous bacteria in this three part vaccine is Pertussis. Unfortunately, there isn't a Pertussis only vaccination. You may only get it in combination with the vaccine for Diphtheria and Tetanus, which in my opinion are unnecessary. The toxins present in the vaccine are worrisome. There have been documented cases of brain damage and nerve dysfunction and doctors are attributing most of this to the tetanus part of the vaccine. The solution, I have decided, is to find the manufacture that has the least amount of potentially dangerous chemicals and the least amount of the pertussis components which is Daptacel.

Rotavirus- Facts: Rotavirus is a intestinal virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. It is transmitted by contract with feces or saliva. It is resistant to common antibacterial soaps. Basically, it looks like the stomach flu. Will it kill you? No, the virus is not fatal, however, due to vomiting and diarrhea, hospitalization due to dehydration is not uncommon (roughly 50,000 kids a year in the US).They report 20-70 children a year die from rotavirus in the US. There is more of a problem in third world countries where sanitary conditions are poor. Worldwide about half a million kids die a year from the illness. There is no treatment and in the first year of life the illness is the most common. The vaccine (new as of 2006) is cross-bred between strains from cows and humans then are grown in a mix of monkey kidney cells and fetal cow serum. Side effects are mild symptoms of rotavirus.

My thoughts on Rotavirus: We are not in a third world country. If my child is vomiting and has diarrhea, I understand he may become dehydrated, but I have access health care and he most likely will not die from this illness. If Jax was going to be in a daycare setting, and therefore at higher risk for contact with other kids feces in the first year, then I would consider it. For me, I would rather not inject my baby with baby cow blood and monkey kidneys in order to protect him from something akin to the stomach flu.

Polio- Facts: Polio is a virus transmitted like the common cold. Shows no symptoms. There hasn't been a case in the US since 1985. The last case in the Western Hemisphere was in 1991. Can it kill you? Most often it is not fatal, actually in most cases it is harmless, but can cause temporary paralysis. It is not treatable. If contracted you would have to be supported with respiratory machines in ICU for several weeks until paralysis wears off. (Remember the Iron Lung of yesteryear?)The vaccine is made from cultivated monkey kidney cells and nourished with calf serum. The virus is live, however inactivated so you cannot contract polio from the vaccine.

My thoughts on Polio: Since polio has been eradicated from the Western Hemisphere, I do not see a great need to get my child (who will not be traveling outside of the US) vaccinated. I see this as a public health issue. Sure, if we all decide not to get the vaccine, we may see a rise in its occurrence. For me, I would rather not inject my baby with baby cow blood and monkey kidneys in order to protect him from a near extinct virus. If, however, we do decide to travel outside the US I will vaccinate him.


Now you might be wondering why I am worried about Aluminum in the vaccines. Mostly, because no one is researching a maximum limit of Aluminum that is safe for babies. These vaccines can contain upwards of 250 micrograms per shot. The APA is suggesting that at 2 months each child get shots that can, in total, contain 975 micrograms of aluminum. What we know is that a healthy 12lb, 2 month old can safely process out of their bodies is 30 micrograms of aluminum a day. Wow, that is a far cry from the 975 micrograms you want me to shoot him up with! The APA states that Aluminum can be toxic to babies. It can cause neurological harm; that is a fact. Until more research is done on Aluminum toxicity levels in newborns, I plan on limiting the amount given through vaccines in one setting.

Currently the vaccine schedule that I am comfortable with looks like this:

2 months: DTaP (Dapticel)
3 months: HIB (aluminum free), Pc
4 months: DTaP
5 months: Pc
6 months: DTaP
7 months: HIB, Pc
15 months: HIB, Pc
18 months: DTaP

Everyone is obviously entitled to their own opinion on the vaccine issue. This is a personal decision that I feel comfortable with. I would never force these opinions on other parents or judge a parent for fully vaccinating their children. Parenting is highly subjective, and we all have different paths we take. This just happens to be mine.