Quick Vaccine question

[KrisM]

We follow the schedule in Stephanie Cave's book for vaccinating. She suggests that at 4 months, DD get Hib and IPV. My ped. office has a combo Hep B + Hib vaccine that they use. Cave suggests waiting on the Hep B. I think I will end up going with the combo vax as opposed to skipping the Hib. But, should I then skip the IPV this time and go back in a month or so for it?

[JTsMom]

I guess it would depend on your reasoning for following Cave's schedule. If you follow her lines of thinking, the reasons for delaying/doing one at a time are that the child being older lessens the risk of a reaction, if a reaction occurs, you'll know which vaccine caused it, and more vaccines at one time=more risk.

If that matches your thinking, I'd say wait on the IPV if you do the combo, but know that Cave would still not agree with the combo vaccine- not that you have to 100% agree with her or anything.

Stalling on the IPV isn't a very risky thing since there hasn't been a natural case of Polio in the US in decades. (Unless you're traveling to an area dealing with it of course). What would the downside of waiting be?

The Hep B is one of the shots that concerns me the most. You might want to re-read pgs 118-119 about the serious reactions to it when given alone vs given with other vaccines. Can your Dr get the vaxes seperately if you choose to go that route? He'd have to have the Hib seperately, at the very least, since there are more doses of it than Hep B, right? Plus I'd think the Hep B would be really easy to get alone, even if you had get it from elsewhere.

If I were going to do all of the vaccines, my priority, as far as those 3 go, would be Hib, since DC would be most likely to come in contact with that one.

Hope this helps. I'm, by no means, an expert on this subject, but I have be learning a lot lately. Cave's book got me started.

[KrisM]

Thank you. Unfortunately, it's a library book and I don't currently have it. I appreciate you reminding me of her reasoning a bit more than I could remember.

ETA: I am reading the CDC info and if you get the combo vax, having an extra dose of Hep B is fine. If you do them separately, you don't need the extra one. So, I'm not sure if the doc will have them or not. I'll ask and see if I can order it.

[JTsMom]

I'll quote the part I was refering to:

The most startling figures were seen in the year 1996, when there were 872 reported serious adverse reactions in children younger than fourteen years old: 658 occurred after the children received hepatitis B in combination with other vaccines and 214 happened after receiving hepatitis B alone. Of those 872 children, forty-eight died: thirty-five who received hepatitis B vaccine with other vaccines and thirteen who go hepatitis B vaccine alone. Dr. Incao compared the total number hepatitis B cases in 1996 in children younger than fourteen-just 279- with the 872 serious adverse episodes and forty-eight deaths among children in the same age group who had received the hepatitis B vaccine and concluded that the risks of receiving hepatitis B far outweigh the advantages.


If you are concerned enough to delay in the first place, are you really ok with the idea of getting an extra shot Hep B vaccine? Or are you just thinking that you'll deal with it when you get to that point?

[KrisM]

Turns out they have them separate, so no issue.

I would have skipped it today and ordered a single dose Hib. I'm glad I don't have to.

Thanks again!

[JTsMom]

Oh good, glad it worked out. Glad I could help. Good luck!