Little Kids Get So Many Shots …As a Parent I’m Concerned
“There are so many shots these days. As a pediatrician… what are your thoughts on spreading out the timing of the vaccines? What do you recommend?”
First, allow me to make the argument for never saying the work “shots” when referring to immunizations or vaccines given to children. Coming from a parent, this sounds very much like throw your child under the bus now that he is in the Dr.’s office, and pretty much you have become part of the enemy. Coming from a Physician or a nurse or other office staff, this merely confirms the awful images already conjured up by your child. Let me suggest “immunization” or “medicine to keep you healthy”.
Next, let me deal with the perceptions out there that somehow these immunizations are actually “bad” for your child.
1. “That’s too many to give to a very young child/infant at one time”. Every vaccine currently given to your child has been exhaustively researched and evaluated from every direction. Many times, the vaccines used in this country have been used for some time in another country. Not only are these found to be effective to prevent disease (not completely, but enough to want to protect someone), but they have been given in various combinations with other vaccines and found to be as effective when given together as when given individually. The individual side effects have also been carefully evaluated and it has been found that side effects (usually very mild) are no more frequent or severe when several immunizations are given together.
It has also been shown, unfortunately usually by trial and error, that for the most part the diseases for which there are vaccines tend to cause a much worse problem in the very young and the very old. So if the parental decision is to postpone or divide these up in some random schedule they are actually doing a disservice to their child by not protecting him/her as early as possible. In addition to which, a random schedule makes it more unlikely that the entire batch of suggested vaccines will ever be completed. It can also lead to confusion in office records and neither is recommended by the Academy of Pediatrics and all significant groups doing research on these topics.
2. “My child’s immune system is too immature to bombard him/her with all these manmade chemicals at such an early age”. Bingo! It is just because an infant or child’s immune system is incomplete that we aim to protect him/her from what is potentially out in the community. These vaccines have also been studied as to the best timing (age) for each of them so as to afford the greatest protection with the fewest side effects.
3. “I’d rather have him/her get the disease and develop immunity the ‘natural’ way”. Oops!, you really didn’t say that, did you? To answer this I can only ask the question, at what price? These diseases are very dangerous and can be fatal in the very young. This is the chance a parent will be taking while awaiting an unwanted illness. There is also the concept of “herd immunity” in which, if a certain percentage of the population can be immunized, the entire population may be protected. Every child who is not immunized decreases the possibility of success with the theory of “herd immunity”.
4. “We have read that certain vaccines (MMR) can cause serious problems such as autism, etc. If you aren’t up to date with the latest information on this topic, you should be, and it is readily available on the internet. It so happens that the only information that has ever linked immunizations to autism was based on a single study involving very few patients and published in England by a physician who used very poor scientific methods more than a decade ago and has since lost his license. Furthermore, the journal that published this paper has since denounced this as false information and retracted the article.
5. Finally, since this is the Flu season please allow me to approach the topic as it relates to the previous information. There are two main types of Flu vaccines, the injectable, which is composed of totally killed or inactive Flu viral particles, and the active or live vaccine which can be given intranasally (spray into the nose). Flu vaccine is currently recommended for everyone above the age of 6 months. The injectable is incapable of transmitting the illness or similar symptoms to anyone receiving that vaccine and can be given to all ages. The live intranasal vaccine can only be used in children over the age of two and may cause mild cold- like symptoms for 1-2 days.
In conclusion: Try to follow the recommendations from the Academy of Pediatrics guidelines in which your Pediatrician is well versed and can explain them to you. These recommendations are well thought out and tested and you will be protecting your children as well as you can.
How Long Do Babies Carry Their Mother’s Immunity?
During the last three months of pregnancy, antibodies from the mother are passed to her unborn baby through the placenta.
This type of immunity is called passive immunity because the baby has been given antibodies rather than making them itself. Antibodies are special proteins that the immune system produces to help protect the body against bacteria and viruses.
The amount and type of antibodies passed to the baby depends on the mother’s immunity. For example, if the mother has had chickenpox, she will have developed immunity against the condition and some of the chickenpox antibodies will be passed to the baby. However, if the mother hasn’t had chickenpox, the baby will not be protected.
Immunity in newborn babies is only temporary and starts to decrease after the first few weeks or months. Breast milk also contains antibodies, which means that babies who are breastfed have passive immunity for longer. The thick, yellowish milk (colostrum) produced for the first few days following birth is particularly rich in antibodies.
Premature babies are at higher risk of developing an illness because their immune systems are not as strong and they haven’t had as many antibodies passed to them.
As newborn immunity is only temporary, it is important to begin childhood immunisations when your baby is two months old. This applies to babies who are either premature or full-term.
The first immunisation, given when your baby is two months old, includes whooping cough and Hib (haemophilus influenza type b) because immunity to these conditions decreases the fastest. Passive immunity to measles, mumps and rubella can last for up to a year, which is why the MMR vaccine is given just after your baby’s first birthday.
Further information:
- Can I have vaccinations during pregnancy?
- When are immunisations given?
- The NHS vaccination schedule (UK)
- Your pregnancy and baby guide
- Breastfeeding guide
- The CDC vaccination schedules (US)*
* Provided by Pediatric Safety
From www.nhs.uk
We’re Teaching Kids to Fear Shots: a Pediatrician’s Perspective
Editor’s Note: As the events in West Africa show, infectious disease epidemics devastate communities, spread fear, and create civil unrest. Vaccinations – when available – protect our children and society. However, as Dr. Amy Baxter explains in this post and accompanying TEDx Talk video, our vaccination approach is creating the unintended consequence of widespread needle fear in children. In honor of our 5 Year Bloggiversary, we are publishing 5 of our favorite posts – one from each year since the day we started. This is our final “look back” post.
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“How do you respond when the place that you trust to keep you healthy hurts you…or ignores your plan…or ignores you?” …”We have had an erosion of empathy in medicine. Somehow we’ve decided to ignore the fact that shots…hurt.” …TEDx Talks 11/2013
As flu season hits, there is a segment of our society whose immune system health won’t be protected this year – those who fear needles. In a 2012 study, 23% of those who don’t get their shot avoid the protection because of a fear of needles. While needle-less options are improving, they better get here soon: 63% of our teenagers are now afraid of needles.
For most people, the fear of needles develops around age 4-6 years of age. That’s the age when kids born since 2000 are getting 4-5 shots on one day. Before 1983, people only got 6 shots total, and mostly before age two, so not as many adults remember…and consequently, not as many fear needles. Not the same for their kids…
“Last year a paper came out and now 2 out of 3 children have a severe fear of needles. What happens when they grow up? The fear of needles doesn’t usually go away by itself. And adults who are afraid of needles are less likely to get health care, they are less likely to donate blood…and they’re even less likely to vaccinate their own kids. So when these children who were born in 2000 or later are old enough to drive themselves to the doctor…what if they don’t??” …TEDx Talks 11/2013
Given the group of kids growing up now, if we don’t start addressing this, the problems for public health are only going to grow.
“The number and the way we’re giving shots is causing needle fear …and needle fear causes people to avoid healthcare as adults. In order to keep our communities safe, doctors need to own the problem of needle pain…the solution is not to stop vaccinating…it’s to partner to start making the 4-6 year old shots better” …TEDx Talks 11/2013
There are ways to advocate to decrease pain for kids getting shots, as seen here. But to hear more about the rise and consequences of fear of needles and some of the solutions we can pursue, watch my full TEDx Talks presentation below:
Our Child’s Allergy Symptoms: The Day We Forgot To Avoid Pollen
Managing a child’s health condition can be complex and challenging, even something as common as seasonal allergies. I’ve written before about the challenges we’ve had with Elliott’s spring allergy agonies, and it’s still an issue. For him to get through spring relatively unscathed requires a daily routine of allergy pills and eye drops, a short “allergy-season” haircut, and a host of preventative actions to keep the pollen away.
We fully appreciate the need for a multi-pronged attack to avoid the sneezing jags, swollen eyes and scary nosebleeds, but a recent experience – when we FAILED to follow pollen avoidance recommendations – really brought home just how important the basics of prevention can be in managing our child’s (or anyone’s) health.
Our Prevention “Failure”
It was a busy weekday evening, with flowering bushes and trees in full bloom, when Elliott – and coach “Dad” – had a Rugby double header for fifth and sixth graders. Given the travel time and need for post-game food-on-the-run, husband and son got home late, still with some homework to complete. This led to the fateful decision to skip a post-game shower (I know…yuck!).
Interestingly, this decision went almost unnoticed – like we hadn’t even thought about the implications for his allergies. Maybe we’d become so used to his hay fever that we didn’t realize how much benefit came from the preventative measures we (and he) had employed over the years. In fact, the next morning – when he woke up with a sore throat and congestion – our first reaction was to think of a cold and start strategizing who would stay home with a sick kid, even though these symptoms were combined with swollen eyes and a puffy face.
Thankfully my husband thought to send Elliott off for a shower first, just to see if this had any effect. And amazingly, a totally rejuvenated 11-year old emerged from the shower – his face and eyes were less puffy and he no longer had the congestion or irritated throat. Elliott declared himself cured and proceeded to get ready for school. What a lesson in the power of the basics of prevention! And to be safe we threw his bedding straight into the washer to remove any residual pollen.
While we kicked ourselves for not getting him into the shower the night before, there was an upside to our “failure.” Now Elliott is highly motivated to shower right after sports practices – and even gets permission from teachers at school to go wash his hands and face after outdoor activities like gym class. That kind of tween motivation was worth a minor lapse in child health management!
We’re Teaching Kids to Fear Shots: a Pediatrician’s Perspective
“How do you respond when the place that you trust to keep you healthy hurts you…or ignores your plan…or ignores you?” …”We have had an erosion of empathy in medicine. Somehow we’ve decided to ignore the fact that shots…hurt.” …TEDx Talks 11/2013
As flu season hits, there is a segment of our society that won’t be protected this year – those who fear needles. In a 2012 study, 23% of those who don’t get their shot avoid the protection because of a fear of needles. While needle-less options are improving, they better get here soon: 63% of our teenagers are now afraid of needles.
For most people, the fear of needles develops around age 4-6 years of age. That’s the age when kids born since 2000 are getting 4-5 shots on one day. Before 1983, people only got 6 shots total, and mostly before age two, so not as many adults remember…and consequently, not as many fear needles. Not the same for their kids…
“Last year a paper came out and now 2 out of 3 children have a severe fear of needles. What happens when they grow up? The fear of needles doesn’t usually go away by itself. And adults who are afraid of needles are less likely to get health care, they are less likely to donate blood…and they’re even less likely to vaccinate their own kids. So when these children who were born in 2000 or later are old enough to drive themselves to the doctor…what if they don’t??” …TEDx Talks 11/2013
Given the group of kids growing up now, if we don’t start addressing this, the problems for public health are only going to grow.
“The number and the way we’re giving shots is causing needle fear …and needle fear causes people to avoid healthcare as adults. In order to keep our communities safe, doctors need to own the problem of needle pain…the solution is not to stop vaccinating…it’s to partner to start making the 4-6 year old shots better” …TEDx Talks 11/2013
There are ways to advocate to decrease pain for kids getting shots, as seen here. But to hear more about the rise and consequences of fear of needles and some of the solutions we can pursue, watch my full TEDx Talks presentation below:
Its Fall: What Can I Expect As Far As My Childs Allergies?
We are currently in the middle of the allergy season created by ragweed. We had thought we had made it through the spring and summer allergy season with our immune system health in good shape when all of a sudden it seems to return with a vengeance: watery, itchy eyes, constantly clear runny itchy nose, clearing your throat and trying in vain to scratch the back part of your palate with the back of your tongue. Here we are again, but in the spring/ summer seasons this was due to trees and grass. Every season has its own list of usual suspects to create allergy symptoms.
The end of summer and beginning of fall sees the end of the ragweed season and the onset of more indoor things to spark the symptoms of allergy. When families start to close up their homes for the colder weather to come, many allergens are trapped indoors such as molds and dust. Many people are allergic to just these factors, made worse by the onset of school and the ability of children to begin bring home the “bug of the week”. Colds human growth hormone hgh growth hormone become more frequent and the onset of asthmatic symptoms add to the coughs, runny noses and itchiness, along with such factors as spending more time indoors with your furry pets. The leaves are beginning to fall and the wind is beginning to whip the leaves around and fragment them causing a different kind of dust.
Added to that, as families begin to turn the heat on in their homes, two things happen; all the dust that has collected in the ducts now is blown into the indoor environment to mix with all the other allergens and the indoor air begins to dry out. This potpourri of particles is just about everywhere, just waiting to irritate your respiratory tract if you happen to have allergies.
The symptoms of allergic problems do not necessarily change with the seasons and probably the same medications your Doctor recommended in the Spring will also be effective, but if you have difficulty controlling the problem, get in touch with your healthcare provider – they can help you make sure your children are not bothered with these symptoms in school.
