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!

Are herbal medicines safe and effective?

‘He was having dialysis then decided to take herbal medicine someone offered him and after few months he passed away”. It has been years since my brother told me this frightening story but it always comes to mind each time I hear people claim about the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines. We live in a world where there is a continuous epidemic caused by evolution and the never ending deterioration of our environment and so what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. Healthy living will always be a concern but the strategies will not always be the same. There is a need to embrace some changes.

When it comes to healthy living, herbal medicines are significant but synthetic drug products are significant too. What people fear the most are the side effects and adverse reactions, no known synthetic drug do not have any side effect. It is most unlikely that there will be no drug-drug interaction when taking multiple drugs at the same time and some could be fatal. However, do the noted side effects of synthetic drugs make the herbal medicines more safe and effective? One of the things people fear is damaging their kidneys and liver from synthetic drugs thus resort to herbal medicines. 

This could be true with paracetamol/acetaminopen, an over the counter drug where in overdose of this drug is one of the leading causes of liver failure however when it comes to totally stopping your heart medications and opt to herbal medications instead, it could harm your kidney more. Losartan for example, is an antihypertensive drug which helps in future heart attacks, strokes, and kidney problems related to diabetes. Do not just stop your medications, you have to be open to your health care practitioner because what you think is a bad effect could be otherwise or they will adjust the dosage of your prescribed medication if it is safe to take it with herbal medicine or you don’t have any underlying condition where taking that herbal medicine could have serious side effects.

When you use or decoct herbal plants for example, are you well knowledgeable about doing it or using it? There is proper decoction of herbal plants for you to achieve its potency and efficacy. When using such herbal plants you need to have proper knowledge about the plant. It might do you more harm when you don’t have enough knowledge about the extraction procedure and dosage because some plants are highly toxic. The lack of information about herbal medicines is being taken for granted and some just think it is 100% safe because it is natural.

Before a new synthetic drug product will be out in the market it will undergo 15-20 years or more of study which includes clinical trials on both animals and humans. After the safety and efficacy has been established well then it will be fully approved by the FDA and even if these products are already approved, there will still be continuous monitoring of the drug product, thus you may have heard that some drug products have been recalled in the market.

Unlike synthetic medicines herbal medicines are not required to undergo rigorous scientific research and study using clinical trials to establish the safety of the drug. There are some that have undergone clinical trials but not all herbal medicines went through the process. I have seen some people who are against synthetic drug products and post on social media platforms encouraging others to always read the drug inserts of drug products which will prove to them that vaccines or synthetic drugs are not safe because of the listed side effects. Studies on the safety of vaccine schedules are constantly conducted! (but wait! you better click and read this if you believe the stupid rumor)....... 

It is true, it is always best to read drug inserts especially those of over the counter drugs since 90-95% of the information you need to know are already there, those inserts are there to help the public. However it doesn’t mean that because most of the herbal medicines don’t have drug inserts which indicates the side effects, it is already safe and effective. It may be a safer alternative to pharmaceutical drugs on some health conditions like colds, arthritis and cough but there are so many health conditions where it has no therapeutic effect at all and only synthetic medicine can do the work.

Ironically, people in some networking companies especially in developing countries selling herbal medicines with “No Approved Therapeutic Claims” written on the boxes would pitch those medicines could cure serious diseases. Herbal medicines that have no therapeutic claims are excellent supplements and help in the prevention of diseases however these could not treat serious diseases such as life threatening diseases. It is unethical to interfere someone’s medical treatment that was advised by a physician or health care practitioner and tell them to use herbal medicines instead. An expert practitioner in the field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) will never tell you to abandon your conventional medical treatment prescribed by a physician and use herbal or natural products instead.

The proper use of complementary and alternative medicine; and conventional medicine are all essential in healthy living. Complementary and alternative medicines are used to prevent diseases and should not be used alone to treat serious or life threatening illnesses. You cannot just give a dose of herbal medicine to someone who is having a heart attack for example however; herbal medicine can improve heart health and prevent the occurrence of heart attack. 

Though high quality herbal medicines are known to treat some health conditions, one should still consult a physician or a practitioner in the field before using herbal medicines together with pharmaceutical products or before refusing conventional medicine and opting to herbal treatment especially if you have multiple illnesses. For example, one of the uses of garlic is to lower cholesterol level however it is not recommended to use this together with antithrombotic drugs because it could increase bleeding. That is why this is not recommended to people who are scheduled to have a surgery because it might prolong bleeding same with people who have bleeding disorders. These is just one of the things one should know when taking garlic but there are more one needs to know.

If we are to study healthy living, complementary and alternative medicines are one of the strategies including herbal medicines however the claim of some that this is 100% effective and safe is too good to be true. Herbal medicine can be a safe alternative and can be as effective or more effective than other synthetic medicine on some health conditions only. 

The integration of complementary medicine and conventional medicine are being integrated recently which is called integrative medicine. More studies and researches are being done in this field on the integration of both practices in various health conditions. After all, balance is what we need.

Binge Eating and Diarrhea

binge-eating-and-diarrhea

It wouldn't surprise me if for the past few days a lot patients have been going to the emergency room for diarrhea, nausea and upset stomach, after all, long holidays just passed by and a lot have been binging on food. Large meals, chocolates, fatty foods, alcohols and sweets could exacerbate irritable bowel syndrome causing diarrhea on patients. It could be bacterial infection as well caused by contaminated food or water ingested. As a hospital pharmacist, I have received a lot of prescriptions for oral rehydration salt from patients who just had their check up at the emergency room.

During festivities, a lot of people have erratic and irregular eating habits causing a lot Gastrointestinal problems including diarrhea. The first thing that would come to mind when someone begins to have a diarrhea after eating a large meal is that the person must have eaten something that doesn't agree with their stomach or it could be contaminated, however, when they are used to eating small amount of meals it could put a strain on their digestive system to process what they have ingested faster which could eventually irritate the digestive system and lead to forceful expulsion of the excess food either by vomiting or diarrhea. Stretching of the stomach or upper bowel can stimulate the contractions in the colon that lead to bowel movement. The bowel movement may not be always diarrhea but if overeating continues or is really excessive and if there are other factors that alters stool formation then it could result to diarrhea.

Diarrhea due to eating excessive amount of food does not require antibacterials. You just need to be hydrated and get some bed rest. You have to ensure adequate oral rehydration and fluid intake. You can buy oral rehydration salts over the counter and this should within 24 hours upon mixing. Any excess should be discarded. You can also prepare your own homemade solution by adding 1 teaspoon of salt and 4 teaspoon of sugar to 1 liter of water. If it persist then you have to consult a physician or go to the hospital.