Okay for DH to get fully immunized? We have a newborn.

[amberskyfire]

My husband got a new job at Kaiser Permanente (as their computer systems manager, not on the health staff) and is required to be fully immunized.

We also have a 1 week old who I have not had immunized. I don't immunize until age four if at all.

Is this in any way a danger to our newborn? I've heard of shedding, but don't know if it's dangerous. DH has to be fully immunized, so he'll be getting Hep, DTaP, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, etc.

Will I have to keep him away from the baby for a little while? And for how long if so? It's not really a problem for us because my husband is on the spectrum and is afraid of babies, so he hasn't been holding him much anyway, I'm more concerned with baby's health.

[Bokonon]

Wow, that's a ton of vaccines.  Can he get titers drawn to check if he has any immunity?  Did he have chicken pox as a kid?  Why on earth would the IT staff need to be fully immunized?

[amberskyfire]

Company policy. I'll have him ask if he can get titres. He also has to get TB.

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by amberskyfire 

My husband got a new job at Kaiser Permanente (as their computer systems manager, not on the health staff) and is required to be fully immunized.

We also have a 1 week old who I have not had immunized. I don't immunize until age four if at all.

Is this in any way a danger to our newborn? I've heard of shedding, but don't know if it's dangerous. DH has to be fully immunized, so he'll be getting Hep, DTaP, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, etc.

Will I have to keep him away from the baby for a little while? And for how long if so? It's not really a problem for us because my husband is on the spectrum and is afraid of babies, so he hasn't been holding him much anyway, I'm more concerned with baby's health.

he should find out if the company policy include exemptions for religious reasons..the human resources dept is the place to ask.  unless, of course, he wants to get all those vaccines...and you should also be concerned about adult vaccine reactions, esp if he has to get that many.  and it doesn't matter if your dh holds baby or not...YOU can transfer hubbys germs to the baby.  
 

[slmommy]

I agree with Bokonon, find out about titers. If he gets bcg he can never have skin test for tb again... or is it the skin test they are requiring? Can he just show proof of previous vaccination? This sounds really off...

[Taximom5]

If he's on the spectrum, and if he has any as-yet undiagnosed sensitivity to any ingredient in vaccines, vaccines can be disastrous for your husband.

I urge you to
1) have your hubby's doctor check titters
2) have him check his vitamin D level, and address a level under 50 with supplementation.
3) write him a medical exemption if his vitamin D level is low (vitamin D deficiency is EXTREMELY common, and is associated with vaccine reaction, with autoimmune disorders (often triggered by vaccine reaction), and yes, autism. (see www.14studies.org)

Vaccine reactions don't just happen to children. I had several autoimmune conditions triggered by receiving 4 vaccines as an adult. A friend of mine was ordered by the hospital where she worked to "catch up" on vaccines, and ended up in a wheelchair from her reaction. She had been a healthy, active physical therapist.

[amberskyfire]

He has to have the immunization for TB, not the skin test.

Yeah, we had a talk today about his Asperger's and the ingredients in the vaccines. It could make him really sick. I didn't know about the Vitamin D, however. I'll forward him the link to this thread so he can read as well.

[amberskyfire]

And DH and I don't touch much, either. He doesn't like to be touched.

Our biggest problem is that he absolutely HAS to have this job for us to survive. Jobs don't come along often here. He has to work in the medical department and they require full vaccinations. He hasn't been vaccinated since he was a kid. They *may* let him take titres, however.

I'm really worried about his health and the baby's health on the one hand, but we are so poor that DH isn't about to let this job go, even with the risk. I'm having a minor freak-out over here. I'm hoping that maybe he can at the very least get them to hold off until the baby is a bit older. They are probably not going to listen to reasons dealing with his Asperger's because for one thing, he hasn't received an official diagnosis, only took a test (though it was obvious to us that he has it, even without the test) and for another, the medical community in general still does not believe that vaccines have even the slightest thing to do with autism, so they are going to look at him like he's a moron if he says something.

He can ask about religious reasons, but I already tried that with WIC and they assured me that there is no religion for which vaccines are taboo (but they did allow me to refuse on philosophical grounds).

[erigeron]

Shedding is only going to be an issue with live vaccines. MMR and CP are live vaccines. He may be okay by titre. Assuming he is in his mid-20s or older, he probably had chicken pox as a kid.

[amberskyfire]

UPDATE!

Okay, apparently there was some miscommunication between the recruiter and our end. Here is what he emailed us:

1.       Free of active tuberculosis (requires 1 PPD test within the last 12 months)

2.       Physical Health Examination

3.       Immune from or has been immunized against Rubella

4.       Immune from or has been immunized against Rubeolla

5.       Immune from or has been immunized against Mumps

6.       Immune from or has been immunized against Varicella Chicken Pox

7.       Immune from Hepatitis B, or has declined in writing to be immunized against Hepatitis B

8.       Immune from flu, or has declined in writing to be immunized against flu

9.       Immune from whooping cough (Tdap), or has declined in writing to be immunized against whooping couch (Tdap)

So it looks like the best idea would be to get titres first. Then he can refuse 7-9, and prove that he has immunity to 3, 5 and 6. He may have to get a vaccine for 4. It was a TB test after all, not the vaccine, thank goodness. It's starting to look now a whole lot better than it sounded in conversation.

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by amberskyfire 

He can ask about religious reasons, but I already tried that with WIC and they assured me that there is no religion for which vaccines are taboo (but they did allow me to refuse on philosophical grounds).

what was the problem with WIC and religious exemption?   and how would a WIC nurse know which religions shun vaccines anyway?  is she a religious teacher too?  

[amberskyfire]

It was the nutritionist and I live in an extremely high granola density area, so I'm assuming that many before me had tried. He wasn't trying to get me to vaccinate my daughter, he didn't care about that. He was just advising me. He saw the exemption and said "there are no religions that don't vaccinate, but here's a form for philosophical exemption, do you want one of those?" He was just being helpful. For all I know, there IS a religion that is exempt, but I have no idea. I took the philosophical exemption since that was my real reason for not vaxxing anyway, not religion.

[lilbsmama]

This is a little OT....but you don't have to give any exemptions to WIC. At all.

[amberskyfire]

I was required to. Not sure if it's because I live in Hawaii or what, but immunizations are absolutely mandatory for getting WIC here once baby is past 1 year old. But they did have exemption forms when I requested one.

[Marnica]

Whoever told you this was misinformed or lying. Has nothing to do with what state you live in. WIC is a federally funded program. Each state gets a grant and basically governs the program but the money is from the feds. All states Ask you to bring in kids shot records because part of their mission is to make sure low income kids are up to date on their shots. however it is not a requirement and you don't need to sign an exemption either. Exemptions are for school. Know your rights and just let anyone know that tells you it is required that they are misinformed.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/benefitsandservices/immunization.HTM

 

Because immunization rates of low-income children continue to lag behind those of more affluent children, a White House Executive Memorandum was issued in December 2000 directing WIC to screen the immunization records of all infants and children under the age of two at WIC certification visits. Parents are encouraged to bring their infant/child’s immunization record to WIC appointments so that WIC staff can review the record as part of the WIC certification process. WIC provides a referral to immunization services, ideally to the child’s usual source of medical care.

Immunization records and/or an infant/child’s immunization status are in no way tied to the receipt of WIC benefits.

For information on WIC’s role in immunization promotion, contact your State WIC agency.

Originally Posted by amberskyfire 

I was required to. Not sure if it's because I live in Hawaii or what, but immunizations are absolutely mandatory for getting WIC here once baby is past 1 year old. But they did have exemption forms when I requested one.

[amberskyfire]

Oh, thank you for that! I'll have to bring in a printout when I go in this time so they don't ask me again. Though really, I didn't mind signing the waiver. I wonder why they even have them if it's not required.

[member234098]

Edited by member234098 - 5/25/12 at 11:15pm

[amberskyfire]

Thanks!

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by miriam 

They lied to you.  

Christian Scientists have been against all medical treatments, procedures, and vaccinations since they began in the 1800s.  The last cluster of wild polio was supposedly at the Christian Science College, Principia in 1972.    http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~religion/newifo/religions/christianity/index/science/essay1.shtml

Rastafarians refuse all medical treatments including vaccines.

Typically, most Amish do not vaccinate or use most medical services.

There are plenty of other groups that do refuse vaccines on the basis of personal religious beliefs.  However, it is against the law based on many court decisions to ask you what religion you belong to or upon what you base your non-vaccine beliefs.  

As far as I am concerned, the confidence that most people have in vaccines is based more in a religious belief in itself than in science, but, again, that is just me.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/217766-Modern-Medicine-The-Hidden-Influence-of-Beliefs-and-Fears

[member234098]

T

Edited by member234098 - 5/25/12 at 11:13pm