Shedding- do I need to worry?

[njbeachgirl]

My kids were have played with my friends' kids twice this week. Their baby had her 4 month shots last week- which I know includes rotavirus which is live.

Do I need to worry about shedding?

[jakesmama]

:

I'm curious too, because I don't know which ones shed and which do not.

[njbeachgirl]

afaik it's flumist, rota, mmr.....

anyone? know how long they shed??

[EVC]

flumist, rota, mmr.....

Also chickenpox.

anyone? know how long they shed??

I've heard it can be up to a month, but I haven't seen any real confirmation of this anywhere.

As for the original question, I personally do not worry about shedding. If the child got the rotavirus vax, be SURE you wash your hands thoroughly if you come anywhere near poop.

Rotavirus is nasty, nasty, nasty. On the upside, it is rarely serious in breastfed kiddos (although I do know one breastfed child who ended up in the hospital as a result of dehydration from rotavirus, so it does happen).

So be careful around the rota vax. But good hygiene goes a long way

[peainthepod]

Originally Posted by EVC

But good hygiene goes a long way

ITA. Any child (or person, for that matter) you encounter in public could be shedding live vax viruses. Treat everyone as if they've just been given fifty live virus vaccines and practice excellent hygiene. Wash hands often, discourage nail-biting and mouth/face touching, and try to keep a clean house with fresh towels and linens.

[jakesmama]

Originally Posted by njbeachgirl

afaik it's flumist, rota, mmr.....

Oh, good...just the icky ones...and I was worried!

Ok, it's really the rotavirus that gets me. I would so never inject that into my children and I really wouldn't want dd (ds has had the wild virus as most people do (er, did) before the age of three) catching the injected viral strain vs. the wild strain. Yuck.

[njbeachgirl]

thanks all. The few times we were around them there were no diaper changes. will keep it in mind in the future though!

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by jakesmama

I would so never inject that into my children and I really wouldn't want dd (ds has had the wild virus as most people do (er, did) before the age of three) catching the injected viral strain vs. the wild strain. Yuck.

Just so you know, the rota vaccine is oral, not an injection.

[jakesmama]

Originally Posted by Plummeting

Just so you know, the rota vaccine is oral, not an injection.

Ha, my bad! Can you tell that it didn't exist when ds was little and we've never planned on getting it for dd? Are there other oral vaccines? I know Flumist goes up the nose, but beyond that I thought they were all injections.

[Lazy Gardens]

The virus used in any live-virus vaccine is "attenuated" ... a strain selected because it can provide immunity without the disease, or one deliberately damaged to make it non-pathogenic and less communicable than the wild virus.

Compared to the wild virus, it's toothless.

[just_lily]

Originally Posted by Lazy Gardens

The virus used in any live-virus vaccine is "attenuated" ... a strain selected because it can provide immunity without the disease, or one deliberately damaged to make it non-pathogenic and less communicable than the wild virus.

Compared to the wild virus, it's toothless.

A few points:

- less is not none

- it may not be as bad as being injected with a wild virus, but is definitely worse than not being injected at all

- tell that to the people who were infected with polio from the OPV

[Emmeline II]

The only live vax given at that age it the rotavirus. I wouldn't be worried but if your children start feel ill and have diarrhea, you'll have a good idea what it is.

[MountainMamaGC]

I try not to worry about this stuff. At least it goes through the first defence and is dealt with in a natural way by my child. If she is exposed to a shedded virus her immune system will deal with it, just like it deals with anything else. even better because her immune system didnt get repeated back door assaults from vaccines and isnt hyper sensitive.