To refuse this Rubella vaccine?

[babybearsmummy]

I've had a call from my GP surgery "reminding" me that now dd is born and no longer bf, I should go in for a rubella vaccine as I'm not immune to rubella.

WIBU to refuse it as I've had the MMR vaccines at school, had a case of rubella when I was younger and have had the rubella vaccine redone 3 times in the last 5 years (for course/ career related reasons) and every time I have my blood tested for immunity to it, the results come back negative.

WWYD??!!

Why would anyone refuse a vaccination offered when it's required?

Even if you think you are immune can't you give a thought to people around you and put aside your reluctance?

And if you don't give a shit about those of us in wider society, how would you feel if some unsuspecting pregnant member of your own family contracted a Rubella infection with disastrous consequences - thanks to your irresponsible atttude?

Have you actually read the FT olgaga?

Olgaga and thattimeofyearagain, I don't think you've understood the post, the op has been vaccinated and has also had wild rubella but her body has not mounted an immune response so if she did have the vaccine it probably wouldn't work, this is the case with all vaccines in a small minority of people, their immune system just doesn't do what it should when faced with a virus. This (and the fact that some people can't have vaccinations due to allergies and immunological problems, and the fact that things like chemo stop your vaccinations from working any more) demonstrates the importance of herd immunity. The op may well always be at risk of rubella but if the community as a whole is vaccinated she and any future unborn babies she has are protected

Op, it may be worth getting yourself referred to an immunologist, your gp can do this, they can test whether it is just rubella which hasn't mounted an immune response or if any other of your previous vaccines have worked properly, would be useful to check that your immune system is behaving as it should (if not you may need to either take prophylactic antibiotics at times or be aware you should get treated early if you pick up certain infections)

Yes I can read thanks very much.

OP is advised, by her GP surgery, to have a vaccination.

But you are obviously a leading expert in the field, so natueally she should ignore the GP and listen to someone like you instead.

My no3 son caught Rubella while I was pregnant with my 5th DC, and I was terrified in spite of having had the immunisations (and so had he fwiw )
If I was you, I'd have the immunisation, thinking that it can't hurt, and could help enormously if I was exposed to the virus. In recent years, with all the controversy over immunisations, the old "childhood diseases" are making a comeback, and can have serious consequences, so I personally would much rather be safe than sorry.

olgaga firstly, she didn't say she was advised by a GP, she was contacted by her GP surgery which isn't the same thing at all- it's usually a receptionist calling as a response to an automatic flagging up system- in this case because the OP isn't immune to rubella. It is unlikely that whoever phoned her actually bothered to read the full details of the OP's file, and seen that she has not only been vaccinated at least 4 times, but has contracted rubella, and is still not immune.

So if it were me, the first thing I would do is contact the GP to discuss it.

Secondly, GPs are general practitioners. They know a little about a lot of things. They can and do make mistakes especially when it comes to specialist areas such as immunology. I have 2 not very common conditions, and I never take my GPs word for it, I question them, do my own research, and ask my specialists. I wouldn't advocate ignoring the GP, but experience tells me you shouldn't blindly go along with them either.

Besides- you really can't read because in your first post you put 'if you think you are immune' which was the complete opposite of the OP's point. So I think you owe her an apology for saying she is irresponsible!

I would suggest that several posters have not read more than the title of the thread before replying and owe you an apology, OP.

If you have had at least 4 doses of vaccine plus the actual disease and not mounted an antibody response then it seems unlikely that another dose would make any difference, particularly when several of those doses have been recent. It is possible to be immune in practical terms but not have a measurable antibody response (cell mediated immunity)
I think I'd see the GP and ask if you had antibodies to the other diseases they check for commonly, and if not then ask for referral to an immunologist. You could also ask if there is an alternative vaccine, as you might respond differently to another type. How much I'd worry about the rubella issue would depend on whether you are planning another pregnancy in future as well.

Sigyn, (or other adults), if know you have no immunity to chicken pox (if that's been tested?), you could request to be given the vaccine (as an adult your risks from the disease are quite a bit higher than for a young child).

However if you just think you haven't had it, the good news is you are still quite likely to have had it! It's quite possible to have CP with either no external spots or just a few which go unnoticed (the "spots" can be on the inside of the body).

If your GP says he/she can't offer you the vaccine, you can buy it privately.
I intend to do this if my 3yo doesn't pick up a natural CP infection by the time he's 8 or 9.

Some posters seem to be missing that OP has already received this jab 5 times and has not formed an immune response.

OP: I think this is beyond GP just doing it for a 6th time. Can you ask for a referral to an immunologist? They might be interested in your persistent lack of response for research purposes, but more importantly will be able to tell you if there is any likely benefit in further immunisations, and whether there is any particular timing in relation to any future PGs (if there is a possibility you have a transient response).

I agree with those saying to see an immunologist - you need your functional antibodies checking to see what you have protection from and to try and figure out why you don't keep immunity.

FWIW, I'd take the repeat jab if I were about to start TTC, but only after seeing a specialist.

alcibiades
Don't worry, no need to apologise

I get regular ttc tests done including the one for immunity to rubella.
I just checked my results and in Jan 2013 I had an immunity of 153 IU/ml.
April 2014 and it's gone down to 56 IU/ml (needs to be above 10 IU/ml to be immune)
I've only had the vaccine once, some 25 years ago. It appears to be leaving my system so thank you OP for starting this thread - I'd never have checked the second set of results and noticed and it's something I need to keep an eye on.

I just thought before hitting reply - Maybe the vaccine (when it was given to girls only) was not meant to last our whole lives - possibly just until we finished being fertile?? Something to ask the Dr next time I visit.

Some people are just non-responders for some vaccines - I've seen it for Hep B and rubella.

I wouldn't have another jab if I were the OP, I'd be making an appointment with the GP and asking for a referral for a discussion with an immunologist.

Automated letter, the computer that prints them out doesn't know you're non-responsive to rubella vaccine. Maybe get a phone appointment from your GP to see if there's something else to try to get immunity, but I wouldn't hold out much hope. Some people are just susceptible to some things.