HV wants to give MMR and DTP at the same time. Is this normal??

[coppertop]

The HV has sent an appointment for ds1 to have his MMR booster and his 4th set of DTP immunisations at the same time. This seems like a hell of a lot to give to a young child all at once. Ds1 is nearly 4 years old and autistic.

We haven't even made our minds up yet about any of these vaccinations and didn't think we'd be expected to have them all at once. Ds1 had a bad reaction to the whooping cough element as a baby. He stopped breathing exactly 6 hours after the first DTP. He was given the second set while under observation in the hospital as a precaution and the same thing happened again. He was given the third set without the whooping cough vaccine and had no problems so we were told that this was probably an allergic reaction. As you can imagine, even though ds1 is now older we really don't want to take any more risks with him.

Although I'm as certain as I can be that the MMR didn't trigger his autism, I don't want to do anything that might tip the balance IYSWIM.

I'm hoping to speak to the HV tomorrow. In the meantime can anyone tell me if it's common practice to give all of these immunisations at the same time? Also, does anyone know what the chances are of ds1 having a similar reaction to the DTP immunisations? TIA

Not really autoimmune- allergy- but often found together iyswim.

It won't be followed up properly though...... It'll be denied.

Thanks JJ -- I'll imprint on my brain, "ask for DTaP, ask for DTaP, ask for DTaP..."

They tried giving my ds1 all of his boosters together but I just refused. So ds1 had his MMR and then about six weeks later I took him for his DTP. I also didn't let ds1 have his first MMR until he was almost two. You shouldn't feel pressured into it and should do what you feel comfortable with.

There's also another reason why they give vaccines together. I think it's because if they are live vaccines they all have to be given on the same day or else a suitable time period be left inbetween.

I'm very undecided about what to do with ds2 because after his 2 month, 3 month and 4 month jabs he developed a menengitis type rash each time and was admitted to hospital. The first time he was treated with IV antibiotics which has left his stomach very weak. So I'll be putting off the MMR until just before he starts pre-school.

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Oh 'eck! Didn't mean to start any arguments. I still can't get hold of the HV to talk to her about it. Apparently she'll ring me back but then she said that the last time I spoke to her too. That was nearly 5 months ago and I never did get that call!

zebra- pre-schoolboosters should automatically be DTaP anyway. It's babies they dish thimerosil out to.....

I don't understand that jimjams - whats the reasoning behind it???

Because they say thimerosil is safe (so that's irrelevant). the wP (whole cell pertussis- DTwP contains thimerosil) is more likely to give a bad reaction in older children so they prefer to give aP (acellular pertussis DTaP- infanrix). They were giving wP to babies to use up stock/because drugs companies were still producing it/ because it may be slightly more effective than aP. Now they also think there is a possibility that aP prevents hib working fully (although personally I think that is unlikely- I think it just didn;t work as well as they thought it did) so they want babies to receieve wP.

This is only the UK mind, States, Aus, NZ etc use aP

Well, 2 months later and after a lot of stress, ds1 has finally had his immunisations. After discussing it on the phone with the HV, who assured me that there wouldn't be a problem, I turned up at the appointment to find the HV all prepared to give ds1 the DTP. I think she thought we were pulling a fast one after the recent publicity about the DTP, despite it being in ds1's medical notes and also in his child health record. She gave ds1 just the MMR and polio and later phoned to say that she had found a small amount of DT (no pertussis) that needed to be used by the end of the month. So far, so good.

We turned up for the DT appointment today and thank god I thought to check first! She was about to give him not only the DTP but also a third dose of MMR!! We had to go through all the explanations all over again and face the disbelieving looks all over again. Why do they not just look on the computer screen in front of them and check the immunisation records??? After some persuasion the HV went off to fetch the DT and ds1 finally got his injection.

Well, that's my rant for the day!