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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!