AskDrSears - The Vaccine Book: Do Vaccine Brands Matter? How to make sure your baby is getting the brands with the lowest chemical contents

Do Vaccine Brands Matter? How to make sure your baby is getting the brands with the lowest chemical contents

Friday, November 9, 2007

Most doctors don’t think much about what brand of a particular vaccine to use in their office. And up until now, parents never gave it a second thought either. But thanks to The Vaccine Book, parents and doctors are now becoming aware that not all vaccines are created equal.

Now some vaccines only have one manufacturer, so doctors don’t even have a choice on what brand to use. These include pneumococcal vaccine, MMR, Chickenpox, polio, HPV (another brand is on its way), Rotavirus (another brand is coming), and meningococcal vaccine.

But the other 5 vaccines have more than one maker, and parents and doctors should take the time to look at the various ingredients to determine which one may be the safest to use. The Hepatitis A and B vaccines are fairly similar when you compare the two makers. But the DTaP, HIB, and Flu vaccines have some striking differences:

DTaP – one brand has a high aluminum content and uses cow serum in manufacturing. Another brand uses the lowest amount of aluminum, but has a trace of mercury and also uses cow serum. A third brand has a moderate amount of aluminum, but does not use cow serum and has a lower amount of pertussis germ components than the others (it is thought that the pertussis germ components are responsible for many of the side effects). So which one should you use? Logic would dictate that either the one with the lowest aluminum, or the one with moderate aluminum but less pertussis and no cow serum would be the two best choices.
HIB – one brand uses aluminum and the other brand doesn’t. As you have read in The Vaccine Book, it is prudent to give infants the lowest amount of aluminum possible. Doctors should consider this as they choose what brand to order for their office.
Flu – all flu shots are made in a similar manner, except for the use of mercury. Some flu brands still contain a full dose of mercury. Some filter out the mercury, leaving only a tiny trace amount in the injection. Only one brand makes a completely mercury-free flu shot in single-dose small vials. BUT that same brand also makes a flu shot in a large 10-dose vial with the full dose of mercury. Logic would dictate that doctors would make sure they are providing mercury-free flu shot to infants, children, and pregnant women. If this is unavailable, then a brand with only a tiny trace of mercury is a good second choice.
Large combination vaccines – there are two new vaccine formulations that just came on the market. These combine 3 vaccines all into 1 injection. While this may sound like a good thing, one of the brands has a fairly large dose of aluminum. I prefer to stay clear of the large combination vaccines.

You have noticed that I didn’t actually tell you which brands are the best choice for each of these three. I’m going to make you do you homework – this information is clearly spelled out in The Vaccine Book.

What can parents do if their doctor doesn’t offer a particular brand that you want to give your baby? Make an appointment with your doctor and explain to him or her the reasons you want a particular brand. Hopefully over the next several months more doctors will become award of this issue and provide parents with appropriate vaccine brand choices.

Labels: Vaccines and their diseases

13 Comments:

At November 9, 2007 3:12 PM , Anonymous said...

Are you kidding me? What kind of ridiculous advise are you giving. Forget about the multiple studies showing safety of allthese vaccines. Forget the fact that multiple people from multiple departments of the government have reviewed these vaccines. Forget peer review by those that have more expertise in vaccinology in their pinky toes than you have in you whole body. Surely, you must be right because you have a book that says so. It is drivel such as this that does such a disservice to patients and their families and makes my life as a pediatrician so much harder trying to deprogram the parents that read this junk.
At November 9, 2007 4:08 PM , Anonymous said...

Dr. Sears,

I took my one year old into his doctor's office today to discuss an alternative vaccination schedule. They were very respectful and understanding (WOW!), but I faced only one problem. They said it would be impossible to receive the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines in 3 separate shots. The nurse told me that not only was it not available in our area, but also that she had gotten off the phone with Merck and they didn't even really manufacter the 3 separate vaccines any longer. That isn't so, is it? I tried to call the Merck support line, but they were closed.

Just wanting some advice. I read the book, but I am not sure if you made any type of assertion that if you couldn't get the MMR separately, would you get it together? Or...is that a decision you are gonna make me do MORE homework and make=)?

Also, thank you! My doctor's office was not carrying the mercury-free flu vaccine (they didn't even know what brand they were carrying!) and I asked them if they could try to get it and today they did! Thanks for the suggestion that it never hurts to ask if they can get their hands on something!
At November 10, 2007 9:39 AM , Dr. Bob Sears said...

Anonymous 1 - I would love to hear your comments after you've actually read the book, along with all the science that you pointed out exists that I cite in the resources in the back of the book - dozens of peer-reviewed articles about vaccine safety and side effects. You, along with most doctors, trust all the government vaccine experts, but have you ever read the research yourself? I sure didn't, until I wrote the book.

Anonymous 2 - The Mumps is on backorder, as they ran out a few months ago, but in my office we are able to get plain rubella and measles. We have not yet been told they don't make it anymore, just that it's on backorder.

In my office, I don't give the MMR together anymore to infants. SO I would just wait until such time that it does become available. You can start with the rubella vaccine now if you want.
At November 12, 2007 12:51 PM , thinkingparent said...

I love anonymous' use of the word "deprogram." That just says it all, really.
At November 14, 2007 8:40 PM , Elizabeth F. said...

As a parent, I appreciate your book and you posting your information on this blog. It has been very helpful to me and other parent that I know.:-)

I do have a question. Did you hear on the news about parents in Maryland, I believe, who are being threatened with fines and jail time for their children's vaccines not being current? I didn't even know that that was a possibility?? Any other comments on the legality of not vaccinating or selectively vaccinating? Just curious. I live in NC, and I am aware of having to sign Religious reason doc's to get your child into school, but I thought that was as far as it went and it really wasn't a big deal.Am I wrong? How can parents be FORCED into vaxxing their children especially when it is such a controversial topic right now?
At November 15, 2007 7:06 AM , Rosie said...

I ordered your book last week and when I received it I read it in one day. It was extremely helpful to my husband and I. I appreciate the selective and alternative schedules in the back of the book. Thank you so much for taking the time to do the research and work to write this book.
At November 15, 2007 5:18 PM , dr. bob sears said...

Thanks for the comments. The situation in Maryland will be covered in Newsweek.com I was interviewed today for that story. So watch for my blog on it over the next few days.
At November 18, 2007 2:41 PM , caramama said...

Dr. Sears,

Thank you so much for writing this book! I appreciate the time you took to do all the research and provide your recommendations. I understand you are probably getting heat from both sides of the vaccination issue, but please know that there are many of us out there that are very appreciative of your perspective on this issue.

We postponed our daughter's 6 month shots until your book came out, and now that I've read it, I was hoping you could answer a few follow-up questions.

Our daughter had the HepB at birth and the Pediarix shot at her 2-month and 4-month appointment (in addition to other shots). Looking at the AAP schedule, she should need only 3 doses of HepB and 2 of Polio at her current age (8 months). So:

1. Since she recieved 2 shots of Pediarix (plus the HepB at birth), would she be considered fully vaccinated for the HepB and Polio?
2. And if so, why would my pediatrician's office have given her another Pediarix at her 6-month?
3. If we delay her DTaP shot or just get her a DT until she is 12 months or older, would she need 1 or 2 shots (since she would not have had her 6-month or 18 month shot)?

I'm happy to say that my pediatrician seems open to discussing alternate vaccination schedules, but I would feel much more comfortable talking to them after I hear your opinion on the questions I've asked.

Thanks again!
At November 23, 2007 9:57 AM , dr. bob sears said...

yes, fully vax for Hep B.
Polio - need one more at 18 mo
Can't say why - it's just more convenient for them that way.
DTaP or DT - you'd need 2 doses of that even with that delay.
At December 3, 2007 9:05 AM , Anonymous said...

Dr. Bob, It was great to hear you speak at the LLL of NC Conference in Charlotte. I’ve read many of your and your family’s books, but it was nice to get to hear you in person. I’m sorry the noise level at the dinner session was so tremendous on Saturday night. You did a remarkable job of communicating above the chaos! Thank you so much for having the courage and the motivation to write “The Vaccine Book”. It was much needed and I am astounded at some of the criticism that I’ve read on your blog. I don’t know how anyone can say you are pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, you just give the facts. I only hope other pediatricians will read it to become more informed and more able to talk intelligently with their patients. For example, my pediatrician recently told me, while holding the package insert, that there was no aluminum in the PedVax Vaccine. The insert clearly states the aluminum content, just as your book does. Anyway, all this to say, please don’t be discouraged by negative comments. You have provided a great service for concerned parents.

I want to clarify something that I think I heard you say at the conference. I thought you said that the MMR vaccine had much more aluminum if given as a combo shot, but I did not see aluminum listed as an ingredient in the book. Maybe I heard you say that about another vaccine instead of the MMR. Can you please clarify? Thanks!

Here’s to spiders on your back! Jennifer, North Carolina Mom
At December 6, 2007 9:39 AM , Dr. Bob Sears said...

The MMR does NOT have aluminum. The large combo vaccine, Pediarix, may be what you heard me refer to.

Thanks for the nice comments!
At May 7, 2008 6:38 AM , Mary Beth B. said...

My daughter is 10 months old. She has already gotten Pediarix 3 times. I'm concerned about the amount of aluminum in the shot. How do they test for aluminum? Is it a blood test? Is this something I could ask my pediatrician to test?
At June 19, 2008 12:57 PM , megan k said...

Dr.
My Dr. said he uses PCV 7 by Wyeth for Pc, is that the same as Prevnar? I couldn't find PCV 7 in the book.
He also told me that the DTaP brand Daptacel isn't approved for infants (2m). The nurse said yes, he said no. She ended up giving my son the Daptacel brand, she said it was what they used before Pediarix. Did I just let the nurse give my son the adolescent or adult DTaP shot?
Thanks
Megan