So what's the deal with single jabs?

[alittleteapot]

I know it's a minefield but here we go. It's MMR time and while I would definitely not duck out of vaccinating altogether I am tempted by single jabs. Is there any reason why they are not good? I know you have to be more diligent about boosters etc but are the things about them being made abroad etc really an issue?

This isn't a thread about MMR (that's being looked after very thoroughly on an AIBU thread right now) - just interested to know the pros and cons of singles outside the whole MMR thing.

Thanks

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They aren't liscensed here, are they?

I don't really know much about it. Ds had his MMR as I was not concerned.

It would be nice for people to have the option though.

I wish I felt like you - I don't feel proud of my anxieties but they're there. if single jabs are fine then I'd just do them because then it's done and I won't freak out.

I spoke about this with my GP. She basically said that the single jabs are the same vaccines that were licensed here until the government decided to go wholly with the MMR. So, they were licensed here until whenever it was in the 1990s and their not being licensed in this country anymore is not a question of safety but a question of government strategy for getting everyone to have the MMR. From what I've read they're actually more effective than the MMR - only marginally, but there's no more of an issue with boosters than for the MMR.
Good luck with your decision, whichever way you decide.

thanks, really helpful

both of mine had single jabs. cost about £300 per child. but private doctor said that the booster is the one you don't need to worry about so have on the nhs as an mmr booster. ds1 had his nhs mmr booster this year. do what you think is best. good luck

Single jabs are less effective, leave children more vulnerable and their safety has not been tested as widely. You only have to look at the outbreaks of measles now because people aren't giving their kids the MMR

It makes me angry when people make comments like because we don't vax we are responsible for a measles outbreak. Actually measles is a virus and not dictated to by people.

Do you really think honestly I would like my child to get measles. My older son had the MMR and had a bloody bad time and has health issues.

It galls me that people have this 'my kids were fine attitude' well my kid was not bloody fine he was a mess for weeks.

I worry myself sick every day over this crap, but those of us who dont vax or use singles are persecuted and I am sick of it.

I agree beeper, the people spreaading measles are NOT NOT NOT those who have single doses. They are the fools who DON'T Vaccinate at all and incoming people with no access or understanding of vaccination.

Single dose/mmr are as effective as each other, if YOU have a personal experience of a bad reaction to MMR (a severely disabled neice as she got chicken pox too), or have a child who has had 5 febrile convulsions, you have to make the decision you are comfortable with.

Pisses me off that I DONT slag off the people who mmr, but they think its ok to slag me off for having single dose.

Single vaccines are not licensed because the pharmaceutical companies have not requested a renewal of their lapsed licenses. (I have this in writing from the dept of health). They are welcome to reapply anytime. It is not a reflection on the products health.

It alters the way a product is given- the vaccines have to imported on a named patient basis.

The vaccine strains used are the same as the vaccine strains in the MMR, just more spaced out.

The longer time left to vaccinate (as with single jabs) means that the virus is allowed to permeate. MIL is a vaccination specialist and she says the fact is simple - since single doses were introduced, measles is on the up and up. Of course no one person is responsible, but you need herd immunity to eradicate diseases - and we no longer have herd immunity. Anyway, will leave it there as OP said she didn't want to turn this into an MMR thread.

sorry to have offended, btw - wasn't my intention.

Tinkjon
Isn't the problem more that many who dont vaccinate with MMR dont vaccinate at all? Perhaps if the government provided parents with a choice then this wouldnt be happening?

Alitteteapot - my DD had singles. The measles vaccine for example came from Switzerland and was fully licensed - just not here which is a political decision not to do with the safety of the drugs. We were shown the fridges where they are kept, given all the packaging etc to take away with us. We were actually sent away on our first visit, and went back a week later, as DD had a temp of 37.4 which was 0.1 above their limit. I dont know if they even check for the MMR (?).

I am now expecting DD2 and will be doing the same thing.

Technically there's no difference, but as most single vaccines are now imported there isn't always a guarantee that what you see is what you get.

An immunology professor told us yesterday of a case he dealt with where a single vaccine was supplied that wasn't from the country it said it was from , had been cultured on dog cells not human cells and hadn't been prepared 'properly' (can't remember the technical stuff he said, something about the way it was created was less effective).

I've also had patients who had single vax, then came back to us with a query some time later and as the company they had them with hadn't supplied any records or information to them (the family) or us (the GP practice) there was absolutely no record at all of what they'd had, when and where and what vaccine had been given.

As long as you go with a reputable reliable company/clinic and check what you will be getting you should be ok.

But Tinkjon that is nonsense.
what is the difference between having the MMR at 13 months or having the singles measles at 13 months...
especially as the MMR only actually covers 90 something percent with the first jab.

Sorry Pagwatch, have just realised what complete rot I wrote Excuse me - have screaming baby and am not thinking straight. What I meant was that since MMR scare, not since single jabs, herd immunity is decreasing. No idea why I typed what I did - brain is fried from lack of sleep

ahh fried brain. Yes I get that too but not such good reasons

then perhaps they should permit single vaccines - if herd immunity is the prize..

Single jabs require 3 times as many nurse appointments for the same result - so costing the NHS 3x as much and with the greater risk of people missing appts.

According to David Salisbury (head immunologist at Dept of Health), the MMR is designed so the 3 viruses in it have their effects at different lengths of time after vax, so has the same effect as separate jabs anyway.

If you're one of the people worried about other ingredients in the vaccines, then single jabs would lead to a higher dose of them.

just to stick my nose in, it is not a gov policy not to license the singles, it is the gov decision not to offer them free on the nhs

see jimjams post, the licence expired, the pharm companies didnt renew (no need i suppose if selling unlicensed)

actually it's interesting what people are saying about it being on the increase - yes it is at the moment - but there's an interesting link on that thread over there >>>>>>>>>>>>>

somewhere which shows the number of cases. There have been over the 10yrs of the figures available peaks and troughs of the outbreak, and not just among young children, but among those that wouldn't have been affected by the whole MMR scare.

To me this shows that as with most infectious diseases they have a natural cycle. Also interesting to note that the number of cases are highest in those areas which also have a high number of immigrants (East of Englan, Midlands, London) and I do wonder how many of those affected by the measles outbreaks are those immigrants to the country who didn't have the measles vaccination in their home country, and have "missed" them here in the UK. (please note I'm not trying to blame this on immigrants or slating them, simply pointing out a possible reason for those areas being higher - and not just in children, but adults too).

thanks for interesting replies - my understanding was that mmr solved the problem of peop;le not turning up for boosters and therefore it was easier to get higher immunisation rates. take the point about other ingredients being higher in singles, so for those weighing up mmr vs singles it's that vs three viruses at once.

I had my dc's singles done at this clinic breajspear - their website is quite informative