New Rotavirus Vaccine on the Schedule - Page 2

[Naless]

I have cared for two children who had rotovirus. I think the issue that needs to be discussed is prevention not vaccination. Rotovirus is caused mainly by unsanitary conditions-changing of diapers and not washing hands and then ingesting the virus. My eldest was 16 months when she contracted rotovirus at daycare. She was hospitalized for 3 days because of dehydration. My cousin (who I helped care for)was 6 months old and was inpatient in the NICU due to premature birth (born at 28 weeks) and a heart defect. She contracted the virus in the NICU. This illness can be avoided by washing your hands.

[majormajor]

i haven't really looked into this one yet, it wasn't offered to DD as she's 21 months old. but i did want to chime in and say that vomiting and diarrhea so severe as to require hospitalization is nothing to dismiss. when i weigh this vaccine with DC #2 (who isn't in the works yet), i'll consider those 55,000 - 70,000 hospitalizations very seriously.

[prettypixels]

I don't know why death is considered the ONLY bad thing that can happen. Of course it is the worst thing that can happen. But my godson spent a month in Children's hospital with rotavirus and complications ensuing, and I can tell you... spending a month in the hospital is a Pretty Bad Thing. Driving an hour out of my way to get clothes for my girlfriend who was covered from head to toe in puke and diahrrhea (which, btw, both looked exactly the same) was also pretty bad. Ick.

That's funny that a pediatrician is perfectly fine letting a vax be experimented on "everyone else's kids."

[BlueLetterLover]

When my son was an infant, his pedi asked us to participate in a new study of the Rotavirus vaccine. I believe Merck was the one doing it? (that could be totally wrong, so don't bet my life on it!) We were given a journal each week. Everytime he was given the liquid (orally) we had to write down any side effects. Thankfully, he never had any. We found out about a year later they had given him the placebo. I remember asking the nurse what the placebo was and she said "ya know, like sugar and water." I later found out that was a blatant lie. They used many other chemicals to mimick the vaccine in the placebo, of which could have been dangerous in themselves.

None of my kids will get any vaccinations from this point on, including RotaTeq. (sp)

Jamie

[Electra375]

For your school question -- probably not.
Why?
HIB is on the pedi list, but not on schools here in VA. WHY? Age appropriateness. The HIB vax is not intended for children over 5 yrs of age at which point their bodies are probably able to fight the disease naturally or they are just not at risk for catching it.

[MoonWillow]

Originally Posted by LoveChild421

Our pediatrician is very pro-vax and even she advises AGAINST the rotavirus vaccine.

Same here; our ped is pro-vax but she advises against this one.

[Genesis]

subbing

[2handsomesons]

Originally Posted by BlueLetterLover

When my son was an infant, his pedi asked us to participate in a new study of the Rotavirus vaccine. I believe Merck was the one doing it? (that could be totally wrong, so don't bet my life on it!) We were given a journal each week. Everytime he was given the liquid (orally) we had to write down any side effects. Thankfully, he never had any. We found out about a year later they had given him the placebo. I remember asking the nurse what the placebo was and she said "ya know, like sugar and water." I later found out that was a blatant lie. They used many other chemicals to mimick the vaccine in the placebo, of which could have been dangerous in themselves.

None of my kids will get any vaccinations from this point on, including RotaTeq. (sp)

Jamie

Didn't I read your story someplace else?? I can't remember where, but I know I read your story before.

[2handsomesons]

Originally Posted by prettypixels

I don't know why death is considered the ONLY bad thing that can happen. Of course it is the worst thing that can happen. But my godson spent a month in Children's hospital with rotavirus and complications ensuing, and I can tell you... spending a month in the hospital is a Pretty Bad Thing. Driving an hour out of my way to get clothes for my girlfriend who was covered from head to toe in puke and diahrrhea (which, btw, both looked exactly the same) was also pretty bad. Ick.

That's funny that a pediatrician is perfectly fine letting a vax be experimented on "everyone else's kids."

Death most definitely isn't the only bad thing that can happen with these diseases. There are many things that can happen with any disease. Secondary infections and the like.

It's pretty rare, in my understanding, that what happened to your child happened at all. But I can understand why that experience would cause someone to think differently about a vaccine against this virus. The only problem is that so many people are getting rotavirus from the vaccine and ending up in the hospital with intususception. That's scary too.

As with anything, we all have to weight the benefits vs. the potential risks. That's a decision each parent has to make for their own children.

Live viruses and diseases make me nervous, personally.

[2handsomesons]

Originally Posted by Naless

I have cared for two children who had rotovirus. I think the issue that needs to be discussed is prevention not vaccination. Rotovirus is caused mainly by unsanitary conditions-changing of diapers and not washing hands and then ingesting the virus. My eldest was 16 months when she contracted rotovirus at daycare. She was hospitalized for 3 days because of dehydration. My cousin (who I helped care for)was 6 months old and was inpatient in the NICU due to premature birth (born at 28 weeks) and a heart defect. She contracted the virus in the NICU. This illness can be avoided by washing your hands.

In a pamphlet that talks about rotavirus (made my the vaccine manufacturers), they say that handwashing will NOT prevent the spread of the virus. It says that with most other viruses and illnesses, handwashing greatly reduces the spread of disease, but with rotavirus, that's not the case.

Has anyone else read this?

[mamakay]

Handwashing should help a little bit, but it's not going to keep it away forever. The virus is just too contagious.

[OllieMama]

my ds just had this vaccine today. I thought I was going to be vaxing him for most except the mmr, but I'm realizing how uninformed that is of me...

[BlueLetterLover]

Originally Posted by 2handsomesons

Didn't I read your story someplace else?? I can't remember where, but I know I read your story before.

hmmm, not sure on that one. I belong to other boards, but most of them are due date boards. kwim? Who knows! lol

[Proverbs31]

In a pamphlet that talks about rotavirus (made my the vaccine manufacturers), they say that handwashing will NOT prevent the spread of the virus. It says that with most other viruses and illnesses, handwashing greatly reduces the spread of disease, but with rotavirus, that's not the case.

Has anyone else read this?

The difference with rotavirus is that it can survive for a much longer period of time than many other viruses. Like measles and mumps viruses (for example) are quickly deactivated by light and heat so they don't survive on surfaces very long, but rotavirus can survive for weeks or months on undisinfected surfaces. Good handwashing habits does wonders to prevent the spread of rotavirus, as well as sanitizing shared toys.

[cahwilson]

Just thought I would share...Dd was vaxed through 6 months before we stopped, and the ped presented the Rotateq vax as mandatory along with the others. I didn't think anything of it at the time. She actually did get rotavirus from the vax and was sick for a week with lasting digestion problems. B/c of that vax she went through the rotavirus at a very young age when she probably would not have had it naturally until she was much older. She had digestion issues and pain that took several months and lots of probiotics to help. She was miserable after every dose and I would have rather her caught rotavirus on her own. There was no need for her to go through that. Our ped did agree it was from rotateq, but also said it was a normal reaction.

[javamama]

My DD is 2 months old and at her WBV today, the ped talked me into this one by pointing to my two school age children saying that this baby is vunerable because of siblings bringing the disease home. I hadn't thought about the dehydration issue. She is completely breastfed and of course I now how to watch for dehydration. I was not informed this was a live virus, in fact I thought I had asked?? Now I worry I will actually GIVE this virus to my school age children fro getting the vaccine. I have alot of homework to do regarding vaccination before our next pedi visit!

[Electra375]

Originally Posted by javamama

I have alot of homework to do regarding vaccination before our next pedi visit!

You can hold off and delay vaccination until you do all the research you need to do to feel comfortable in a decision. It is perfectly okay to stop in the middle and pick up where you left off, if you choose to continue w that vax or vaxing in general. You don't even have to finish a round if you change your mind about a vax.

Parents need to live by the oath "first do no harm" as well as doctors. Doctors seem to fail at this oath all the time and they should know better, since they don't know better, we as parents MUST know more.

Knowledge is empowering. But remember "Absolute Power corrupts absolutely" and once you start looking, you will see Big Pharmaceutical Companies are nearing that "absolute power" position, look at who finances political campaigns, yes it is that important to know who finances those in positions of power over us "the people". Our representatives don't vote for the people, they are voting for their political campaign contributions, as in they feel obligated to vote in a way that benefits those who paid their way into their state or national congressional seat. Also look at lobbiest.

I did not know how far this went until I researched my local state representative when I was working on state midwifery bills. I was appauled. His solution was he was absence from the voting session the day the bill was passed. But he did not help one bit, we thought he was going to vote against it, but I think he realized that would cause an uproar from the women of his district. WE had just recently made headlines and a mockery out of another legislator for his efforts to put a bill into the session that would make pregnant woman who had a miscarriage report it to the police w in so many hours or face criminal charges, I say miscarriage here b/c the law was unspecific on the fetal age the law was to cover. Anyway, the point is, money is the reason vaccines are pushed today, not for the "common safety of others".

Follow the money and really look at the agendas to promote vaxes that have not been proven safe or even effective. The Rotoshield in 98 was pulled, the RotoTech (I think) is causing the same problems the former did. This is not "first do no harm" medicine.

[javamama]

Thank you electra. I am aware of the big pharmaceuticals practices and I guess that is why I haven't done the research yet. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the task of finding out the truth. I DO believe that there is some benefit to some vaccines. I am saddened that pediatritians are not able to advise on this issue in an unbiased way, that their advice has become suspect. My ped is well known for being okay with not vaxing, his nurse asked me if we would be having shots today, but when he came in the rom, he was all about recommending them ALL, not just assisting in the decision making KWIM? I recently heard his partner is ANTI vax and may make an appt with her. I am at a place where I don't feel right vaxing, but don't feel okay not to either. I want to come from a strong and informed position.

Eek, sorry to hijack, feeling emotional this morning. Held my sweet two month old last night who was sore from shots. I don't think it was anything more than sore injection sites, but it makes me sad. This may have been the first and last in the series for her.

[Electra375]

It is overwhelming. I did not start my decision to selectively vax and then moved to non-vaxing based on politics, the money connection came much later. I only knew that my brain was telling me the schedule for a baby is insane and even myself growing up overseas with things no child should be vax for had less vaxes than what was scheduled for my first. I said no to him being injected with 4 shots at once which was then 6 diseases worth.

I researched the disease, the prevenlance in my area, the chances of my child coming into contact with it, the chances of the disease being serious enough that home care would not be sufficient, rate of actual death in a healthy person and what healthy means for me has changed over time. Then I countered that with what the vax does, how it does it, does it work, what risks are associated w the vax.
And then meshed to 2 together to come up with my decision to not vax at this time.

I slowly learned about what vax terms mean like Recombant - that is altered DNA or RNA, human mix w animal in most cases. Um, not happening while I'm responsible for my children's bodies.

A little bit at a time I researched as time allowed. If I find I'm thinking maybe this or that, I look at the facts again, however many times I need to. If I ever change my mind, I know I can. If my children decide to vax themselves as adults that will be their choice and I hope I can help them make an informed one.

[Mbella]

My doctor not only advises against the rotavirus vaccine (like others mentioned), but he refuses to give them at all! He says that the side effects can be very dangerous and be worse than the virus.