Rotavirus Vaccine

[tchrmom13]

Last month at DDs 1 month check the nurse mentioned that at the 2 month check we could choose to have DD administered the Rotavirus Vaccine. I have never heard of it! We didn't have DS (he's 2) vaccinated for it and he DID end up with a mild case of Rotavirus when he was 10 months. Anyone BTDT???? Any links to previous discussions or websites (pros/cons) would be appreciated.

TIA!!!

Heather
DS 3/06
DD 3/08

[linsei]

DS2 just got vaccinated for it, but in retrospect I probably would not have allowed it. I felt pressured by the ped and I caved. I'm now reading the Vaccine Book, which further backed up my gut feeling about the vaccine. If BFing, and the child does not go to daycare, the child is pretty low risk. Otoh, if he went to daycare, I might consider it.

DS2 did have some GI distress after getting the vaccine and I noticed his BM pattern changed (maybe a coincidence?) after getting it.

DS1 (age 4) did not get the vaccine. They had pulled the vaccine from the market at that time. He has not had roto so far.

[megs4413]

i'm against it. there's plenty of info out there...just do some searches. too new, first one got pulled...no thanks. rotavirus is manageable (though horribly unpleasant) as long as you stay on top of hydration or get your kiddo into the hospital for IV fluids (if it comes to it).

[katerinasmom]

We gave it to DD2. It wasn't available for DD1 and DD1 ended up in the hospital for almost a week due to rotovirus. Our pediatrician is super on top of all of the research and testing that's done prior to the approval of a new vaccine, stays on top of it after approval, knows all the history, etc. etc. and is a pediatric infectious disease specialist. She recommended that we give it to DD2 (even though I was breastfeeding and even though my kids are not in daycare). Since I trust her experience and knowledge and since we had that awful experience with DD1 we gave it to DD2. She had no side effects.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Same here -wasn't available with DD (almost 2) but all her younger friends got it. She got Rotavirus in the winter, then again in the spring. She goes to the church nursery, Kindermusik, and the gym nursery for a total of like 4 hours/week. First time DH got it with her and was knocked out for about 7 days (including workdays). Second time, I got it with her in my first trimester with DS, and again, DH had to miss work and stay home to take care of us. I couldn't move - didn't even ENTER the kitchen for 8 days straight. MIL and FIL didn't want to be exposed, so we had no help, and I couldn't blame them. Our living room rug had to be replaced b/c of the explosions from DD. Needless to say, DS got the vaccine the day he was eligible.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I chose not to have it done with #2 and it wasn't out for #1. It was pulled from the market years back for causing intestial issues. This new version has not been out long enough for my comfort level. I don't want my child being a guinea pig for something that could still not have those kinks worked out. Yeah, it's a nasty illness but not life threatening.

It might be a live vaccine too which could cause the very problem it is supposed to be helping. Don't quote me on that though.

I would **highly** recommend getting your hands on "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears. Great pruchase. The book is pro- informed consent on vaccines, leaning a bit towards pro-vaccine. It tells you the risks of the illness, risks of the vaccine, controversial ingredients in the vaccine, reasons to get it, reasons not to get it...Love it. It also offers an alternative/ delayed schedule. They do recommend the rotavirus vaccine in there but I was not comfortable with it at all though.

Beth

[lovin2shop]

I decided to give the vaccine. I asked our ped a lot of questions, but the answer that stuck with me the most is that there were 10 reported incidents of intussusception (sp?) out of 10 million given for the *old* vaccine that was pulled from the market. That is .0001%. Given that rotavirus almost killed one of my good friend's DS, I decided that was a risk I was willing to take. Don't quote me on the exact figures since that was a month and a half ago and I had tired head at the time. But, overall, my Ped felt that it had saved a lot of lives, so I took his advice.

[o_mom]

Last month at DDs 1 month check the nurse mentioned that at the 2 month check we could choose to have DD administered the Rotavirus Vaccine. I have never heard of it! We didn't have DS (he's 2) vaccinated for it and he DID end up with a mild case of Rotavirus when he was 10 months. Anyone BTDT???? Any links to previous discussions or websites (pros/cons) would be appreciated.


We did not give Rotavirus vaccine, in fact our ped won't even do it unless you really push for it. I'm not sure they even stock it. DS1 was hospitalized with it at 18 mos, but it wasn't a huge deal.

In the US, pre-vaccine, there were 20-50 rotavirus deaths each year. It is not a huge killer in a place where IV fluids are readily available. The new vaccine has only been around a couple years, not long enough for my comfort level, especially given the problems with the previous one.

[icunurse]

It had just been recalled prior to DS #1 being born, so he didn't get it. But he did get rotavirus a year later (my guess is from Gymboree class - the only public place we went to). If you do some research, it is estimated that something like 95% of all kids get a case of rotavirus by the time they are age 5. My son had a bad case, ending him in the ER on Easter for IV fluids. Some kids have worse cases, some kids have milder cases. I think the point of the vaccine isn't maybe so much to prevent deaths (which as a PP stated can mostly be avoided in the U.S. with close observation and administration of IV fluids), as much as it is to prevent hospitalization time.

We did not get it for DD. Our ped was kinda pushing it, but, at the time, she had a ton of GI issues going on and both the GI doc and the CDC (yes, I called them) recommended against giving a live virus to a child with an already messed up GI system. She's fine now, but the window for administering the rotavirus vaccine is small. So, I am pretty much counting on that she will get it, but plan to be much more proactive about hydration (I went against my doc, who didn't think DS sounded dehydrated, and took DS to the ER, where they found him to be profoundly dehydrated - just another example to listen to your Mommy instincts! :))

[m448]

rotateq is a live vaccine beth. Definitely something which can shed and spread in a population the very illness it's designed to prevent. Something to keep in mind if you are around vaccinated kids or one kid in your household is vaccinated with rotateq. You could spread it around the family and those that you see on a daily basis.

I believe that the risk of intussusception still exists with rotateq it's just that the FDA is encouraging doctors to report the cases of intestinal obstruction. At least according to this:

http://www.fda.gov/Cber/safety/phnrota021307.htm

yup, seems like the change they've made is to relabel that intestinal obstruction (and death due to this) is a risk:

http://www.fda.gov/cber/products/rotateq.htm

[kdeunc]

It was not available with my boys and I do not plan on having it with the new baby. It is so new and with the history of problems I have decided against it and I consider myself "pro-vax". Neither of my children has had rotovirus and both have been in child care since they were 8 months old. My understanding is that dehydration is the main concern and my husband is a medical professional so I feel confident with our ability to recognize and treat accordingly. For me the benefit did not seem to outweigh the risk.

[brittone2]

I personally am very uncomfortable w/ this one. I've been around Rotavirus in my working days in EI. I know it is very unpleasant, and can land a child in the hospital quickly. However, I agree w/ O_Mom. In a country where IV fluids are readily available, I'll take my chances. I think it is always important to know the signs of dehydration, etc. if you skip something like this, and I would just monitor my child closely.

IMO, where does it end? There are vaxes in the works for e coli, there are vaxes for all kinds of other illnesses. As a society, where do we draw the line? When is enough enough? When do we say we don't need a vax for every possible illness? How many do we allow to be added to the schedule before we say enough?

I also am of the mindset that biology and mother nature in general will fill the void with other illnesses as we eradicate some. Disease-causing organisms evolve, and sometimes they evolve into strains that the original vaccine does not prevent.