HIB vaccine and disease: How important is it to vaccinate for a disease that is very severe, but extremely rare?
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
There's no doubt that HIB disease is severe. But now that this particular form of meningitis is extremely rare, how important is the vaccine for infants today? On the one hand, continued vaccination helps keep the disease out of our population, and helps protect each infant individually. But on the other hand, since the disease is so rare, can parents safely skip this vaccine in their babies? There's really no right or wrong answer to this question. Most parents choose the vaccine, but some don't. The ultimate choice is up to you!
Labels: Vaccines and their diseases
posted by Dr. Bob Sears @ 1:07 PM
7 Comments:
At October 22, 2007 7:50 AM ,
Pamela said...
Am I imaging thins are did I hear or read somewhere that if you breastfeed that it will protect your child from meningitis? Or was it spinal meningitis? Something about the immunities in breastmilk creating a protective barrier in the spine.
I just want to know if I was dreaming or just crazy...lol
At October 24, 2007 11:04 AM ,
JuliaZ said...
I will be breastfeeding this baby (due 4/10/08) for 7-8 months exclusively and then for at least two years total, and we will not do the HIB vaccine.
If for some reason (like I was dead LOL) the baby had to be formula-fed, THEN I would do the HIB vaccine. But I would turn to donor breastmilk before formula, for sure.
At October 24, 2007 2:21 PM ,
Dr. bob Sears said...
Pamela - yes, breastfeeding helps protect against virtually ALL infectious diseases. I don't think it provides any extra protection against meningitis though. I think it offers the same protection for virtually all diseases.
At December 30, 2007 4:17 PM ,
Tanya said...
It is my understanding that while the Hib vaccine has resulted in a significant decrease in meningitis caused by the strains in the vaccine, the overall cases of meningitis have not decreased. Basically, the other strains have moved in to take the place of the ones in the Hib vaccine.
At March 13, 2008 11:03 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I've also heard that the vacine does not protect against the most common strain of mennengitis...is this true? Then what are the true benefits?
At September 23, 2008 6:56 PM ,
Anonymous said...
Here are some facts. By the way it took me about a minute to find this.
http://www.hibdisease.com/overview.html
"Hib disease was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis and a major cause of other serious invasive diseases among children aged <5 years in the U.S. before Hib conjugate vaccines became available in 1987. Since the introduction of the Hib vaccine, cases of Hib disease have dropped from 20,000 in 1980 to a total of 341 cases from 1996-2000. In 2006, the incidence of Hib disease in the United States in children < 5 years of age was 0.21/100,000. However, the disease continues to circulate in both industrialized and developing countries and it is estimated that the disease still kills as many as 400,000 children globally every year. Although Hib disease has been reduced by 99% in the U.S., the disease could easily make a comeback should Hib vaccination rates drop."
HIB infections are WAY down since vaccination began and HIB infections (meningitis, epigotitis) are very scary infections, so skipping this vaccine is like driving without a seat belt. Hey you probably wont need it, but if you're in an accident, you will wish you hadn't been so reckless.
Curt Watkins, MD
At September 25, 2009 2:58 PM ,
Anonymous said...
"skipping this vaccine is like driving without a seat belt." Maybe a seat belt made out of a material that may or may not cause long term health problems or immediate allergic reaction. One that also may or may not protect you.
Just because you get the vaccination doesn't mean you are protected. The vaccine manufacturers put the effectiveness numbers in the package inserts--so check the numbers from the source b4 deciding whether to give your child this vaccine.
Over the past few years the incidence of death within 5 days of having a HIB shot in <6month olds, according to the VAERS reporting system, is anywhere from 17 to 40. According to the MMWR, the incidence of reported invasive HIB is similar(<100). Granted, some of the infants that died may have had underlying health problems or other vaccinations as well-but never-the-less someone thought it important enough to report it in the VAERS database, which is a passive reporting system. They weren't forced to report it.
Do your research don't blindly follow the CDC. It's not an easy decision, there are advantages for most people in getting vaccinations. However, there are also risks, vastly under reported risks, as well as simple unknowns. This particular vaccine hasn't been out long enough to truly evaluate it's affects long term.
I was originally pro-vaccine. The fact that the CDC told me to vaccinate at birth against something I know my baby didn't need, namely HepB lead me to question other vaccines as well. The bottom line is that there are a lot of unknowns, and a lot of propaganda on both sides. Read books, check the sources with medical journals--don't trust anyone's citation--read the original. Don't trust anyone who is too polarized. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
It's not an easy decision, if you think it is, you have probably not done enough research or are biased. Read the past studies, read the medical journals. Study not only the reported benefits and risks of the vaccine as a whole, but the ingredients and the effects of the adjuvants and preservatives in lab animals. Then decide. Good luck.
Independent Researcher
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