Hib booster

[prufrock]

We have just got a letter to say that dd (13m)needs a Hib booster. This will be the 4th vaccinne against Hib. Reading between the lines of the official leaflet, it appears the vaccinne used recently in the DTPHib injections was not effective enough, so they want to do everyone again in case they aren't covered. I am a bit loath to give dd yet another vaccine, just in case she was unlucky and the last 3 didn't work. Has anybody else been told they need this? Are there tests to check whether she is immunised or not?

Hi prufrock - yes, I received the leaflet too and feel reluctant to get the extra jab for my dds. I'd be interested to hear what any health professionals on Mumsnet say.

prufrock - I would be interested to hear any responses you get. My dd (25mths) has also been recalled for a Hib booster on 25th June.

Don't ask me as a professional. I refused the MMR booster. Son no.1 ended up with 4 vaccinations for measles. I think it is questionable that all these boosters are necessary. I personally would not have it repeated.You can only do what you feel is best for your child. I instinctively did not want to have MMR repeated, so didn't. Doc would not test for immunity - too expensive and traumatic for child! The official professional line is to advise you to take up offerred vaccination.

Sorry - didn't mention that I began reading up more on vaccinations when MMR boosters were introduced, around same time as measles epidemic was forecast. After ds got 4th vaccination I wished I hadn't done it. He did not suffer any side effects but i began to feel that government info is not good enough. When MMR was introduced it was supposed to be a one off. When HIB was introduced it was a one off for older babies then was introduced with the triple. I am so glad I do not have a baby now because I think they are getting overjabbed. Not a very scientific reason.

There was another recent thread about this here - I didn't take too much notice of the thread at the time since dd was under 6 months old on 1 April. However, I have now had a call for a booster - the appointment was for when she was six and a half months old. She had the first three jabs at two, three and four and a half months, so it seems too soon to me to be going for a booster. Does anyone know if there are any particular issues relating (a) to her age and (b) to the short time span between this booster and the last of the original jabs?

TBH Pimpernel no-one knows. Vaccinations are not that well tested ever- and their effect on the particular disease is looked at- rather than their effect on health as a whole iyswim.

Probably for many children it will all be perfectly safe- for others it may not be. IMO you need to be careful of immunisations if there is a histry of autoimmune conditions in your family- eczema, diabetes, gout, arthritis, asthma etc. Government line is that the safest policy is to immunise your child.

I gave further links on the other thread.

my ds just had his done and nurse said it was because of the recent high rise in meningitis and speticemia (can't be bothere to check spelling). So to try and stop the increase they are giving the extra hib to babies - 4 year olds.

My ds (nearly 6 years old) has just had a call for a Meningitis C jab. Does any one (Jimjams?) have any info on how effective or how essential this is or how long it's effective?. I thought the high risk groups were babies and teenagers -loath to give more jabs than I feel is absolutely necessary! I has my dd done at 18 months but feel that ds is probably out of the high risk group now. Am I wrong? Does it contain Thiomersol? Hate the whole jabs thing - I feel it's so hard to get impartial information - I sit on the fence - put myself through agonies of indecision and then usually reach a compromise!
Ds and dd1 had the baby triple a few months late -(split them up with dd - do I now gather I've pumped her with Thiomersol instead?!)and separate mmr jabs, but I haven't had the pre school boosters. I'm just gearing up to have dd2's baby triple done - but keep cancelling and delaying (she's 6 months now and just going onto solids - but to my my maternal sleep deprived logic lacking brain, here seems something slightly perverse about only feeding her breast milk for so long, expressing at work (part-time) to avoid formula and then pumping vaccinations into her!) Just can't bear it!

Mands 1 I have just come back from giving my dd the booster and was told the same as you. They also asked me did I want her to have the MMR jab now I said no and asked if they had any info on it, they were not offering the single jabs. I came away with 2 videos and a leaflet which I will watch and read and then be even more confused about!

why has your 6 year old been called for meningitis c? wierd! Are they giving it to everyone now?

Basically the risk group is teenagers.
In 1998 there were 50 childhood deaths from meningitis C (and there were 14 million children). The risk of catching the disease is one in 200000 with a slightly higher risk in babyhood and teenage years. Apparently children between 5 and 15 are at virtually no risk of catching meningitis C.

In the 5 year period between 1994 and 1999 men c killed approx 20 babies under 1, 21 babies aged 1, 18 two year olds, 15 3 year olds a handful of 4 ,5 and 6 year olds and almost no other children until adolescence.

to put it in context 6 times as many children and young adults get knocked down and killed by cars as meniningitis C.

Another thing is that it is linked to poverty- which is why students get it. They go to college, live packed in together, eat crap, drink too much and don't get enough sleep.

If you don't want your ds to have it don't give it!

if you're worried about vaccinations read "the Vaccination Bible" from What doctors don't tell you. it is very good- and properly references all the statements ( so you're not relying on crystal healing etc). There is a lot of pressure to vaccinate. Even I've been having a mild panic about some of ds2's this week (athough then I thought about vaccinating him and that made me hyperventilate ). No seriously it sounds like you need to have a read around and the vaccination bible is a good place to start. You may decide you ant to give some and not others and surgery's are always happy to arrange that (ime) so don't feel it's an all or nothing choice.

One thing I have discovered is that you have to give babies dtwp (whole cell pertussis) now (it's to do with the hib). AFAIK these all contain thimerosil, so it may now be impossible to give thimerosil free triples (unless they will let you have infanrix- but that it dtap- acellular pertussis). They must do it in Aus though as thimerosil is banned from jabs for under 5's- so if you are taking a trip there....

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Jimjams - thanks for your reply to my query further down the thread. I'm cross with myself for not finding out more about vaccination issues before dd had her jabs at two months. I started reading up just before her third jab, which wasn't very sensible. I'm planning to read up about MMR well before she gets called for it, so that I can make the decision without being quite so emotionally involved.

Pimpernel don't be cross with yourself. I marched ds1 off for all of his without a second glance, and I would have done the same with ds2 if we hadn't had problems with ds1. Even then I still didn't start reading up until ds2 was due his 1st set. Officially we've still just postponed them. It is a nightmare!

We just got both our kids recalled for the Hib booster and have decided not to get them re-vaccinated. There is a small rise in the number of Hib cases which has been very low for a few years since the jab was introduced. As most of you know my dh is a GP and we have decided not to take our kids for the booster as we reckon it is pretty unlikely that they will get it, and as they are healthy children over a year old (Hib is mostly a danger for infants, although it can be dangerous up to 5 years) then we are prepared to take the risk. Partly it is sheer cowardice on my part - I dont want to take a 3 year old for a jag! But while they have had all the other childhood vaccinations without any qualms (ds is due his MMR this month and I don't have any problem with him getting it), dh has been looking at the data he has been sent about it (they haven't sent GP's much more info than is in the leaflet parents get) and his opinion is that our children don't need it.
He's pretty pro-vaccination normally, so I was very interested when he formed this opinion. So we're not going for it, unless some MUCH more compelling evidence comes to light. Hope this is of some help.

Thanks for that susanmt- I'm very interested to hear your dh's views. Can you ask him something for me Is it still possible for infants to be given infanrix hib (as I believe it is acellaur pertussis). If not is there another non-thimeorsil jab (whole cell pertussis?) that's available for babies?

Thanks!

I'll ask him when I get home Jimjams. I'm staying with a friend tonight as am on my annual Jolly to markers meeting for exam marking meeting. Playing with friends broadband connection while they put kids to bed!!!

Have fun susanmt! I guess you have quite a way to travel for exam markers meetings! And Thanks

Like that info about Aus.. all being well no2 will be born there ( no not pregnant yet) and we can take our time to sort out vaccination.

I am probably not going to let dd have her hib booster. She was unwell and on antibiotics 2 weeks ago when it was due.

You'll be OK back home in Aus Eidsvold they banned thimerosil from routine childhood vaccinations years ago......

susanmt what age are your kids?
My just turned 4 yo son just got a letter about pre school boosters - mmr and some other one. I did not know this other booster existed till I got the letter.Is this the same round of vaccinations your dh is against?
Can you or anyone explain to me what it is for, as living in a guddle I have lost the accompanying leaflet and don't want to bother the staff at the health centre.
Many thanks

Is a guddle similar to a yurt?

Thanks for all your responses. I figure dd can probably do without this one then - if susanmt's dh says no that's good enough for me.

Many thanks Jimjams - have cancelled with a light heart! Do you have any details of The Vaccination Bible - would love to have a read - is it in most book shops...? I'm still "stalling" on dd2's baby triple - if the surgery can't/won't do the Thimerosil free jabs - I think I may never get round to having them done - I personally don't feel she is too threatened by the diseases themselves - except perhaps whooping cough.
BTW - with ds and dd1 a health visitor advised me to ask for the acellular whooping cough and non-live polio as they were a safer option. The Dr made me feel so ridiculous for asking - I gave up on the polio but had sep jabs to get the acellular whooping cough and just as she finished the course it just changed to being in the combined jab !) Was she wrong? Do you know why have they changed back?
I then found out (I think) that we are one of the few countries to still use live polio vaccine - do you know anything about this?
Sorry to pick your brains again...but you sound very well informed!! Thankyou!

The acellular whooping cough is supposedly less effective (and the hib problem seems to be in the one combined with acellular pertussis) It has changed back because of the hib problem- I'm not quite sure how this relates to the acellular pertussis- maybe a different strain of hib was used wth the DTaP?? I'm not sure. I'm not sure whether it is now possible to get thimerosil free infant jabs. However from a whooping cough point of view the whole cell vaccine has never been very effective either- and because it also high incidence of side effects it isn't used at all in places like Sweden. It is now believed to be even less effective as the whooping cough bacteria has evolved and vaccination does not protect against this new strain.

There were problems with the dead polio vaccine- I don't think it works very well! The live vaccine is more effective but does cause a few cases of paralytic polio each year (I think all polio in the UK is vaccine induced). I suppose it comes down to risk again. For example if I wanted to trek round India with my children I would given them the live polio vaccine as it gives the greatest protection and India is still a bit of a hot spot for polio. As it's quite a old vaccine it's risks are reasonably well understood as well (although no-one has really investgated the possible link between the vaccine and ME). Whilst I'm in the UK I haven't bothered- polio is more of a problem as children get older anyway (below 3 it's usually mild).

You can find the vaccination bible here:

www.wddty.co.uk/

I was trying to decide whether to have this hib booster done, thanks all you've helped me decide that DS will DEFINATELY NOT be having his!!!

He didn't have MMR, or even the single measles vaccine (we do have a link to autism in the family)

I think it's very telling when people within the medical profession regard the risk as slight enough to avoid the vaccine.

Thanx susanmt, you have help to confirm my decision.

We got a letter in for both ds (4 next month) and dd (nearly 14 months). I was told that dd could have the Hibs Booster and her MMR at the same time!

The vaccination schedule in Australia is as follows (all free of charge):

birth - Hep B
2 months - Hep B, Triple (Diptheria, tetanus, whooping cough), HibB, Polio (live, given orally)
4 months - Hep B, Triple, HibB, Polio
6 months - Hep B, Triple, Polio
12 months - HibB, MMR
18 months - Triple
4 years - Triple, Polio, MMR

This year all children under 18 years could also receive menigococcal C free of charge. This should be a once in a lifetime vaccination, no boosters required. There seems to be a reasonable incidence of meningococcal disease in Australia with a high rate of complications seen with meningococcus type C. Meningococcus type B is the more commone type here but rarely eventuates in serious complications.

The actual immunisations given to dd (now 13 months old) were InfanrixHepB, PedvaxHIB, Polio sabin (oral) and she received the meningococcal C immunisation at 12 months with the MMR and HibB. DD has had no local reaction to any of her immunisations (as opposed to Ds who had local reactions to all HibB vaccinations and MMR). She did have a reaction to measles where she came out with very mild measles symptoms 10 days after vaccination (low fever and rash but not unwell).