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vaccinations baby 2 months


foofinette

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Hi,

My baby is now 3 months old, and for the past 4 weeks i have been putting off have his vaccinations done!

Now i have been told to quickly make a decision - but as any new mum i am worried about the risks and not sure which to do.

has anyone got advice/recommendations etc???

obligatory: Diphtérie, Tétanos , Polio,

optional: Whooping cough

(coqueluche) and Haemophilus b and pneumocoques

thankyou!

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Hi, as a GP of 25 years standing I can reassure you that there is no credible research evidence whatsoever to support the notion that any baby vaccination is unsafe.  What I do know is that the diseases mentioned in your post can all have serious (and in some cases fatal) consequences, and whereas the decision of course is entirely yours, I would urge you for the sake of both your baby and population as a whole to have your baby vaccinated against them all.  Personally, I wouldn't think twice, and I don't know of any other GP who would (and I know a lot of them!).  Hope this helps. 
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Based on my personal experience, I would wait until the child can speak and tell you what is wrong, i.e. when they are about 2 years' old.  One of my children had the MMR vaccination at 18 months (before he could talk) and he contracted measles from the jab.  He nearly died because he could not tell us what was wrong and the doctors failed to interpret what was wrong (a blocked colon).  It was one of the worst nights of my life.

Why are parents pressurised into accepting early vaccinations?  It disturbs me greatly.

 

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Hi again.  Notwithstanding what Cathy has said, I absolutely stand by what I said in my earlier post.  Seeing ill children with Measles and Rubella was common in the 1980's, but since MMR was widely introduced, true cases of either are now thankfully rare.  Having witnessed this welcome change and having also seen a death at close quarters from whooping cough meningitis in an unvaccinated child, I am certain that the benefits to the individual child and the whole population far outweigh any perceived risks from childhood vaccinations.

As for Cathy's post, all I can say is that to get very very mild measles type symptoms is not uncommon after MMR (which we are not yet talking about in this case anyway), but although the MMR has been erroneously blamed for many things, this is the first time I have known it to be criticised for causing a full blown measles infection.  Furthermore, a 'blocked colon' (intestinal obstruction or intersussception as it is medically termed) is not a recognised specific complication of measles, and is certainly not known to be related to any symptoms after the MMR jab.  Intersussception, though uncommon, happens spontaneously in the 1-2 year old age group, and in most cases without any known cause, although it is thought that viral gastroenteritis can precipitate it.  Without wanting to appear inflammatory to Cathy, who has simply presented a view based on her belief and her experience, to pin the blame on the MMR for her child's very unfortunate illness is in my opinion without good foundation, and to deter people from having their child vaccinated against anything before they can communicate symptoms for themselves is incomprehensible.  The reason these vaccinations are offered at such an early age is firstly that after 2 months any maternal protection passed over via the placenta to the baby is on the wane, and secondly and most importantly, the diseases in question, if contracted, are more likely to cause serious life-threatening or long-term disability the younger the child.  To have an effective and efficient programme of early childhood immunisation is not to pressure anyone, it is done for good reason, to protect both individual children and childhood populations at a time when they are most vulnerable.

As I said before, only you can make the decision, but the arguement for vaccination is backed by a vast body of positive research evidence covering both effectiveness and safety.  On the other hand, those that have tried to prove that these programmes are unsafe or ill-advised have serially failed to do so.  As i also said before, I know of no-one in the medical profession who does not have their children immunised.  That is not to say there aren't any, but there won't be many.  

 

  

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DD - The measles he contracted immediately after the MMR jab (it was properly recorded by a doctor as being measles) gave him a temperature of 40 degrees and the resulting dehydration blocked his colon.  He was saved by the viligance of another doctor, who identified the problem.  As the MMR was given to him before he could speak, he couldn't tell us or any of the doctors what was wrong with him.

I am not advocating an anti-MMR stance, merely saying that to wait until a child can communicate seems a sensible idea.  I think that we mass vaccinate at too young an age.

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Hi Cathy, I appreciate your viewpoint, though I don't agree with it for the reasons I have already mentioned.  Aside from the research evidence backing early vaccination, once you have seen a dead 2 year old lying in a hospital bed, having as a junior doctor just been involved in an emotional and unsuccessful ressuscitation attempt during which the parents were imploring your team to save their child's life, that image and thought never leaves you.  If she had been vaccinated, she would have been alive, simple as that.   No parent should ever think it won't happen to their child, because it just might.  I once again say that there is no research evidence to back up any notion that child vaccination is unsafe, and there are very good reasons and rationale for vaccinating babies early. 

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I have never ever known any GP, and I know 100s, in UK, France and Switzerland - who would not say exactly the same as Daft Doctor - and who have not had their own children vaccinated. I am so sorry about the experience you had Cathy - it must have been dreadful. I have never heard of a proven case of MMR giving full blown measles. I am not doubting your word, or the terrible ordeal you went through- but I am so surprised your GP, being fully aware of the rarity or indeed non-existence fo such cases - didn't fully publicise his findings as the medical world would heve been extremely interested, I am sure. Most doctors are aware of so many PROVEN terrible disability and death caused by Measles, rubella and mumps - and are very clear about the statistics involved. Cases of measles have greatly increased again because of insufficient take-up. The Press have a lot to answer for! Personal choice is a great concept, but there is a but ... as an insuffficient take-up puts everyone at risk- as has been proven with big recent increases. A reminder that some vaccinations are compulsory for children to enter creche or school in France, for reasons given above.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi, I had my little boy vaccinated as and when his vaccinations came up.  It's such a personal decision that no-one can tell you what to do.  I have the theory (and there will be many people who think that I am not very responsible) that something can happen at any time with our children.  To me, as long as my son is vaccinated I know that there is less for me to worry about.  You also have to note that in France, in order to be accepted into collective care, eg. the crèche or school, your child must be vaccinated and you must provide proof, ie. the vaccinations page in your child's carnet de santé.

Good luck with your decision.

Sarah

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Hello,

I'm just a normal Mum but I think that Daft Doctor's argument makes a lot of sense. My little boy has been vaccinated every time the dr recommended it, and he's now a very healthy 18 months old, and my husband and I feel safer for it.

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