The following is an explanation of the immunizations, which are listed above:
Hep B: Hepatitis B vaccine. Our office recommends that your baby receive this vaccine starting in the newborn period. It is required for entrance to school at all levels, including daycare.
Hep A: Hepatitis A is a virus that causes a flu-like illness and affects the liver. All children ages 1-2 years of age now receive two doses of vaccine 6-18 months apart. We are trying to catch up older children with preference given to those travelling outside of the country.
DTaP: Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis. This is the vaccine which used to receive the most publicity, perhaps because of the very infrequent reactions. These reactions occurred due to the pertussis fraction of the vaccine. However, the newest combination of the vaccine which contains the acellular pertussis fraction (aP) has drastically reduced reactivity to the pertussis. This makes the vaccine effective and safe for almost all children, including those who may not have received the original DPT. There are some children who will still not receive the DTaP because of their history of specific neurological problems. However, our general opinion is that all children need to be immunized against pertussis. It is one of the preventable diseases that we see and we do not want our patients to be susceptible to this sometimes fatal disease. After seven years of age, the version of the injection is the Tdap, which contains tetanus and a lower dose of diphtheria and pertussis. This was formerly the Td, but as of 2005 was changed to include a booster of pertussis. This is the version of the tetanus shot which is given during the teen years and into adulthood.
HIB: Haemophilus Influenza B vaccine. The HIB is a very safe vaccine which has been responsible for reducing the incidence of Haemophilus Influenza (H.Flu) disease. This used to be a very common cause of meningitis and epiglottitis. The HIB vaccine is a synthetic vaccine and it cannot cause the actual disease.
IPV: Injectable polio virus. It is the inactivated version (not live) of this viral vaccine.
MMR: Measles, mumps, and rubella. This shot does not usually cause any immediate reaction, but will sometimes cause a fine rash and low fever 7-14 days after the shot. This reaction will disappear spontaneously, and does not mean that your baby is contagious. It does not pose any danger to pregnant women (because of the rubella).
Varivax: This is the chickenpox (or varicella) vaccine which was introduced in 1995. It is now required for school entry. It is between 70% and 90% effective in preventing chickenpox. Some children who receive the vaccine may still come down with a mild case of chickenpox. Contrary to some initial fears, receiving the vaccine does not make one more susceptible to chickenpox as an adult. There is a slight chance of contracting chickenpox from another person receiving the vaccine. It is recommended that all of your children receive the vaccine at the same time if they have not had the vaccine or the disease. The 2007 recommendation is to now give a booster dose at four years of age or catch up anytime after that.
Rotavirus: For all of you who have children who have had rotavirus, you know how awful it can be. There is now a vaccine for it, however, it is only for children who are 2 months old. There are booster doses at 4 and 6 months. This is an oral vaccine.
HPV(Guardasil): This is the immunization for Human Papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer. There are three doses spaced six months apart from one another. At this time only females ages 9-26 receive this vaccine.
PCV 7(Prevnar): This is the vaccine introduced in 2000 which helps prevent children from developing diseases associated with the pneumococcal bacteria. These include bacteremia (infection in the blood), meningitis and ear infections. Only a small percentage of ear infections are caused by this particular bacteria. The vaccine has mistakenly been called the ear infection vaccine. Prevnar is generally given to children under 2 years of age. Those children in high-risk groups may receive it until age 5.
Influenza: The flu shot is now recommended for all 6 month-23 month olds as well as any household contacts of children less than 6 months old. It also continues to be recommended for children with chronic illness, such as asthma. There is a live intranasal version of the vaccine approved for healthy children over 7 years of age.
Menactra: This is the vaccine which helps prevent meningococcal meningitis and bacteremia, an often-fatal disease. This vaccine is a new vaccine released in 2005 mostly replacing the old
Menomune: It is recommended for all children 11-12 year of age and any other high-risk individual not yet vaccinated, i.e. college students living in dormitories and overnight campers.
PPD: Presently, the only reliable test for tuberculosis is the PPD. The old tine test is no longer recommended. Testing for TB is not required but is recommended for certain high risk groups including those who may have had exposure to persons with TB, or those who have come from other countries where TB is more common.
The immunizations we give today cause very few side effects. We may recommend giving your child acetaminophen prior to, or after, the immunizations to treat fever and/or pain.
There is a lot of bad publicity out there about the immunizations we use, i.e. like the MMR causing autism. However, there have never been any scientific studies to prove any of the rumors you may hear. In fact, there have only been studies that have disproven such claims. We feel very strongly about immunizing all of our patients according to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. Please discuss your apprehensions with your provider so that he/she may answer all your concerns.
