Toddlers to get '6 in one' jabs

[Mukoli]

Hi,
I was really shocked this week when I read the article about this new proposal to give so many jabs in one go. I am also sad that nobody seems to pay attention to this news....
My friend's son got 6 vaccinations on the same day and he completely collapsed and developed a serious diabetes. His mum is a single mum now, because his father wasn't able to cope with all the 'trouble' and he left.
"The experts" say it's safe so when something goes wrong, you are all alone.

I was surprised that they are going to give little bodies so much - it was bad enough when mine were little I felt so cruel but fortunately they were ok. I was more shocked than poor children and felt once again, that we don't treat animals this way.

Ah, but the research says it is safe and effective .........
I wouldn't even consider giving this to DS. Not a chance.

For every negative anecdote there are hundreds of positive.

My little one's had 6 in ones at both 2 months and 4 months, plus at least one other single each time with no side effects at all - except for 10 seconds of red faced crying at the jab itself.

Given the truly horrific diseases these are to guard against, and the fact that he's shoving everything he can into his mouth all day anyhow, I really feel that doing them all in one go is probably far safer than individuals - only one set of preservative etc. rather than six and a drop in the ocean compared to everything else he's exposed to

Why are they proposing this? Is it because of a low uptake of childhood vaccinations? I don't like the sound of this at all and would refuse for DD.

Which vaccines are being combined? It wouldn't surprise me if it's because of low uptake...I know where I live they've now started giving the MMR, pneumo and HibMenC (3 separate jabs) all at the smae time becuase of this.

Ours was:
Diphtheria, Pertussus, Tetanus, Polio, Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) and Hepatitus B

plus Pneumococcal Conjugate, and Meningococcal C Conjugate at the same time (2 in one leg, one in the other)

This has been misreported.

They don't get 6 in 1 at all. They are offered 6 components across 3 vaccines that are currently separated across a month. At the moment they get Hib/Men C at 12 months, and then MMR and Prevenar (PCV, pneumococcal vaccine) at 13 months.

The new recommendations are that from May all 3 jabs will be given at one appointment between 12 and 13 months. They can be offered all together since November.

Babies currently receive at least 6 types of vaccine at the moment from 8 weeks, so receiving 6 at once at 12-13 months is not new to them.

This will not increase vaccination uptake. It will have the opposite effect. What the NHS needs to do is learn how to communicate with the public, then tell them they have a choice: you can have no vaccines, have them all in one go or spread them out. At the moment all parents think is they can opt out or have them all. They do not realise the can spread them out if they are worried.

There's also the third option. Pick and choose which jabs to have. We may also do that if we wish.

Spreading them out and picking and choosing reduces the effectiveness of the programme because it leaves some children vulnerable for longer and reduces the herd effect. By all means do it that way if it eases your conscience but don't do so thinking it's as effective as the recommended schedule.

Hep B is a blood borne virus and very contagious. You should be immunised against tetanus before there is any risk of you contracting it - so that means young babies - not waiting for parents to think - 'ooh junior is rolling best get that vaccine.'

Tetanus intrigues me. My last jab was over 20 years ago and I don't know anyone who keeps theirs up to date. So, why do we worry about children getting it? Sorry to be ignorant here, but I've always been confused by this particular issue.
I've seen DS chewing on stones and nibbling dirt from his fingers in the garden, but, as I understand it, he won't catch Tetanus in this way?

Tabitha - I think if you've had 4 jabs in your lifetime that is likely to be enough to keep immune. If you go to A&E with a deep puncture wound they will very likely give you a jab anyway. Tetanus is a killer - it's only rare because of the jab. Inf here

You need 5 tetanus jabs for lifelong day-to-day cover but may need further jabs if you have a tetanus prone wound, or are travelling abroad where you may be unable to access tetanus vaccine if you were injured.

Tetanus prone wounds are deep and dirty - think puncture wounds, contaminated with manure, rust or soil, or where a fair bit of skin has been lost or damaged with dirty stuff. Normal contact with dirt even with a graze or cut is unlikely to be harmful.

It is possible to contract tetanus from injuries like puncture wounds from a manure-contaminated pitchforks, dirty barbed wire etc. You wouldn't really need to rub anything in to a wound, it could be introduced by a foreign body. But you are unlikely to get tetanus from a routine injury or wound such as a child falling over in the playground.

As I'm sure you know the spores can live in soil and in the GI tract of animals, hence why deep and dirty wounds can introduce the bacteria into the bloodstream.

I am pro-vaccination but agree with you re chicken pox vaccine!

Don't agree with you re hype about killer diseases - most of them were killer diseases that have only become rare through vaccination. But despite being pro-vaccination myself I am also pro-choice. I would hate to see us move towards the compulsory vaccination situation that I understand many states in the USA have.

Nah, they fluctuate up and down but I think all have declined markedly since the vaccines were introduced. And some such as smallpox have been eradicated completely (apart from the supplies in military labs I imagine ).

Totally up to you whether you vaccinate your children or not; I enjoy a healthy 'debate' re vax but would never slate a parent for their choices when made with reason and evaluation. What I find frustrating is the parents that make their choices based on what they read in The Sun (for example).

I wonder why the child mortality rate has decreased since the introduction of vaccination. Don't confuse the situation in the US with that of the UK. We vaccinate to protect our children from the life-threatening illnesses that dogged families in the past.