Hep B

[bubbamummy]

Can anyone tell me why they give this to newborns here in the US? My son was born in England and they do not even mention it. It just isnt given. England (I like to think) is a pretty 'normal' 1st world country with a good health care system and a low infant mortality rate...so...my questions is...why give hep B?

When we moved here to the states the military Drs asked me if I wanted Sam to be bought 'up to date' and to have it, of course I saw no reason so declined.

The same goes for Rotovirus!

[lauradbg]

I think the powers that be feel that they have a captive audience in little newborn babies and they can get the vaccine in them while the parents are compliant and before they all become promiscuous intravenous drug users. Which you totally know they will...

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by lauradbg

I think the powers that be feel that they have a captive audience in a little newborn baby and they can get the vaccine in them while the parents are compliant and before they all become promiscuous intravenous drug users. Which you totally know they will...

Yeah, we set really high standards for our babies to live up to here in the good ole US of A.

[Marnica]

Don't forget the almighty dollar.....that's a good reason to subject infants to this vaccine isn't it??

[kiara7]

The $$$$ and "fully consenting" newborns. It's impossible to force it when they are adults because we can't just round them up and jab them (not yet).

[mamakah]

Originally Posted by sophieslion

Can anyone tell me why they give this to newborns here in the US? My son was born in England and they do not even mention it. It just isnt given. England (I like to think) is a pretty 'normal' 1st world country with a good health care system and a low infant mortality rate...so...my questions is...why give hep B?

When we moved here to the states the military Drs asked me if I wanted Sam to be bought 'up to date' and to have it, of course I saw no reason so declined.

The same goes for Rotovirus!

Like other posters have said, it is a "get em while we can" approach.

[gr8blessings]

I found this document describing unusual ways of contacting HepB rather interesting. I don't know what the risk would be for an individual child that would allow these circumstances to repeat themselves but I can more easily picture these scenarios then having a IV-drug using prostitute for a daughter.

Some of the circumstances:
- from the dentist
- from the acupuncturist
- from the elementary school teacher
- from a team mate on a contact sports team
- from a child biting another child at daycare
- improper universal precautions during a medical procedure (i.e re-using needles)

http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2100nrs.pdf

gr8blessings

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by gr8blessings

I found this document describing unusual ways of contacting HepB rather interesting. I don't know what the risk would be for an individual child that would allow these circumstances to repeat themselves but I can more easily picture these scenarios then having a IV-drug using prostitute for a daughter.

Some of the circumstances:
- from the dentist
- from the acupuncturist
- from the elementary school teacher
- from a team mate on a contact sports team
- from a child biting another child at daycare
- improper universal precautions during a medical procedure (i.e re-using needles)

http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2100nrs.pdf

gr8blessings

Ewww

Well any dentist that is reusing tools without sterilizing them or any acupucturist that is not using disposable needles should not be in practice. !!!!

[peachweenie]

Let's be compassionate!

Originally Posted by lauradbg

I think the powers that be feel that they have a captive audience in little newborn babies and they can get the vaccine in them while the parents are compliant and before they all become promiscuous intravenous drug users. Which you totally know they will...

I have Hepatitis B and I'm afraid to tell people because of this kind of untrue characterization of all Hepatitis B carriers. I have had it since birth and got it from my mother who was a nurse in the 1950's in a time and country that falsely taught her that blood was sterile so it was fine to come into contact with. It is a serious disease with often fatal complications and I'm very happy that I did not pass it on to my child thanks to vaccinations. Please consider it for your older child or teenager.

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by peachweenie

I have Hepatitis B and I'm afraid to tell people because of this kind of untrue characterization of all Hepatitis B carriers. I have had it since birth and got it from my mother who was a nurse in the 1950's in a time and country that falsely taught her that blood was sterile so it was fine to come into contact with. It is a serious disease with often fatal complications and I'm very happy that I did not pass it on to my child thanks to vaccinations. Please consider it for your older child or teenager.

First of all, I'm really sorry that you've had to experience this. :-( It's too bad that the vax wasn't available then.

Before the vax became routine for newborns in the U.S., it used to be administered to at-risk adults and the newborn babies of mothers who tested positive for Hep B. I'm guessing (although the OP would have to confirm this) that this is the policy in Britain. This is the policy that I would support.

I do not, however, support the mass vaccination of newborns for a disease that they have a next-to-nil chance of contacting.

[mamakah]

Originally Posted by Turquesa

First of all, I'm really sorry that you've had to experience this. :-( It's too bad that the vax wasn't available then.

Before the vax became routine for newborns in the U.S., it used to be administered to at-risk adults and the newborn babies of mothers who tested positive for Hep B. I'm guessing (although the OP would have to confirm this) that this is the policy in Britain. This is the policy that I would support.

I do not, however, support the mass vaccination of newborns for a disease that they have a next-to-nil chance of contacting.

EXACTLY! I feel that there is a time and place for some vaccinations. You, for example, would have been a good candidate for the vax. Like PP said, that does not mean that EVERY newborn in this country/world should get it. If vaccination was on a case by case basis, I would have no problems. (OK I would still have some problems) It is this "one size fits all" "get em while we can" mentality that really urkes me.

[peachweenie]

I'm all for delaying Hep B vaccinations if you are a responsible parent who monitors your child's healthcare, but please consider that the kids who are probably at the most risk for Hepatitis B in later life don't have such parents.

[ammiga]

Originally Posted by gr8blessings

I found this document describing unusual ways of contacting HepB rather interesting. I don't know what the risk would be for an individual child that would allow these circumstances to repeat themselves but I can more easily picture these scenarios then having a IV-drug using prostitute for a daughter.

Some of the circumstances:
- from the dentist
- from the acupuncturist
- from the elementary school teacher
- from a team mate on a contact sports team
- from a child biting another child at daycare
- improper universal precautions during a medical procedure (i.e re-using needles)

http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2100nrs.pdf

gr8blessings

The CDC should probably spend more time checking out medical providers and less time administering vaxes to newborns, if the above list is true.

"From the elementary school teacher"? I would love more of an explanation on that one. I'm pretty sure it was a freak one-time incident and did not happen during a standard math lesson.

It's funny how rather than saying that the problem is with reusing medical equipment, the article pulls up instances that will make parents freak out. "Oh no! My baby will go to the dentist and to elementary school- I better immunize them!"

[ammiga]

Originally Posted by peachweenie

I'm all for delaying Hep B vaccinations if you are a responsible parent who monitors your child's healthcare, but please consider that the kids who are probably at the most risk for Hepatitis B in later life don't have such parents.

What part of health care needs to be monitored to prevent Heb B? If it's only reusing needles, then that seems to be a minute risk in this country. Other than that, I am unaware of how monitoring health care helps prevent Hep B.

[kiara7]

Originally Posted by peachweenie

I'm all for delaying Hep B vaccinations if you are a responsible parent who monitors your child's healthcare, but please consider that the kids who are probably at the most risk for Hepatitis B in later life don't have such parents.

Who knows how long the vax lasts anyway? It's not lifetime. By the time babies are grown and engage in risky behavior they most likely won't have any protection.

And if they have parents that don't care, chances are they've got every vax possible.

[Jwebbal]

sex and drug use are not the only ways hep b can be contracted, and to say so is misleading. Children can and do get hep b from family members, even after birth. It is rare, yes, but it does happen. We are lucky that it is rare here in the US, but in other parts of the world it is a much more common occurence. I am stunned to see pregnant mothers who refuse hep B testing, or hep b positive mothers who refuse to vaccinate their infants. I think those actions are very problematic and definitely put babies at risk of becoming chronic carriers of hep b or worse. While I don't usually use wikipedia as a source, I think the following quotes are helpful to explain to people who are uninformed about hep b.

In low prevalence areas such as the continental United States and Western Europe, where less than 2% of the population is chronically infected, injection drug abuse and unprotected sex are the primary methods, although other factors may be important. In moderate prevalence areas, which include Eastern Europe, Russia, and Japan, where 2-7% of the population is chronically infected, the disease is predominantly spread among children. In high prevalence areas such as China and South East Asia, transmission during childbirth is most common, although in other areas of high endemicity such as Africa, transmission during childhood is a significant factor.

A mother who is positive for HBsAg has a 20% risk of passing the infection to her baby at birth if she denies treatment. The rate increases to as high as 90% if she has HBeAg. HBV can be transmitted between family members within households, possibly by contact of broken skin or mucous membrane with body fluids or saliva containing HBV. However, at least 30% of reported hepatitis B among adults do not have an identifiable risk factor.

I do not agree that all babies should get the vaccine as we currently have on the vax schedule, but I do think babies at risk should definitely get it, as should those who have a family member with chronic hep b, or perhaps even a family member who has one or more risk factors. As for the rest, I think responsible adults should consider hep b vaccination, if only to protect our young babies from having to get it, and to keep the rate of infection down in our own country, lest we become more like the countries with higher rates of chronic infection.

[Jwebbal]

Originally Posted by kiara7

And if they have parents that don't care, chances are they've got every vax possible.

Can you explain this further please?

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Jwebbal

sex and drug use are not the only ways hep b can be contracted, and to say so is misleading. Children can and do get hep b from family members, even after birth. It is rare, yes, but it does happen. We are lucky that it is rare here in the US, but in other parts of the world it is a much more common occurence. I am stunned to see pregnant mothers who refuse hep B testing, or hep b positive mothers who refuse to vaccinate their infants. I think those actions are very problematic and definitely put babies at risk of becoming chronic carriers of hep b or worse. While I don't usually use wikipedia as a source, I think the following quotes are helpful to explain to people who are uninformed about hep b.



A mother who is positive for HBsAg has a 20% risk of passing the infection to her baby at birth if she denies treatment. The rate increases to as high as 90% if she has HBeAg. HBV can be transmitted between family members within households, possibly by contact of broken skin or mucous membrane with body fluids or saliva containing HBV. However, at least 30% of reported hepatitis B among adults do not have an identifiable risk factor.

I do not agree that all babies should get the vaccine as we currently have on the vax schedule, but I do think babies at risk should definitely get it, as should those who have a family member with chronic hep b, or perhaps even a family member who has one or more risk factors. As for the rest, I think responsible adults should consider hep b vaccination, if only to protect our young babies from having to get it, and to keep the rate of infection down in our own country, lest we become more like the countries with higher rates of chronic infection.

I consider myself a responsible adult. I do not engage in risky behavior. I do not work in a profession that would put me at risk and I know from prenatal testing I am not Hep B positive so why on earth should I consider this vaccine??? How would me getting this vaccine lower the rate of infection in this country?? Adults are no different than children in terms of this vaccine. Unless you are in a high risk category why should they subject themselves to this vaccine that has been linked to MULTIPLE adverse reactions including MS and death. It has the most VAERS reports than any other vaccine (many of the reports are for adults) and this represents less than 10% of reactions.

[lauradbg]

Originally Posted by peachweenie

I have Hepatitis B and I'm afraid to tell people because of this kind of untrue characterization of all Hepatitis B carriers. I have had it since birth and got it from my mother who was a nurse in the 1950's in a time and country that falsely taught her that blood was sterile so it was fine to come into contact with. It is a serious disease with often fatal complications and I'm very happy that I did not pass it on to my child thanks to vaccinations. Please consider it for your older child or teenager.

I'm sorry if I came off as less than compassionate. I don't have any ill will towards anyone. However, I swear to God, I have seen that language from the doctors themselves referring to babies as, "a captive audience." I didn't make up those words--that was a rationale given for the Hep B vaccine being given to babies. Not because they may catch it from unclean dentist tools or wayward elementary math teachers of some sort, but because they are a captive audience.

There is no risk assessment with all babies being mandated to have the Hep B vaccine, it is just a wide cast net and they hope it will provide some protection for the junkies and prostitutes that some of the babies will grow up to become.

I wish you luck with your health challenges.

Update: I found a link to a UPI article. Here's the quote,

Some of the officials involved in the agency's 1991 decision to recommend that all infants receive the Hepatitis B vaccine also had close ties to vaccine manufacturers.

Dr. Sam Katz was the advisory committee chairman at the time. A professor at Duke, Katz said 30 percent of children who get the disease get it from unknown causes, possibly in daycare.

He said the CDC tried to give the shots to teens, but it was hard to get them to show up for all three doses.

"So they said, 'Well, we've got a captive audience and we want to give it to the newborns anyways.'"

Katz developed a measles vaccine now manufactured by Merck, which also manufactures a Hepatitis B vaccine. Katz said when he was chairman of the committee in 1991 he also worked as a paid consultant for Merck, Wyeth and most major vaccine manufacturers.

He said conflicts do not pose a real problem.

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by gr8blessings

I found this document describing unusual ways of contacting HepB rather interesting. I don't know what the risk would be for an individual child that would allow these circumstances to repeat themselves but I can more easily picture these scenarios then having a IV-drug using prostitute for a daughter.

Some of the circumstances:
- from the dentist
- from the acupuncturist
- from the elementary school teacher
- from a team mate on a contact sports team
- from a child biting another child at daycare
- improper universal precautions during a medical procedure (i.e re-using needles)

http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2100nrs.pdf
gr8blessings

An elementary school teacher??? I don't mean to sound offensive, but that could only mean a pedophile or a teacher who for some reason is injecting needles into children. Could you elaborate?

I also question the biting and contact sports bit. If I'm not mistaken, I thought that Hep B is a blood-born pathogen, like HIV. Saliva-to-blood is not a valid way to transmit the disease. It almost sounds like the early-80s fear mongering about how you could get AIDS from kissing somebody.

I've also heard of Hep B cases from tattoo parlors.

But all of this loses sight of something important. I think the public health burden needs to rest with these aforementioned professionals, not with the rest of us being compelled to get vaxed for those rare cases when somebody is too incompetent to do their job correctly.