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Dr Shapiro completed his undergraduate education at UC San Diego earning a B S in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a B A in Political Science He furthered his education at UCLA where he earned a Masters Degree in Public…
FAST FACTS
Continuing my discussion of childhood immunizations (AKA vaccines), I'd like to now share those which are recommended during the first year of your child's life. Along the way, I'll also discuss when the these vaccines are specifically recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)...not so much to further any vaccine debate but just to follow a general premise I have which is a little knowledge is a good thing.
So in no particular order, here are the diseases that make up the six recommended vaccines during year one:
Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTaP): Recommended at 2, 4 and 6 months of age, as well as boosters at 15-18 months of age and 4-6 years of age, this vaccine includes 3 different components. Diphtheria manifests as a membranous coat in the tonsillar and pharynx region. Although a mild form of the disease may appear as a simple upper respiratory like infection (cold) accompanied by fever, more severe complications include obstruction of the airway, paralysis, cardiac complications, and even death with a 5-10% case mortality rate. In the U.S., actual cases have dramatically decreased, but worldwide, outbreaks continue to occur, particularly in the former Soviet Union. Tetanus, yes, the disease we think about when we cut ourselves on a chain-linked fence, can appear in a generalized form: with severe muscular spasms and even a locking of the jaw with a case mortality rate of 10%, a localized form: spasms around the site of infection, and a cephalic form: where cranial nerve involvement occurs following wounds to the head and neck. Specifically, it is a neurotoxin produced by the Clostridium tetani that causes the disease. The very contagious pertussis (AKA whooping cough) may appear as a simple cold but in infants, can cause apnea, seizures, and death. Based on data from in the 1990s, the case mortality rate is 1% for children less than 2 months of age and <0.5% in infants 2 months to 1 year...which serves as a good reminder for adults to get their booster as earlier in this decade we were finding adults (fully immunized as children) were acquiring the disease secondary to waning immunity and then infecting infants not completely immunized. And for those interested in what the "a" represents in the DTaP...it stands for acellular. It was designed secondary to some concerning adverse reactions to the original DTP vaccine.
Polio: Spread via person-to-person contact via infected stools or oral/nasal secretions, polio was so very prevalent before the first vaccine was produced over 50 years ago (please see my Immunization I discussion for a bit more on the polio vaccine history). Although many infected persons never have any visible symptoms, approximately 1% develop paralysis often leading to permanent disability and occasional death. These days, there are two vaccines available, one being an oral form and the other being an inactivated form which is injected. Doses in the first year of life occur at 2, 4, and a 3rd booster between 6-18 months of age and a final booster between 4-6 years of age.
Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib): Infections caused by Hib include meningitis, pneumonia, and epiglottitis (a very very bad throat illness). This vaccine has been remarkable in preventing the above infections (where invasive disease has been decreased by 99%) and is recommended at 2, 4, and 6 months with a booster in the 2nd year of life. Of note, depending on whether it is part of a combo vaccine, the vaccine schedule may change. Also, in the U.S. we are currently dealing with a shortage of the vaccine so a total of 3 doses are all that is recommended at this time.
Hepatitis B: This disease attacks the liver and besides leading to lifelong infection, it can cause cirrhosis or scarring of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. In infants, the primary concern is perinatal transmission...not so much from in utero exposure (pregnant mom to developing fetus), but during the time of delivery. This is why pregnant women are tested for Hepatitis B status during pregnancy. 3 doses are recommended with the first being shortly after birth.
Pneumococcal Infections: Similar to the vaccine schedule used for Hib, this vaccine (the 7 serotype form...i.e., covering for 7 different types of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria) is used to prevent a variety of childhood illnesses ranging from ear infections to sinus infections to pneumonias to meningitis. Since 2000, when this vaccine was first used, all invasive disease caused by this bacteria has decreased by 80% for children less than 2 years of age.
Rotavirus: Although a different vaccine existed a few years back for prevention of rotavirus...which happens to be the leading cause of gastroenteritis (AKA "stomach bugs") among children worldwide, the two oral vaccines that currently exist are the newest on the block as far as what is available during the first year. In the 2-3 years since we've been using this vaccine, there has been a tremendous reduction in the number of cases here in the U.S., and therefore, emergency room visits and hospitalizations. And, to date, no increased incidence of intussusception (a concern of the vaccine from a few years ago)...where a blockage of the intestine occurs following the "telescoping" of one part of the small intestine into another part. Depending on which of the vaccines your child is given, it is either a 2 or 3 dose vaccine.
And, of course, just as a reminder, the yearly influenza vaccinations can begin at 6 months of age...usually in the Fall or Winter.
And lastly, I do apologize for the length of this discussion...but since there is so much good information about the vaccine-preventable diseases we have available for our infants, I want to make sure you get as much as possible.
Dr. Jeremy
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I really like to read.Hope to learn a lot and have a nice experience here! my best regards sir !
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Oli was a stronger baby and had nothing delayed, so I did as the health center suggested at the 12 months, and later realized I had him shot 6 times with 9 innocs. He was never the same. His teacher notices the difference a few weeks later and it continued to get worse and worse until I treated with a chelation therapy. Now he is getting better, but he has a lot to overcome, and the society is hateful and people do not understand the importance and urgency of EC treatment, and the doctors never get a clue, so the issues get worse.
And for those just looking for a bit more information about some of the vaccine preventable diseases, my next blog will discuss mmr, varicella (chicken pox), and hepatitis A.
Dr. J I do apologize for the fact that there are kids indeed damaged by vaccines. There are also others who are disrespectful and mean. We are being jacked by the doctors an the educational system and the insurance and the legislature. We are jacked by the mean people who are very sick and uneducated as well. Sorry to exist to mess up your vaccine blog.
If after 25 years of smoking a persons lungs are black and full of mucus,,, not related.
If after spending all day in the sun on the beach ones skim begins to turn red and peel.... not related.
If after eating a peanut, a person stops breathing as their throat closes ..... not related
If after being hit by a car one dies..... not related....
I see a fault in your reasoning... "symptoms...often appear around the same time as...not related. correlation is not causation" I can give you more examples of the correlation of symptoms as a direct result of their causation if you like.... millions
What scares me is a mean person jabbing babies and making them sick with autism. I hope you find some peace and stop being a mean fool. The families suffering with vaccine injured members will never believe your debate. You obviously cannot inderstand.
That being said I am not scared of my child getting these diseases as I am not injecting this crud into their chemically sensitive bodies to protect your child. I do not believe I am "hurting" my child by not vaccinating them at this time. Sorry, make sure you get caught up on yoru boosters because the amount of unvaccinated children is rising and will continue to as the truth about the dangers of vaccines gets out. Ignorance is bliss but you can't deny what is in your face anymore.
HLKS I am highly concerned that you have vaccinated your child and you don't even know for which diseases you have done so. Seriously do you not read the handouts they give you? wow. Why don't you google Hannah Poling and again state that it sounds moronic. What is moronic is to think that injecting these known neurotoxins (and other really disgusting chemicals) in mutiple doses into bodies most incapable of processing them wouldn't cause somekind of damage.
Dr Jeremy, I say this with all respect but.. I am still waiting for the good information. This is nothing more than a dumbed down version of the crap the CDC usually pumps out. Why may I asl if perinatal transmission is the primary concern for infants ("thats why all moms are tested during pregnancy") and Hep B is usually a risk for IV drug users, gay men and others who engage in high risk sexual acts we routinely vaccinate ALL infants (knowing there activites are clearly not at high risk) regardless of the mothers Heb B status?
Lastly anyone, does it piss you off that we could sue the $#!t out of the pharm companies if Viagra causes heart issues (or any other drug for that matter), but a tainted batch of any vaccine can leak out into circulation and there is not a single repercussion that can be had???
http://vaers.hhs.gov/ http://www.whate.to/ http://www.uran.org/ vaccines/autism/auto-rimland.htm www.909shots.com
I can no longer marathon run, distance swim, ride, or have a snowball fight with my children...
I am, however, still alive.
The alternative for me would have been death, so I made the only possible choice and was vaccinated. I am grateful that I was ignorant when my children were vaccinated, because I don't know what my decision would have been had I been aware of the dangers.
Parents need to have ALL the available information to be able to make their own, informed choices.
lets face it.... why do tony blair and the rich and famous go for single spaced out jabs !! got to be something in it !
http://fourteenstudies.org/studies...
And we are not just talking about autism - we are talking about immune dysfunction - allergies, auto-immune disease, ADHD, asthma. Our children are sick. Why do the countries with the lowest number of mandated vaccines (less than half that of the US) have significantly lower rates of autism and significantly lower rates of infant mortality under the age of 5:
http://www.generationrescue.org/do...
Too much of a good thing.