MMR and pneumococcal meningitis jab

[RachelG]

Hello

I don't want to bring up a contentious subject, but I wanted to see what other people are doing.

DS (age 14 months) is having his MMR tomorrow, and I have absolutely no concerns about this, but am bracing myself for a temperature and some crying.

However, the pneumococcal meningitis jab is a new one that has been introduced in the last couple of months. I think it's being given to all under-2s (?not sure), and they are gradually being called up for the jab. My surgery are offering it at the same time as the MMR. This seems like a lot of vaccine in one go, likely to make him quite poorly afterwards, especially as DS is very prone to frighteningly high temperatures (a normal cold usually puts it up to about 40 degrees).

Has anyone else been offered the 2 jabs at the same time - MMR and pneumococcal? What did you do?

DS had the MMR, the new jab and Hib/MenC booster all in one go on Monday.

Was a bit of a shock to me and a hard decision but was told all the babies are having it done like that in our surgery. Was also told it was no problem (the 2-3-4 month jabs are also 5 together) and it actually means he will only have the side effects once rather than 3 times.

I decided to go for it because we are travelling to Brazil in 10 days and I'd rather he is
as protected as possible before we go.

The jury is still out obviously but he has not had a reaction so far. He is a bit usettled but he has 3 new teeth coming through so not sure which it is.

My lo had the new meningitis booster at 13 months, and like you is due the MMR next week (at 14 months).

So no, our clinic didn't do them together.

Mammaduck - the MenC booster and the new jab are two different things. You will probably find they will want to give him two jabs when you take him for the MMR.

My 13m DS had both together. In fact I had 2 nurses and they took an arm each and stuck the needles in simultaneously (they really said 1 2 3 go!!!!!!!) that way he only 'felt' one needle
He had no reaction at all that I could discern and its 3 weeks ago now. And he is not in the best of health normally.

My 14 MO is having her MMR next week and I've been warned that they will want to do the PCV at the same time. I will refuse and get the PCV done at a later date.

I just feel that the MMR in itself is quite enough for a little immune system to deal with. DD1 was quite poorly after her first MMR (she's now 4). No long term effects, just miserable for over a week and I'm not comfortable with adding yet more viruses to the cocktail.

For the same reason, when DD1 turned four, I refused to let her have both the MMR top-up and the pre-school booster on the same day. The surgery didn't argue, other than to point out that I needed to make sure I did get round to doing the second jab as soon as poss. I did!

Tbh I would avoid having another vaccine done at the same time as the MMR.

ds (17mo) will be having his 4th 6in1 and 4th Prevenar (pneumococcal meningitis jab) at the same time next month, and I'm happy with that. But I wouldn't have been happy with MMR + another jab. There are a couple of factors in my family that make MMR a bit of a worry - ds did have it in the end, and he was fine, not so much as a temperature - and I didn't want to risk overloading his system.

helps to give recommended dose of calpol 20 mins before jab - at least that is what our paediatrician advises for babies over 6 months as they have a 1 in 10 risk of high fever/febrile convulsions as they have already had quite a few jabs so their body recognises its foreign and responds more aggressively

I have to admit I just did what I was told and didn't question the administration of 3 jabs at once. It has been 5 days and DS (13m) is bright enough but coughing, snotty and waking more frequently at night (he's not a brilliant sleeper anyway), but no fever. Coincidence? Teething again? Spring cold? Side effects? I'm not sure so will just keep an eye on him and hope he doesn't get really poorly.
On a recent trip to the docs about an s&d bug, the nurse prescriber (not quite a GP but more than a nurse) told me it's OK to let a fever to run its course as it's the body's way of dealing with infection. I followed her advice rather than giving calpol and he bounced back more quickly than the last time he had something similar. What do you think?

I think any advice about letting a child's fever 'run its course' its quite dangerous, when calpol/ibubrofen is so good at reducing it. Please don't do this.

It is well know than children cannot control fevers as well as adult.

As a parent of one child who had febrile convulsions, due to fever, resulting in stopping breathing and having to perform mouth to mouth - I would always give calpol etc for temperature. Why wouldn't you?

IIRC, the new advice re fevers for everyone is that the fever is the body's way of fighting the virus/ bug so is actually beneficial. BUT, you shouldn't let the temperature get to 40 degrees and in young babies it's not advisable.

OP, my ds had the three jabs on the same day and was fine initially but then had a high temp about 10 days after, I was warned this could happen and also to look out for any spots on his stomach, they're not dangerous but should be checked out anyway.

Not sure how I feel about such young ones being given all these jabs at once tbh, I sort of wish I'd spaced them out a bit but too late now.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

My older two dc have had the mmr and pneumococcal jabs but I refused for them to have three jabs in one go. There's no science to the decision, just raw instinct that said it was too much to do three jabs in one sitting. But I don't regret it and will prob follow that course with dd2.

I read something interesting somewhere that said that the fears about having multiple jabs in one sitting are unfounded - the logic was the immune system is challenged by many different bugs and nasties in the course of a normal day - they are all around us. Immune systems are used to dealing with multiple challenges at the same time. I found it quite a cogent explanation.

My objection was less logical-it was the three needle jabs. Jab one-surprised and sad. Jab two-cross. Jab three-come on now mummy play fair!!!

DD had either MMR and Prevenar together or MMR and Penta hex (i.e. 6 in 1 against tetanus and other 5). She was totally fine, no side effects, no temp, no crying.

But that is France, they don't really do single shots and like to cram as many as possible in each jab visit.

Oh, and can I recommend Emla patches if you're worried about pain. Put on an hour before jab. Brilliant.

I refused last year to combine them with MMR as I cannot find this on the product licences at all, rather it is advised by the Joint Vaccine Council in the UK. If by now it's backed by data in the licences I might change my mind but I doubt it, MMR on it's own for me until years of data. Daft probably.

When my child had a febrile convulsion her fever was under 40. The hospital specialist, said it is not how hot a child is but how quickly their temperature rises - or spikes.

I have never met a pediatrician who would advocate letting a childs' fever 'burn out'.

I don't want to scare anyone - and I really don't worry about febrile convulsions with any of my children because I administer medication to reduce it - but I simply don't understand why you wouldn't administer calpol etc if your child has a fever? Unless you have experienced your child having a febrile convulsion, which in our case resulted in our daughter stopping breathing and turning blue - I don't really think you can comprehend how utterly devastating it can be.

In terms of the jab - I will do one at a time.

I've had the same advice re not treating a fever as have my friends. Suddenly there were 2 kids with convulsions at