Catch-up vaccination schedule for school entry

[Serenyd]

Can anyone recommend a catch-up vaccination schedule for school entry? We live in MS and they require vaccinations here or I would not be considering it. He just turned 4. Probably will not be attending in the fall, but it is a possibility. 

thanks

[ma2two]

We would need to know exactly which vaccines and number of doses that are required for school in Mississippi.

The CDC has a chart showing the minimum time intervals between vaccine doses.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/catchup-schedule-pr.pdf

Here is a list of all the vaccines licensed in the U.S. You can get to each package insert by clicking through a few times.

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm093833.htm

This group will probably be able to help you with questions specific to Mississippi requirements.

http://www.meetup.com/Vaccine/?success=details2&success=details2

Edited by ma2two - 1/21/12 at 10:07pm

[Taximom5]

First of all, all states have both medical and religious exemptions.  You would need to fill out and sign a form for a religious exemption.  That's it.  

For a medical exemption, you would need a note from your doctor.  Reasons for medical exemption include food allergies (such as eggs, which are in the MMR), past vaccine reactions, and family history of vaccine reactions.  They ALSO include family history of seizures, family history of autoimmune disorders (such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune thyroid disease, celiac disease, lupus, and MS).  Not all doctors realize this, and some will argue that those AIs are reason for vaccination, but vaccines have not been safety-tested in those groups.

I assume that your pediatrician has not "fired" your children for not having vaccines so far, so it seems likely that (s)he will support you if you choose either no vaccines or vaccination on a reduced, delayed schedule.  That would mean no more than ONE vaccine in a 3-6-month period, and NOT getting unnecessary vaccines (like rotavirus, for which your child is obviously not at risk, hepatitis B unless you are a carrier, and the flu shot, which is ineffective in both children and the elderly, according to the Cochrane Collaborative, which has done the most extensive study to date).

You also have the right to request titres--you can have your children's blood tested to see if they have antibodies to vaccine-preventable disease.  If they DO, then a vaccine is obviously unnecessary, a complete waste of money, and an unnecessary risk to your child as well.  Some health insurance companies pay for titres if a doctor orders them; some don't.  I think it's worth paying out of pocket for such a test if it means proof that you don't need a vaccine.

Many states have philosophical exemptions.  Again, all you have to do is fill out a form and sign it.  No doctor's note required.

Honestly, it's a bald-faced lie when they tell you your child can't go to school without being caught up on vaccines.  

I blame the pharmaceutical industry for that lie--they have very tight control of the media, both with their advertising dollars, which FUNDS the media, and with the fact that the CEO of Reuters is on the board of Merck, and the Murdochs are not only on the board of GlaxoSmithKline but own and operate vaccine testing facilities. But I also blame the FDA, who is supposed to be the watchdog over the pharmaceutical industry.  There is an enormous amount of corruption in EVERY industry today, and our government (like every government) is in the thick of it.

In spite of all that, you still have options.  Use them!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Taximom5 

First of all, all states have both medical and religious exemptions.  You would need to fill out and sign a form for a religious exemption.  That's it.  

Actually no.  Mississippi is one of two states with only a medical exemption (no religious) and it would probably be very difficult if not impossible to find an MD to do a medical exemption  :(

[Taximom5]

Originally Posted by alegna 

Actually no.  Mississippi is one of two states with only a medical exemption (no religious) and it would probably be very difficult if not impossible to find an MD to do a medical exemption  :(

Oh, my.  When did Mississippi do away with their religious exemption?  Or did they never have one?

[Taximom5]

There is probably nothing here that you haven't already seen, but I post it just in case:

http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/mississippi.htm

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Taximom5 

Oh, my.  When did Mississippi do away with their religious exemption?  Or did they never have one?

They haven't had one in the 10ish years I've researched the topic.  West Virginia does not have one either.

[Taximom5]

Originally Posted by alegna 

They haven't had one in the 10ish years I've researched the topic.  West Virginia does not have one either.

[Taximom5]

I believe all states accept a positive titer as proof of immunity, so if you think your little one might have been exposed, you may be able to get blood tests to prove immunity, and circumvent the vaccine requirement that way.

You should especially consider this instead of a second MMR shot--one shot supposedly confers immunity to 95%, so that second shot is not a booster, but to catch the 5% that didn't develop immunity from the first shot.  At least, that's what their website stated for several years.  

I wish I could offer more and better help.  Good luck!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Taximom5 

I believe all states accept a positive titer as proof of immunity,

I don't think that's true for all states and all vaxes.

[MadelinesMama]

This website has a tool you can use.  You input the vaccinations that your child has already had and it creates a schedule for you with the "proper" spacing. 

https://www.vacscheduler.org/index.html