Rotavirus vaccine

[CathyandHeathcliff]

My baby will be having his 8 week jabs in a couple of weeks. I’ve been sent all the info from my GP surgery.
I’ve already decided I’m going to have the 6in1 jab and then have the meningitis jab separately a few weeks later.

I’m not anti vaccine, but I don’t agree with the Rotavirus one. It’s a live vaccine and is a lot for a little body to take on, along with the 6in1 too! Oh and the meningitis, if we were having tha at the same time too.
As far as I’m aware, Rotavirus isn’t a deadly disease. I know it can cause dehydration, but so can other sickness bugs e.g. norovirus. I’ve read a couple of medical papers online and I’ve made my decision I won’t be having the Rotavirus vaccine.
I was wondering if anybody else refused it? And whether you came up against some resistance?
Thanks in advance.

I'm not in the same boat but interested to hear thoughts. I was late having my daughter's 16 week jabs due to multiple illnesses in a few weeks so she didn't have the rotavirus, but I had planned on refusing it anyway as she has problems with constipation/diarrhea episodes and I really didn't want anything else to upset her. She was quite ill after her 8 week jabs.

Having her 16 week ones at 7 months made a huge difference, she wasn't really affected by the injections at all other than a brief cry straight after.

On NHS site:

Will the rotavirus vaccination stop my baby getting any sickness and diarrhoea?

No. Rotavirus isn't the only cause of sickness and diarrhoea in babies, so some may still get unwell. However, the vaccine will stop about 8 out of 10 babies that have the vaccine getting severe vomiting and diarrhoea caused by rotavirus.

My baby is now 10 years old but has been hospitalised four times after d&v caused by various viruses/infections. She’s dehydrates very easily. After seeing her unconscious because of this at the age of two, I would happily go back and give her any vaccination which could have prevented even some of her illnesses. It’s horrible.

However, it’s obviously completely up to you and you don’t need to justify it to anyone, even the HCP, just say no thank you.

Entirely your choice, but rotavirus accounts for a huge number of hospital admissions in under 5's, often by that point requiring fluids. This has reduced since the introduction of the vaccine.

Although it is a live virus it's a small dose to enable the body to create antibodies. Ds did not have any loose stools from either of his doses.

Personally I agree it's a lot in one go but I'd rather get it all out of the way. The vaccines have been extensively safety checked.

Sorry, didn't actually answer your question. You may have some information reiterated to you in the benefits of the vaccine, which is correct as the hcp has a responsibility to support you in making an informed decision, however you have the right to decline and this should be respected.

Are you having the men b privately?

I’ve refused the rotavaccine for both mine (had all the others) because for me the benefits do not outweigh the risks. As you say it’s live and a large proportion of babies get some form of diarrhoea or vomiting from it which I’d rather avoid, especially if they’re getting other jags which are likely to give them a fever at the same time. It’s too dangerous to give when they’re older which also puts me off a bit. I’m also not comfortable with actually introducing a gut pathogen, albeit an attenuated one, when establishing a healthy microbiome is so important for general health, but that’s more of a theoretical concern.

In each case I suspect the HV agreed with me (not allowed to say so obviously) as there was no resistance whatsoever, just an acknowledgement that I’d done my research (while nodding as if in agreement).

We’ve never had severe D and V, and I’m quite happy it was the right choice.

@Y0uCann0tBeSer10us Did you have to tell the Health Visitor your decision? I was hoping I could just tell my GP my decision when I go to the appointment.

I agree with your points completely and they are my reasons too.

Rotavirus can fatal. When you’ve had a 9 month old baby in resus due to dehydration and that baby is being pumped full of fluid by 4 doctors using syringes the size of hairbrushes to keep them alive you might realise that its can be at bit more serious than a bit of diahorrea.

If the vaccine had been available then we’d have avoided that plus the 5 day stay in hospital but clearly you know better than the doctors and those offering the vaccine

In each case I suspect the HV agreed with me (not allowed to say so obviously) as there was no resistance whatsoever, just an acknowledgement that I’d done my research (while nodding as if in agreement).

Hmmmmm 🤔

We harvitbdine for our youngest I was a little nervous but decided I’d rather he has a weakened dose of rotavirus then gets immunity than catches the real thing
I was anxious for a few days after but he was absolutely fine

Should say
We had it for ...

It's usually the practice nurse that does vaccinations in my area not the GP

I'm surprised your practice has agreed to do the men b separately.

I never understand these vaccination threads and why people think they are different/ more deserving of special treatment than anyone else? If your baby is otherwise healthy and able to have the vaccines why wouldn't you ensure they are immunised against a range of nasty childhood diseases?

Not forgetting that it's the socially responsible thing to do to help protect those who really are vulnerable and at risk.

1000s of babies every year get all the vaccines with no issues. I'm not sure where you have got the idea that the rotavirus vaccine will make them ill, certainly wasn't the case with either of my two DC (DC2 got theirs only a few weeks ago)

I’d done my research

Googling is not doing research. More likely she just didn’t fancy getting into a debate with you. How anyone thinks that a quick google is the same as peer reviewed research by experts who have spent years in the field is the same thing is just mad

Our surgery has always been fine about splitting vaccines we for example do the mmr 4 weeks after the other jabs

Im very pro vaccine but my youngest was very ill after her first set of vaccinations, after numerous visits to doctors and health visitors tests revealed she had rotavirus which was caused by the vaccine itself (they said it can sometimes happen due to being a live vaccine. The doctor reported it as vaccine damage to the relevant authorities but there was no long lasting affects.
It was very distressing seeing my young baby so ill and i certainly would have refused this particular vaccine if i had had another child.

Cathy I did mention it to the HV but they didn’t really care, obviously I had to tell the immunisation nurses. We usually separate all the jags and there’s never been an issue.

Ama I realise it’s the fashion on here to assume all research questioning vaccines must be no more than a bit of googling, but in my case it was obvious from the context of the conversation that I am actually a scientist with a PhD in Biomedical Research. I was able to quote peer reviewed studies showing limited benefit for the vaccine in developed countries, the vaccine insert sheet which clearly states that it commonly causes vomiting and diarrhoea (the vaccine leaflet warns about nappy hygiene so that’s hardly controversial) and official guidance stating that above a few months old the risk of ‘telescoping’ of the bowel following the vaccine becomes too great so it can’t be given to older babies.

So does that mean unvaccinated children who contract rotavirus have a high risk of intusscusseption (?sp)

DD had rotavirus at around 18 months. There wasn’t any vaccine back then. She was in hospital one night but thankfully didn’t need a drip. DGD1 who is now 3 had the vaccine and I swear she was more unwell and in more pain than her mother was with the actual virus. The poor little thing just slept and then woke screaming and obviously in pain and had vile nappies for days after. DGD2 hasn’t had the vaccine.

I opted out of rotavirus, several docs in the family advised it’s only one strain so did not think it was quite as beneficial as other vaccines. Also my nephew had a bad reaction to it (administered separately). Also I felt it was to many vaccines at once in U.K. and it was the only one I was unsure of.

My daughter projectile vomited the second they put the drops on her tongue on two different attempts of it. So she never had it. She's 4 now and has had maybe 3 sickness bugs in her life. The nurse told me at the time not to worry that she hadn't had it, as long as she'd had all the others.

That’s a great question teenager. The majority of the literature talks about the risks of intususseption with the vaccine rather than natural infection. It seems there is a small risk with natural infection, but the risk is significantly greater with the vaccine.

I wonder why that is? I had a few anxious days worrying ds would get it after the vaccine but he was fine

Thanks for all your honest replies.

I’m definitely decided that I’m not having the rota virus, but I’ll have all the others.

I'm completely pro vaccine but refused the second dose of the rotovirus vaccine.
She has silent reflux which flared up right after she had it. She had terrible nappies and obvious pains in her stomach for nearly a week after.
Looked up more info on it and found out a lot of babies that have sr can react this way so decided against second dose