What You Need To Know About Vaccines and Vaccine Schedule..

Vaccine-schedule-safety

Not so long ago, I was browsing through my feed on facebook when I read a post:

“If I were you, I wouldn’t have the Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine”

This sparked interest in some of her circles and asked why especially in the midst of measles outbreak on different parts of the globe where authorities are encouraging the public to get vaccinated. As I followed the thread, it was revealed that she is a nurse and she doesn’t recommend following vaccine schedules as well as the use of synthetic drugs and just boost their immune system with vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables.  It is impractical though to be able to obtain the required vitamin C from eating vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables. According to Mark Moyad, a researcher of the University of Michigan, who studied Vitamin C only 10-20% of adults get the recommended nine serving offruits of vegetables daily thus, it is still practical to take vitamin C supplements.

She further commented that there are no researches on the safety of vaccine schedule. Honestly, the statement is unreasonable and it would be a waste of energy digging for links to prove that there were researches done nonetheless; I still left a link about a research conducted on the safety of vaccine schedules for the sake of those who believe too easy on such stupid claims.  

My hunch was right, even if there are researches about the safety of vaccine schedules, people who are really against vaccines will always find something to say against it. She posted links from anti-vaxxer websites and conspiracy theories about the big pharmaceutical industry and government. She and others in her circle believe that all the research articles posted online by big pharmaceutical industries are sponsored by the government since there is conspiracy to inflict diseases as a way to reduce population thus they target the children. Some nurses in her circle refuted her comment and I left my own comment as well however her post already scared some of the mothers to have their kids vaccinated, the survey that new mothers usually resort to social media for health advice is indeed true.

I was shocked on the reaction of others, how easy they can be persuaded. Indeed, we live in an era where the power of social media is undeniable thus everyone should think more than twice about the things being shared on social media platforms especially when it comes to sensitive issues.

What is vaccine schedule?

Vaccine schedule is also known as immunization schedule. These are the schedules of vaccines especially on children at a certain age which actually starts from birth.  It is a guide for health practitioners and parents on what vaccines should be routinely given.

Vaccine schedule for measles on children are being recommended by CDC at two doses and this is in combination with mumps and rubella (MMR). One dose of MMR vaccine is 93% effective while two doses are about 97% effective against measles. The first dose can be given to kids 12 months to 15 months and the second one to kids’ ages 4 to 6 years old.  There is a lifelong protection for measles after completing these vaccine schedules.

Measles vaccine can be given to babies below 12 months on certain conditions such as outbreaks or international travel. When my daughter was 6 months old, there was a case of measles infection in our area so the health care worker gave her measles vaccine, a month after that the number of measles case increased prompting health care workers to launch measles vaccination drive. 

CDC recommends that when children received MMR vaccine before their first birthday they should still follow the vaccine schedule, one when they are 12-15 months and the second dose from 4 years old through 6 years old or 28 days apart from the first dose.  For infants 6 months to 11 months who will be travelling internationally, it is recommended that they should get one dose of measles vaccine and for children ages 12 months. Vaccine schedules for teenagers and adults are 2 doses which are 28 days apart.

There are measles outbreaks in the US, as of this writing, and it was reported by CDC that these outbreaks are linked to travelers coming from countries having large measles outbreaks such as Philippines, Ukraine, and Israel. The majority of people who were infected with measles were unvaccinated. Refusals of vaccines by most of the affected communities were attributed to misinformation about vaccines.

How are vaccine schedules determined?

Robyn Correll, a Master of Public Health (MPH) graduate detailed in his article “how vaccine schedules are determined”. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of 15 voting members who are experts in the field of public health and medical practice, makes recommendation regarding vaccine schedules which is later adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and used by all medical teams in the country to vaccinate patients. Vaccine schedules differ from country to country depending on the factors. Also, schedule doesn’t apply to everyone, a medical condition of a child is just one of the deciding factors if the child should be vaccinated early or there is a need to adjust the dosage.

Why so many vaccine schedules for children under age five?

While it may seem alarming or scary to have the kids vaccinated at an early age especially before the age of two to five, it is at this stage that most kids are vulnerable to some disease and extensive research have been conducted on vaccine schedules. It is at that stage where the vaccine will have great impact in their immune system. It was also found out that most vaccines will work when given more than one dose. American Academy of Pediatrics addressed some of the public’s queries about vaccine and vaccine schedules in their article: The Childhood Immunization Schedule: why is it like that?

Pneumococcal vaccine for example, when I was working as a hospital pharmacist, cases of pneumonia on unvaccinated kids below 2 years old are relatively high. Some even are hospitalized before they reach 2 months old. Vaccine schedule of PCV starts at 2 months old then 4 months, 6 months and at 12-15 months.  Kids are most vulnerable to pneumococcal strains before they reach 2 years old. WHO reported that there are about 90 distinct pneumococcal strains and the pneumococcal vaccines available at the present will only protect 13 types which causes the most common pneumococcal infections in kids and one is PPSV23 against 23 types. Estimated duration of protection from pneumococcal vaccine after receipt of all recommended dose is greater than four to five years.

Are there any researches on the safety of vaccine schedules?

The claim that there are no researches on the safety of vaccine schedules is really unrealistic.  Studies on the safety of vaccine schedules are constantly being conducted. In the US, Vaccine Safety Data (VSD), a collaborative project between CDC’s immunization Safety Office and eight health care organizations was created in 1990. They continuously conduct researches on the safety of vaccine schedules. Big pharmaceutical company may have invented vaccines but not only is the FDA involved when it comes to recommendation of vaccine schedules. Researches on the safety of vaccine schedules are continuously conducted by different agencies and groups of experts in the field.

If you still have some doubts you should also read the book “The childhood ImmunizationSchedule and Safety: Stakeholder Concerns, Scientific Evidence and FutureStudies at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) resources.

Ignorance or not delving deep to find more information before making judgment is dangerous. The information we need are all there, we just have to dig. If you are too bitter then you would think everything or everyone you don’t like want to harm you and if you are too gullible, giving in so easy without knowing further could put yourself or those people around you on the line.

There are researches about the safety of vaccine schedules so please stop spreading ignorance!