Another Question about Prevnar...

[katiegrace]

Ok, so I have been doing tons of research on Prevnar, HIB and the DTap vaccines. Those were the only ones I was even considering for my daughter. After more research, I will definately NOT be doing the DTap, and I won't be doing the HIB either. I don't want to do the Prevnar either, but I still have some questions, and I'm still terrified she'll get meningitis. Anyways, from what I"ve read about Prevnar, serotype replacement seems to be the biggest concern. I know that strain 19A is coming up big and strong now, and I read in Dr. Sears book and maybe somewhere else that 90-some percent of the severe cases at a couple of children's hospitals were strains not covered in the vaccine. So here's my question(s)....Is it because most everyone is vaccinated, so that's why most of the cases are from new strains? That they are protected from the 7 most common strains so the vaccine is working? Or, would it be the new strains that were becoming more common anyways, even if kids weren't vaccinated? Also, is vaccinating making our kids MORE succeptible to the new strains making it dangerous since we are keeping them safe from 7 strains, but making them MORE likely to get another strain that they couldn't be protected against? But if they weren't vaccinated would they have gotten one of the seven strains and still had a serious infection anyways? I"m so confused!! A part of me feels like I should vaccinate her, with the reasoning that she'll at least be protected against 7 strains, even though she could still get a serious infection from another strain...At least there will be some protection for her, but I don't want to do that it if makes her MORE likely to one of the other strains...that's kinda pointless, right? I guess I just want to make sure I"m understanding the whole sero-replacement stuff correctly and wondering if the vaccine is doing more good than harm, or more harm than good, I guess. Thanks!

[alegna]

Total numbers of cases of meningitis have not gone down from any of the vaxes.

You did not have prevnar- ever remember worrying about it?

-Angela

[katiegrace]

Originally Posted by alegna

Total numbers of cases of meningitis have not gone down from any of the vaxes.

You did not have prevnar- ever remember worrying about it?

-Angela

Angela...Do you have any links to show that the total # of cases haven't gone down? I'd love to show my husband...I remember reading somewhere (i wish i could remember where) that the total # of cases of meningitis have gone down since the vacccine came out (it was a pro vax site), and I remember so many people say that it hasn't (which makes me feel better about non-vaxing, but I'd love to be able to show my husband.) Also, I do keep reminding myself that the vaccine is only 8 years old and that there isn't even a vaccine for the meningococcal...and my ped has never once mentioned her catching meningitis from that...but she has mentioned how she could die from HIB and pneumococcal bacteria. I try tell myself that nobody older than 8 years old had the vaccine, but I still can't help but worry about my baby...I wish I wasn't so worried!! Thanks for the reply!

[mamakay]

Read this, and check out the original research it links to:

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/...-vaccines-iii/

Sounds like a slam dunk for the pneumococcal conjugate (Prevnar, aka PCV7) vaccine, doesn’t it? It’s true that pneumococcal disease went down, but when you look at the overall picture, with the interspecies competitions taken into account, a different picture emerges.

This chart from the same study shows that although pneumococcal bacteremia went down, other species of bacteria filled in the ecological niche, plus some, resulting in an overall increase in bacteremia.

The argument could be made that perhaps Prevnar is preventing bacterial meningitis, the nastiest of the invasive bacterial diseases. But this chart from the same study shows that, no, Prevnar hasn’t done anything to curb overall bacterial meningitis after replacement effects are taken into account.

[katiegrace]

Thank you!!

[Deborah]

What we've got to keep up front:

Meningitis is caused by a lot of different bugs. The underlying cause is an inability of the host body to prevent invasion into a vulnerable part of the body. So the best prevention is not a vaccine, but a body that is able to block invasion.

We carry all sorts of crap in our system all the time. Why does stuff go wrong? This is what needs to be studied.

The vaccine approach is like sticking thousands of fingers into a crumbling dike, instead of figuring out how to build an effective dike.

[katiegrace]

Good point...Isn't there a book about telling you how to naturally have a healthy baby?? Does anyone know the name of it? Health Baby Happy Child...is that it? Is it any good?

Originally Posted by Deborah

What we've got to keep up front:

Meningitis is caused by a lot of different bugs. The underlying cause is an inability of the host body to prevent invasion into a vulnerable part of the body. So the best prevention is not a vaccine, but a body that is able to block invasion.

We carry all sorts of crap in our system all the time. Why does stuff go wrong? This is what needs to be studied.

The vaccine approach is like sticking thousands of fingers into a crumbling dike, instead of figuring out how to build an effective dike.

[mamakay]

Breastfeeding is highly protective against invasive bacterial infections.

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/...breastfeeding/

[katiegrace]

Oh that's really good....I ebf my dd right now. We're gonna start solids in the next month or so, and I play on BFing until she is 2. Thanks!

[mamakay]

You're welcome.