Live Virus Immunizations

I think I have written before about our concern over immunizations for our children. Most pediatricians give thimerosal-free vaccinations now, anyhow, but I always ask to be sure. The only shot that may contain thimerosal is the flu shot, but generally our doc's office will have a slew on hand for those parents (such as us) that will call to reserve a thimerosal-free shot for our child. This year I'll have to be on top of the flu shot since I have two that need to get it. The baby gets the series of two since he is so young, but P only gets one. There is still a ton of controversy surrounding the link of autism to thimerosal, but as far as I know, nothing has been proven, or even concretely linked together. BUT, I would rather be safe than sorry. I know that parents want to put the blame somewhere if their child suffers from some form of autism, and that could be where all the controversy stems from. The spectrum of autism is so huge, now, that I think everyone I know falls into some area of it. haha! That's for another day.

Hubby's newest concern is giving the baby more than one live virus immunization at a time. Well, the MMR - measles, mumps and rubella - comes altogether in one shot. At E's four month check-up I inquired about the shot and that is when I found out the pediatrician's office does not separate the shot - nor will they carry it broken down into three different live virus vaccinations. My pediatrician said he would be more than happy to give E one live virus vaccination at a time, but I would have to supply the M, the second M and the R myself. The doc said to call the health department and they could get it for me. So, I did. The information I was given was very helpful.

What I was told was that if I was to order the MMR separated it would be very expensive and that each come in groups of ten. So, essentially, I would have to pay for thirty shots because there aren't enough people asking for it to be given separately. I was also told that the CDC recommends that the live virus shots be given at one time (between 12 - 18 months) because of how the body reacts to them. In layman's terms: a live virus vaccination is a weakened state of the actual virus, but mimics the virus enough that the body believes it needs to give the virus a full-on fight. In the weakened state, the viruses go to the sinus cavity and the body's antigen fighters come out in full force to fight against these intruders before the virus has a chance to go into the lungs. Now, the vaccination the child receives is so weakened that they will not actually get the virus (they could still feel sick, but not to the point of getting the actual virus/sickness), and that is how the body builds immunity. The body fights a full-on fight, wins and is now stronger to fight again if need be. The nurse at the health department also said that is why the MMR is typically given at the same time as the varicella (chicken pox) because the body fights the M, the other M, the R and varicella with separate little armies. So, essentially, it can be a good thing to get the MMR and the varicella at one time.

But, here's a kicker - why do we have to do it all within the first two years of a baby's life? My belief is that you cannot control what other people do with their children, but you can control what you do with your child. You just never know in a world as populated as it is today where your child could get infected. All she/he would need to do is put their hand on the shopping cart at Target and then put their fingers in their mouth. It could be that simple. I am almost positive that is how P got one of her nasty colds. Now, for those people that live in a bubble or never leave the house, they don't have to worry like I do. I take my kids everywhere - and I don't always *sanitize* after leaving the grocery or the playground - who has time for that? Also, sometimes your kid needs to get sick, even though it breaks your heart. Of course, if I can keep my kids from getting the horrible things by immunizing, that's what I will do! But, I am just not sure how I will do it. I am still deciding if I want to follow the CDC recommended immunization schedule for E, or if I want to create my own. I totally trust my doc's office - P did great with all of her immunizations (t-free, of course) and E seems to be doing well. We are just concerned b/c if his body is also fighting with his food allergies, do we want it to fight a whole big group of viruses as well? I think he'll be fine, but I need to reassure hubby so he feels good about it, too.