Vaccines in other countries

[DahliaRW]

I was thinking that vaccines in different companies may be cultured in different ways and made differently.  And from what I read elsewhere, it sounds like many countries still have the seperate M M R shots available.

We will most likely be doing some world travel during my children's childhood and teenage years.  We're going to Japan in the fall and in a few years parts of Europe and who knows where else later on (dh is fascinated with travel).  Right now we don't vaccinate, but there are some vaccines I would consider if my kids hit adolescence with titers showing they do not have immunity.

I'm wondering if there is a good source to research vaccines available in other countries, who makes them, etc.?  I figure it's something to consider if we choose vaccines later if "safer" ones are available in other countries we might be visiting, or if ones I don't object to morally (i.e. the rubella vaccine in Japan is not cultured using a cell line from an aborted fetus like it is here).

[nia82]

Hm I don;t have links, but the rubella one in Japan is cultured in rabbit cells and is the only one world-wide using moral ingredients. In Europe you can get your hands on monovalent measles (sanofi merieux), rubella (but that is the bad one) and in GB they still have a single mumpsvax I was told (I know that is not available in Germany). All chickenpox ones are morally questionable. The Robert Koch Institut lists all approved vaccines in Germany. I would think that each country's "CDC" lists all approved ones. :) I can tell you that Germany also has monovalent Tetanus shots available and DT shots for kids 7 and older if you don't want pertussis.

[member234098]

M

Edited by member234098 - 5/27/12 at 9:06am

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by miriam 

My unvaxed children have been to Japan, Thailand, and all of Europe.  

My BIL has been to India and Nepal; he was required by the UN to get the yellow fever vax for the job. 

Just be careful of the water and you should be fine.

Europe:  http://ecdc.europa.eu/EN/ACTIVITIES/SURVEILLANCE/EUVAC/Pages/index.aspx

I'm not actually worried about traveling with unvaxed kids, I'm more wondering if there are better vaxes out there than there are in the states.

[member234098]

. 

Edited by member234098 - 5/27/12 at 9:06am

[tonttu]

Well , in Germany ( my home country ) , you can get the single vaccines , if you choose to . Like only tetanus , only polio , etc . 

Ingredient wise , I am not too sure exactly , what´s in them , but the standard of safety is very high in Germany , so approved vaccines are quite safe  

[prosciencemum]

I'm not sure of the details in the UK, but I assume you can find them on the NHS website (Vaccination page). Main difference in my experience (moved with 18 month old from US to UK, and had a second here in UK) is that kids here get a Meningitus vaccine not commonly offered in the US, and there is no standard way to get chicken pox vaccine. 

Our standard of safety is also very high, and there are different pressures on a social medicine system than the US insurance/profit based system. So the vaccine choices offered by the NHS I feel sure are not to do with giving profit to "big-pharma" but may have more of a wider social benefit cost-benefit analysis to them than worrying about giving individuals a lot of choice.