My son has Velocardiofacial Syndrome or DiGeorge Syndrome, a genetic chromosomal deletion 22q11.2. Part of the way he's effected is a Primary Immune Deficiency (t-cell deficit). Because of his immune deficiency, most literature says not to do any live-virus vaccines, but that the rest should be safe.
To date my son has not had any vaccines, but did receive Synagis his first winter (RSV immunoglobulin...he still got RSV that winter and the next winter)
His Infectious Disease specialist, who manages his immune deficiency, is very pro-vaccine and is always trying to talk me into starting the series. I'm not going to unless something changes (not sure what that "something" would have to be, but I'm not going to say absolutely no to vaccines, because he is definitely at much higher risk of complications from both the vaccines and the illnesses).
Here's his reasoning...because of his low t-cell count, it's not likely that my son will mount an appropriate antibody response to the vaccine. It might take more doses than the normal schedule before he'll have testable antibodies (if he ever does, we won't know until we try). So the dr's point of view is "it might not help him [might not provide immunity] but it certainly won't hurt him, so we might as well try."
Ha! Obviously I disagree, and I truly can't understand the logic/reasoning! Even the most pro-vaxer has to agree that there ARE some side effects! And anyone with half a brain would see that my son is at risk of increased side effects, so why would they think it's okay to give him more and more doses?
I feel like we're in a "damned if we do/damned if we don't" situation with him, because children like him are the ones who truly need protection from all the diseases vaccines are designed for, yet children like him are the ones that can't/shouldn't get them. He's doing really well all things considered, has had lots of illnesses, but has come through them all very well.
To date my son has not had any vaccines, but did receive Synagis his first winter (RSV immunoglobulin...he still got RSV that winter and the next winter)
His Infectious Disease specialist, who manages his immune deficiency, is very pro-vaccine and is always trying to talk me into starting the series. I'm not going to unless something changes (not sure what that "something" would have to be, but I'm not going to say absolutely no to vaccines, because he is definitely at much higher risk of complications from both the vaccines and the illnesses).
Here's his reasoning...because of his low t-cell count, it's not likely that my son will mount an appropriate antibody response to the vaccine. It might take more doses than the normal schedule before he'll have testable antibodies (if he ever does, we won't know until we try). So the dr's point of view is "it might not help him [might not provide immunity] but it certainly won't hurt him, so we might as well try."
Ha! Obviously I disagree, and I truly can't understand the logic/reasoning! Even the most pro-vaxer has to agree that there ARE some side effects! And anyone with half a brain would see that my son is at risk of increased side effects, so why would they think it's okay to give him more and more doses?
I feel like we're in a "damned if we do/damned if we don't" situation with him, because children like him are the ones who truly need protection from all the diseases vaccines are designed for, yet children like him are the ones that can't/shouldn't get them. He's doing really well all things considered, has had lots of illnesses, but has come through them all very well.
