Rotavirus- any concerns/bad experiences/resources with this vax?

[gracemamma]

Hi folks,
I have an almost 4 month old DD. Til now she has received only the rotavirus vax around 2 months. In NM, the only DTap available has alot of aluminum and the more I've researched the other vaxes the more concerned I get.

DH was very pro vaccine but is getting onboard with delaying or not vaxing due to the info I've been researching. She will be a travelling baby- family in CA and Italy so may consider some of these later.

In the meantime, we have a ped appt. Monday and while I will refuse the other vaxes, I'm wondering about the rotavirus since we started this one already and I haven't seen many concerns out there.

She did have kind of explosive poop after the last one and we had to be careful of the live virus issue. So, would love to hear from others or hear of good resources concerning rotavirus. Have the vaccine book but no others yet.
Thanks so much!

[Plaid Leopard]

You don't have to finish a series of vax or get the boosters if you change your mind about vaccinating.

Is your baby breastfed?
Is she in a child care setting or st home?

Rotavirus is very common and the danger comes from the riskof dehydration from diarrhea and vomiting. However, breastfed kids are less at risk of dehydration, and kids that are not in daycare are less at risk of contracting rota to begin with. As with anything, if you see signs of dehydration or serious illness, then urgent medical care is required.

All of my kids have had rotavirus, several times. The first time is the worst, then the next couple of times just a bit of yuckiness, then they are immune. For example, my oldest did not get it the last couple of times the youngest dc got it. Luckily we didn't have complications.

i don't know much about the vaccines other than one of its side effects is diarrhea.As with most other diseases I prefer my kids to have natural immunity.

[gracemamma]

thanks plaid leopard.
DD is EBF and I am currently staying home with her.
I'm just trying to weigh the vaccine issues vs. the rotavirus. It sounds like kids getting it is pretty common (and yucky as you describe) but not life threatening except for the dehydration issue.
I just dont know what issues with the vaccine are- with most of them there is alot of info on the metals, potential scary side effects etc. but there isnt much out there on rotavirus.
I guess if ones baby gets this very small then lots of vomiting and diarrhea can be pretty scary.

[bbrandonsmom]

Both my boys have had Roto, not the vax. It wasn't on the market I don't think w/ ds1, if I remember correct, and so w/ ds2, we weren't vaxing anyhow, but I figured it was too new. Ds1 had it mildly, ds2 had some pretty yucky blow outs. He was about 16m or so at the time. We had been going to a play center and almost every kid was getting it. I was still bf, and we had no dehydration issues.

[nia82]

You don't have to finish. There have been three different rotavirus vaccines so far, all oral. The first, Rotashield, was pulled for too many side effects. Rotateq is most commonly used in the US (RE Paul Offit) and there are some concerns about intestinal blockage caused by the vaccine, I also read an article linking it to a higher incidence of Kawasaki syndrome.
Then there is Rotashield which seems to have less side effects.
We did not do the rotavirus vaccine to begin with. We all had rota as kids and it is a vicious diarrhea, but as long as you live in a place with clean water, ample food supply and access to IV fluids in the case of severe dehydration, you are fine. Worst case is IV fluids and rare bum. But certainly not deadly in the Western world.
My 4 months old nephew is just getting over it. He poops a lot, duh, and well nurses like every hour, but is doing fine otherwise.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vac...Rotavirus.html
http://healthcare.utah.edu/pharmacy/alerts/240.htm
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/p...26rotateq.html

[Marnica]

among the side effects listed in the package inserts for this vaccine are vomiting and diarrhea......rotavirus cause vomiting and diarrhea....doesn't make sense to me.

I skipped this (along with all the others) but even if I was a selective vaxer...no way I'd get this one.

[true2Him]

My children were preemies and got all their shots as suggested by doctors "for their benefit", so I'm not 100% certain what caused which problems that developed in my children. A couple months ago, I read a link from here (couldn't find the direct page) that listed some of the side effects of the rotavirus vaccine. It said that it wasn't recommended for children with gastrointestinal problems, but their was virtually no way to determine problems in infants at the ages this vaccine is given.

Two of the side effects listed happened in my children. "Failure to thrive" occurred in one daughter, and intussusception occurred in the younger. When my younger developed the problem, she was also in someone else's daycare for the first time in her life (I run my own), so I don't know if she picked up something from someone "shedding" either. At any rate, I had to deal with doctors questioning my love for my oldest and determining if I should be reported to CPS after following all their advice. My younger ended up admitted to 3 hospitals in less than 24 hours. Her intestine was blocked and wouldn't allow anything through. She was in extreme pain, vomited and lost so much fluid she couldn't cry tears. I was told that a problem like that (sometimes mistaken for a basic virus that must run its course) can take the life of a child within a couple days if not caught. One of the biggest concerns was whether or not she would have to have an operation, but they used a barium(?) enema to blow the passageway open. I was told to monitor her until after she turned 3 years old in case it happened again which would most likely mean surgery.

After being up for 25 hours straight worried about my child's life, I would seriously advise anyone to get as much information as possible about this vaccine or any procedure in which this is a side effect.

[gracemamma]

thanks everyone for this very helpful info.
true2him- I was so sorry to hear about your incredibly scary ordeal with you LOs. Sounds like a mamma's worst nightmare. So glad they are ok.
Nia 82- thanks for the website resources. I read through each of these and then spent some time reading VAERS where I found additional intussion reports and lots of other scary experiences. Poor babies!