Question about Hib shot - Page 3

[NewMom0208]

Thank you Holly!

May I ask
What are the main statements you used to decide on this vaccine?

I am hesitating because

1) HIB is not that common... 3 in 100.000 if that is true the chances are slim
2) The whole serotype replacement matter
3) I am terrified of preservatives such as aluminun and mercury
4) vaccines are never 100% effective
5) I was originally considering only vaccines I got myself as a child, and from those I already dicarded polio and tetanus, still researching HIB and Whooping cough. I didn't get HIB vaccine as a child
6) I've read about non-vax children and how their moms managed other illnesses when they did arise, but not HIB.

So, what are the statements you would use to describe your HIB choice?
Thank you in advance

[hollytheteacher]

for me it was several reasons. One being that even though it's rare, it is serious enough that if he were to get it, i would not know how to treat it nor would i trust doctors today to be able to treat it and i couldn't' live with myself knowing it was vaccine preventable.

The main reason also was that it is the lowest possible on the entire vaccine list to cause any negative reactions/side effects. Also, if you get the right brand (i'm blanking right now on the name but it's in the dr. sears book) there is no aluminum in it.

I totally respect anyone's decision not to get it, but for me, i just felt more comfortable with him being vaccinated against it. Also, my new dr is great and amazing and supportive of any vax schedule and she felt like I made the right choice going with hib and prevnar for now and revisiting the idea of other vaxes when he's older.

[rredhead]

NewMom0208, you mentioned that your child gets formula. My son was entirely formula fed. He had one vax, the Hib, 3 times, at 6, 9, and 12 months (or thereabouts). He is just as healthy (or unhealthy, if you're a glass half empty kind of person) as a close friend's babies who are/were exclusively breastfed and not vaxxed at all. So, I wouldn't let the formula thing enter into the equation.
Here: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/default.htm
you can open the CDC Pink Book. Chapter 9 is about Hib. This is a good place to start learning about the disease.
The problem is, before the vaccine was created, they didn't actually track cases of Hib. At least, from what I've read, they just tracked cases of all types of meningitis. So they're extrapolating as opposed to basing the info on hard data.
I hope this helps!