Are Vaccine Allergies Inherited?

[LL124]

As an infant, 28 years ago, I had an allergy to the Pertussis vaccine. I am told I received the rest of the series without the "P".

Aside from my own beliefs that I most likely want to vaccinate on an alternate schedule, such as only one vaccine at a time after 2 mos, and delay vaccines usually given at the hospital (if they'll let me do this in RI, I swear I saw someplace that I can't), I'm wondering if my allergy to the vax has any part in this decision process?

Is it more likely that my baby would also have a reaction? I'm still not sure how they realized it was the "P" part of the vax that triggered my allergy (lasting high fever & extreme irritability), but my mom is a nurse so I trust that she followed through on everything.

I'm open to book recommendations as well. Anything published recently would be preferred, as I don't want to be referencing research that has been "debunked".

I've got What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations, Cave (2010) and The Vaccination Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, Sears (2011) bookmarked to order as soon as I get through a few more pregnancy books.

[Taximom5]

I would love to be able to give you a simple yes-or-no answer, like, "Yes, vaccine allergies are totally inherited!" or "No, vaccine allergies have nothing to do with genetics!"

But the truth is, it's not that simple.

For starters, many serious vaccine reactions have nothing whatsoever to do with allergies.

The most accurate way to look at it is that the predisposition to vaccine reaction is likely to have quite a lot to do with genetics--but that genetics do not paint the whole picture, and that environmental factors may be even more important than genetics.

Let me give an example.

Let's say you have a woman with a new baby, and the woman has undiagnosed celiac disease, which causes all kinds of vitamin deficiencies (and is also apparently associated with a higher risk of having a child with autism). She is likely to be vitamin-D-deficient, as is her baby.

Vitamin D deficiency causes glutathione depletion; glutathione is necessary to excrete heavy metals (like aluminum, which is in most vaccines, and mercury, which is in the flu shot and in many vaccines given to older children, to pregnant women, and to children in developing countries).

So being vitamin D deficient can be a huge factor in vaccine reaction.  Being genetically predisposed to something like celiac disease can be a major factor in vaccine reaction--but celiac disease is not the only cause of vitamin D deficiency.

Another example would be mitochondrial disease.  We know that vaccines can exacerbate mitochondrial disease, and that the predisposition to mitochondrial diseases can be inherited.  But we also know that medications can CAUSE mitochondrial disorders.

Your reaction doesn't necessarily sound like an allergic one. Many health care professionals are downplaying the severity of such a reaction (though infants have died from such reactions); of course, if your child has such a reaction, they have no legal responsibility at all.  Other health care professionals believe that such a reaction is a clear indication of vaccine-induced encephalopathy, which can cause permanent brain damage.

If your child is not in day care, you can go to a family practice physician rather than a pediatrician; family practice physicians are more likely to let you delay vaccines, and skip those that you feel are unnecessary.  Or you can try a naturopathic doctor.

An example of an unnecessary vaccine for a breastfed infant not in daycare would be rotavirus, since rotavirus is spread by contaminated feces. The flu shot, which is ineffective in both young children and the elderly, and which also has a high rate of reports of severe reaction, would also be considered unnecessary, as would the entire hep B series for a baby whose parents/caregivers are not carriers.  Hep B also has extremely high adverse reaction reports; the daughter of MDC member Michael Belkin died from her hep B shot.  You might want to read his testimony to congress: http://www.medicalveritas.com/images/00007.pdf

Good books include:

http://www.amazon.com/Age-Autism-Medicine-Man-Made-Epidemic/dp/B0055X6B9G

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1620872129

http://www.amazon.com/Informed-Vaccine-Decision-Health-Child/dp/1881217361/ref=pd_sim_b_8

I have not yet read this one, but it looks interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Vaccine-nation-Poisoning-Population-Shot-Time/dp/0984595422/ref=pd_sim_b_23

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by Taximom5 

If your child is not in day care, you can go to a family practice physician

You can see a family practice doctor even if your child is in daycare.

[emmy526]

the pertussis portion of the old DPT is known for it's serious adverse side effects...and the new DTaP vaccine perpetuates whooping cough.   If you have a genetic predisposition to allergies,  vaccines can over-produce Ige, making allergies worse in the child early, or later on.  

[Rrrrrachel]

What do you mean by the new Dtap perpetuates whooping cough?

[HappyHappyMommy]

Hi All, As a friendly-reminder, this forum is support-only. Please stay on topic of supporting the OP and avoid posting here to debate or argue accuracy or opinion of things posted. Thank you, HHM.
 

[Rrrrrachel]

I'm not interested in arguing about it. I was just hoping for a clarification.

[Rrrrrachel]

as for books, I recommend "vaccines and your child: separating facts from fiction" it's organized in short sections around common vaccine concerns.

Also "vaccines: what you should know," and "your baby's best shot" are books I'm interested in reading but haven't read myself, yet.

[anj_rn]

I have been under the care of an allergist since I was 3.  I have had reactions to a few vaccines, but a true allergic response is rare.  It is also usually caused by a component of the vaccine, and not the disease itself.  For example, I am allergic to neomycin.  Neomycin is an antibiotic that is used as a base in some vaccines (i.e. the injectable flu vaccine) to prevent bacterial growth during the process of creating the vaccine.  I can not take any vaccine with a neomycin base, because I will have a reaction to it.  However, not all vaccine companies use the same components, so I was able to get the Hep B vax through the company that did not use neomycin.  

I have a fantastic allergist who helped me negotiate the vax process (which was especially important when i started working as an ER nurse).  He currently does full time research, and while there is a genetic link to allergies, it is not specific (i.e. the children of a person with a life threatening allergy are more likely to have a life threatening allergy, but not to the same things).  For the record, I currently have a list of 8 things that cause a life threatening response with any exposure.  Both of my children have one DS is walnuts and DD is blueberries.  I am not allergic to either.