MMR with egg allergy

[Faybells]

Not sure whether this should be posted here or on vaccine section, but here goes....

My son is 10 months old and just been diagnosed with milk and egg allergy. Docs have recommended MMR in hospital. Even before we knew about the egg allergy I was hoping to delay MMR and/or get the single vaccines (although I gather only 2 single vaccines produced now ) so I am currently weighing up options.

He had a severe exematous reaction after the first round of jabs at 2 months and it took us a long time to get that under control. Although the docs want to give MMR under observation at hospital I am concerned that the reaction may well be delayed and that he could be suffering for a long time at home.

Has anyone else gone through this? What were the reactions like? Did you delay or avoid altogether, or manage to get single vaccines done?

Any advice appreciated :)

Avoid. Your child sounds like he is at high risk of being damaged by the MMR.

Personally I find IndigoBell's comments quite unhelpful. I understand your concerns about the MMR re: egg allergy as my DS is also severely allergic to milk, eggs, wheat and nuts. He had his MMR vaccinations at the GP surgery and had no reaction to the first but did get hives on his face straight after the 2nd dose. He had no other symptoms and responded to Piriton so no need for epi-pens or anything. After this however the GP felt that he should have his seasonal flu jabs (also cultured in egg) in hospital which he did last year and was absolutely fine both times. His consultant still believes that it is highly unlikely that it was the egg he reacted to in the 2nd MMR (as it is such a minute amount) and was probably a reaction to something else (no idea what though!). He also has severe eczema but we did not notice any worsening of his skin after either of the MMRs. I think it is good that you have been offered the option of having the vaccinations in hospital under supervision and see no reason not to do so.

If you'd met the number of kids I have met who have been permanently damaged by the MMR you might hold a different opinion.

For the majority of kids the MMR is safe.

This child is not 'the majority of kids'.

There are lots of indicators that the MMR might not be safe for a child - including gut problems, autism in the family, and severe allergies.

This does not mean that all kids with severe allergies are damaged by the MMR. It means that the chance of the child being damaged by the MMR are increased if they have severe allergies.

Sorry IndigoBell but you are talking rubbish. There is absolutely NO medical evidence that the MMR is harmful or causes 'permanent damage' as you put it. I'm sick and tired of this nonsense being pedalled around like it's the truth when it's not. There is NO link between the MMR and autism or Crohn's disease - end of story. And totally irrelevant to the OP's question anyway. The concern is around the fact that the vaccination is cultured in egg and therefore has the potential to cause an allergic reaction in those with severe allergy to egg. In the unlikely event that the child did react to the MMR while being observed in hospital, the staff would be able to react immediately to treat the reaction, with adrenaline if necessary, and the child would be fine with no lasting events whatsoever.

My DS was permanently damaged by a vaccination.

So don't tell me there is no medical evidence.

As I'm involved in the Autism community (in RL and here on MN) I know loads of other children who were permanently damaged.

You are not at all sorry. You are arrogant and rude and hurtful.

A lot of kids with Autism also have allergies - a higher percentage than the normal population.

If your child does develop Autism after receiving the MMR you can't undo it and turn back time.

I am not being arrogant or rude and I certainly don't mean to be hurtful. I work in the learning disabilities and ASD field and know how difficult it is bringing up a child with autism (I am also fully aware that a higher percentage have allergies and intolerances). However, there is simply no evidence that the MMR causes autism. When you have a child with any sort of condition it is natural to try to find a reason, something or someone to blame, 'why my child?' but the simple fact is some children develop autism, allergies, leukaemia etc etc while others don't and 99% of the time there is no explanation. Blaming vaccinations is not helpful as it causes fear amongst parents and leads to outbreaks of harmful diseases like measles that can blind or even kill a child. The fact that the signs of a child's ASD might not develop until after their MMR does not mean that the MMR is to blame. I am not saying that I am 100% certain that the MMR is safe for every child but what I am saying is that there is currently no evidence to suggest that it causes permanent damage to children. Who knows, maybe some reliable piece of research will one day prove that you are right but until then, I don't think people should scaremonger as this causes more harm than good.

You are still being hurtful.

There is absolutely no doubt that my child's problems were caused by his vaccination.

For example, he went blind and developed Nystagmus on the day of his vaccination. His 3 month DPT vaccination, not his MMR vaccination.

Nystagmus is a very obvious condition, so there is no doubt it developed exactly on the day of his vaccination.

No medical professional disputes the fact that his eyesight was fine before his vaccination and permanently damaged afterwards.

(Although they have never acknowledged it was caused by the vaccination - that is why there is no medical evidence that vaccinations cause problems, because they never acknowledge that they do.)

And this is far from an isolated story.

But you go live in your bubble of it not being your child and therefore it must be Mum's wanting something to blame.

I don't want to blame anyone for my child's problems, it's just one of those things. And it isn't difficult bringing him up.

But I do want people in 'at risk' groups to be aware there is another side to the story the NHS would like you to believe.

You may work in the ASD field, but you haven't seen the kids you work with before their vaccinations and after.

So how on earth do you know the truth?

OP, my son was allergic to both eggs and milk, and we had the MMR done in hospital - but late. He was around 2.5 when he had it - we had determined that he was egg allergic at about 8 months. His reaction was severe - hives, projectile vomiting, swollen lips etc.

He was seen at 18 months by a paediatrician, and an allergist. At the time, herd immunity was good, and so we were advised to delay the MMR, which was later given on the childrens ward on the HDU ward.

Because he was given it later, he possibly had started to outgrow his egg allergy, and was fine with the jab. No reaction. So it may be wise to request a delay in administering the vaccine if you are anxious. However, I would not make any decision based on an internet discussion - ask your GP for a referral to paediatrics and get the facts from a qualified and knowledgeable source.

DS outgrew his allergy to eggs by 3, dairy by 5 years.

Our consultant also said that MMR should be fine to do at GP surgery but that flu vaccination if needed should be done in hospital. I found these guidelines from the British Society of Immunology useful about egg allergy in general and they also deal with the immunisation issue. Hope that helps.

I should add though that as freefrommum says if the doctors have recommended doing it in hospital that sounds sensible as they will know the individual circumstances. We are planning to give DD the standard MMR at the GP surgery when the time comes in a few weeks but that is based on the advice we have been given about risk of reaction to egg in our case.

indigobell that eye condition has nothing to do with vaccines , i have family members and friends with that condition.
its a progressive disease that in many cases gets worse over time, and can vary in degrees with each individual. eyesight is perfect from birth, but the muscles that control the eyes are at fault here. hence as child grows older the tipping head to one side to allow the eyes to go to corner of eye and stay still enough to focus is a common sign.

there is a charity for those with this eye condition and they hold conferences for families to meet and give support, its well worth trying to get this support.

gentic links ARE part of this condition, with a smaller amount spontaneously appearing with no known gentic link, however that doesnt mean that it isnt there, often linked to those with albino gene. which spontaneously appears.

your right its one of those things.

for what its worth, my son had many multiple allergies, and has had the mmr with out any problems, the risk is very small, however good immunologists will have the child in a hosptial setting for the vaccine.

children on the autisum spectrum do tend in large amounts to have food intolerences, rather than ige allergies. I certainly would be cautious with milk / large amounts of sugar and wheat with a child on the spectrum. but that alone wouldnt stop me giving them vaccinations. I would agree with being cautious about certain foods with some sensitive individuals, and thats an interesting issue with kids on that spectrum.(i wish there was more research done on this area)

my allergic child has had all his vaccinations and I am confidant that with the many multiple problems he has with his allergies I am glad to have given him some protection to some nasty diseases .

Some of my family have had the side effects from having no vaccine protection, an aunt who was born with a curved spine and slight deafness as her mother caught measles while pregnant. Also a cousin with brain damage from whooping cough as an infant.

My little sister nearly died from having measles. None of us were vaccinated, and we all had it very badly. I am in favour of vaccinations.

DS is highly allergic to egg, but had his MMR jabs at the doctors surgery on the advice of his allergy specialist. He had no reaction, although the nurse had antihistamines and adrenaline lined up on the side waiting and we had to stay in the surgery for a while afterwards to make sure no reaction developed.

Indigo, I'm really sorry to hear about your DS, but what you are saying goes against all current advice.

I can't stop thinking about this thread and just want to add, in the most respectful manner I can that while I absolutely respect a parent's right to choose what's right for their child, in the case of vaccination we all need to weigh up what's best for our child AND those around them to some extent. A person's decision not to immunize their child does not just affect their child, but also others' children who will then potentially be exposed to devastating illnesses due to the reduced level of protection in the population. I will vaccinate my children when the time comes, but until they are fully protected they will be vulnerable to diseases which are increasing due to reduced uptake of vaccination. So we are choosing for our own children, and I would never dream of telling anyone what to decide for their child but we all need to be aware that our decisions have implications for others.

Haven't been able to check this thread for a while. It has got quite heated! I am sorry to hear of some of the things that you have been through. Thank you so much for your comments, it has been very useful to hear your experiences and opinions. I will be considering our options very carefully. X.

Faybells, both my children are allergic to eggs. I decided to delay giving them the MMR until they were both over 2 and they both had it in hospital (at 2.5) with no problems.