Vaccine Questions

[EJTmommy]

Hoping someone can help ease our minds.  We started to selectively vaccinate our children until we did more research and have since stopped.  My husband was recently talking to an acquaintance who is a DO and they were talking vaccines - and I think my husband is a little nervous now on not vaccinating for some things.

This Dr. said the one that he def. wouldn't skip was the Tetanus vaccine saying that the disease lives in soil/dirt and can be fatal.  Can you share some of your information/resources on weighing the pros & cons on getting vaccinated for at least Tetanus (Dt - I believe) as the kids gets a little older?  (We do plan on watching the Dr. Tenpenny video again to refresh some of our memory).  I know we wash wounds etc with hydrogen peroxide and it is good if the wound bleeds.  Should we be concerned to wash every little skin scrap? How serious of a wound do we need to be concerned of going to the ER for tetanus treatment? Do we really need to be so worried about Tetanus enough to get the vaccination?

Also - someone told us about knowing of someone dying of meningitis/HIB. I'm thinking the chances are pretty low but, what can we do to prevent? Is this a vaccine we should be considering?

Also, lastly, my husband wants to know what will one of our children have to go through if one of them gets sick and it's an emergency situation where we have to go to the ER. Obviously, we assume we will have to tell them our child(ren) are
partially/not fully vaccinated.  If the ER drs. are not able to clinically tell what is wrong with them - my husband is concerned about what will our children have to go through to be diagnosed (invasive tests because they are not vaccinated - ie spinal tap)?   I think my husband is afraid of putting them through unnecessary tests because we didn't vaccinate.

Thanks for any insight!!

[Marnica]

Hi and welcome -

I have 2 unvaccinated children ages 4 and 4 months. As for tetanus, while it is a serious disease and yes it can be fatal - the odds of them contracting tetanus are extremely small. Tetanus can only survive in anaerobic conditions, which is why wound care is so important. If a wound bleeds, it signifies that oxegen is present. If your child ever did get a wound that truly concerned you (ie a deep puncture would that did not bleed), you could go and ask for the TIG.

It is not the bacterium itself that causes the development of tetanus but the toxins it produces under anaerobic conditions. “Under normal conditions, no disease will occur if spores are introduced into a wound.”(J. Ark Med Soc Vol 80, No 3 p134) and “It is the compromised host, or traumatised patient, either by surgery or accident, who is most apt to develop tetanus.” (J Foot Surgery Vol 23, No 3 p235). When the conditions are right, an exotoxin (called tetanospasmin) is released from the localised area and transported into the central nervous system. The incubation period has been reported to vary from 1 day to several months, but the majority of cases occur within 3-21 days following inoculation of spores.

  Tetanus was always fairly rare even before sanitation improved and before a vaccine

At the beginning of the 1900s the annual death-rate was 7 per million population compared to, for example, whooping cough death-rate, which was 1000 per million children, so even then it was relatively rare considering the living conditions and the deposits by horse-drawn transport still in use.

 http://vran.org/about-vaccines/specific-vaccines/diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-hib-vaccine/tetanus-a-compilation-of-articles/

The HIB vaccine was the ONLY one that I really really stuggled with when my 4 yr old was born. But after alot of research I decided the risk outweighed the benefit. My son was breastfed until he was 2.5. There is alot of research out there that shows breastfeeding protects against HIB disease. The HIB vaccine is fairly new and wasn't around when i was a kid yet my mother and her friends (yes I asked quite a few people) never knew anyone who had it or had ever heard of it. Not scientific I know.....The best way to prevent any illness in your child is to focus on building a healthy immune system through a healthy diet, a few key supplements and minimizing chemical exposure.

as for the ER, its really hit or miss in terms of what kind of time you may have there. We have been once for a fall. I did not tell them he was unvaccinated because it was irrelevant and I didnt want a lecture. I hear your husbands concerns about unneccessary tests, but remeber what kind of test is run is up to you. You can decline a test. I would be equally concerned that if my child was ill with something and a doctor did NOT order a test because they assume it couldn't possible be (inser illness here) merely because they were vaccinate for it. Thats faulty thinking either way. Tests ordered should be based on symptoms presented REGARLESS of vaccine status. That is why you have to be your child's advocate in the ER and not just go along with whatever they say sometimes.

There are several threads here about people's experiences in the ER. Some people have no problems at all and others have terrible stories - you just can't tell.

[sassyfirechick]

Originally Posted by Marnica 

I would be equally concerned that if my child was ill with something and a doctor did NOT order a test because they assume it couldn't possible be (inser illness here) merely because they were vaccinate for it. Thats faulty thinking either way. Tests ordered should be based on symptoms presented REGARLESS of vaccine status. That is why you have to be your child's advocate in the ER and not just go along with whatever they say sometimes.

Agree!

[Minerva23]

http://www.cdc.gov/mmWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6012a1.htm

I find this quite interesting especially since it is from the CDC.

In the 233 cases of tetanus reported there from 2001 -2008 basically 40% were unvaxxed and 60% were vaxxed. Don't worry too much about the tetanus vaccine. What you should worry about is excellent wound care when necessary.

Here is a bid on the side: I do genealogy research in church books here in Germany and I have gone back as far as the 1780s!!! In the death registry I have yet to come across one entrance that states this person has died of tetanus. Looking at the living conditions and sanitation procedures at those times one would expect to see at least a few cases.

[Louisw]

Originally Posted by Minerva23 

http://www.cdc.gov/mmWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6012a1.htm

I find this quite interesting especially since it is from the CDC.

In the 233 cases of tetanus reported there from 2001 -2008 basically 40% were unvaxxed and 60% were vaxxed. Don't worry too much about the tetanus vaccine. What you should worry about is excellent wound care when necessary.

 Here is a tetanus thread with some good info on tetanus.

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1355993/anyone-have-stats-on-exactly-what-type-of-wounds-caused-tetanus