Selective Vaccination

Medical studies show that any type of vaccination, single or combined, can cause damage, so I don't think one is any safer over another.

However, if you have decided to vaccinate or selectively vaccinate, we have put together this page.

Can I choose Some Vaccines And Not Others?

Yes. For instance, if you didn't want the 5-in-1 but you still wanted meningitis C, you could refuse the 5-in-1 and accept the meningitis C.

If your child has had a previous adverse reaction that you think is due to pertussis vaccine, your GP may be able to order in a DT vaccine instead. Some GP's refuse because their government guideline is to give the 5-in-1.

If you object to the 5-in-1, but still wanted DPT, you could buy it privately from a private vaccine clinic.

At this time, single measles, mumps, rubella, injectable polio and single tetanus vaccines are available at some private clinics. If you want this option but don't know where to go, please contact us and we'll tell you.

If you want single rubella vaccine without the aborted fetal tissue in it, you can ask the private clinics to source a brand made without it. This is becoming increasingly difficult, though, as some manufacturer's, like Merck, are stopping making their single vaccines and the combination shots like MMR always contain fetal tissue.

Do I Have To Start Vaccinating At 2 Months?

No. You don't have to vaccinate at all, but if you choose to, you can choose when you start. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that early vaccination causes auto-immune problems and even cot death.

You could choose to delay the first shots until one year old to reduce the number of shots.
For instance, pertussis is not fatal in children over one year old, so if you waited till your child was over one, you wouldn't require the pertussis vaccine. You would also only require one dose of meningitis C and prevnar as opposed to the several doses 'required' starting at 2 months.

You could wait until your child was 2 before you gave any vaccines. When Japan changed their schedule and started it at 2 years, their cot death disappeared. The child's blood/brain barrier isn't fully developed till age 3, so some parents wait until the pre-school shots at that age and just give those.

It is entirely your choice and if a doctor says you can't, they're lying.

If I Have Started Vaccinating But Change My Mind, Is It Safe To Stop Half Way Through A Course?

Yes. Vaccines contain things like aluminium which have an accumulative effect (they build up in the body) so actually the more shots you have, the more risk of side-effects.

There won't be any adverse effect from abandoning a course of injections.

What Safety Considerations Are There?

If you choose multiple combination vaccines, bear in mind that if your child has a reaction, it will be difficult to tell which vaccine he is reacting to, which will make it difficult to report and difficult to monitor vaccine safety in general.

Consider using only single vaccines so you can accurately identify what your child is reacting to, should he have a reaction. Single viruses are also less of a challenge to his immune system.

Make sure your child is not contraindicated before the shots. (Read the contraindications on this site). If he has suffered from fits in the past, if he's had a previous adverse reaction, if he's feverish, got an infection or an allergy to any of the vaccine ingredients, DON'T vaccinate him. If he has a cold, postpone the shot until he is well. Sick children should never be vaccinated.

Make sure your doctor or nurse discusses your family history with you in detail prior to the shot.

Ask to see the manufacturer's data sheet for the jab prior to it being given so you are fully aware of side-effects. You can also do this to make sure they are giving your child the right vaccine. I have known doctor's who've purposefully given DPT when the parent requested tetanus and if you don't check the vaccine leaflet and packaging, how are you to know what your child is being given?

Make sure your doctor records the manufacturer's name and lot numbers of the vaccines in your child's red book. You will need these if your child suffers an adverse event, if you wish to report it or make a claim for compensation.

Give your child 3,000mgs vitamin C supplement per day for 1 month prior to vaccination and 1 month after. Vitamin C can stop adverse events and protect against sudden death after vaccination (see cot death page for details). Sometimes high doses of vitamin C will give your child loose stools, but it is not harmful. You cannot overdose on vitamin C as any that is not used is reabsorbed by the body. It is vital for a vaccinated child.

Consider giving homeopathic nosodes afterwards to ease any adverse effects.

Serious adverse effects including brain damage and death can occur rarely, and in these cases, homeopathy won't help.

How Can I Ease The Pain of Injections?

These days with babies being given three shots in one sitting, relieving the pain is paramount.

One of my daughter's has a genetic condition and when she had a blood test, her arm was numbed with lidocaine anesthetic beforehand, so she couldn't feel the pain.

It made me wonder why they don't do this when they vaccinate babies - unless it is because they have so many to do, they wouldn't have time to ensure it's pain free?

You can insist on an anesthetic preparation being given prior to any shots. If they say no, tell them no shots until your baby is numbed. I am sure they would rapidly agree. I don't consent to any blood tests on my children until they do this.

Breast feeding during the shots has been shown to reduce pain. This is because breast feeding releases endorpins, the body's natural pain killer, and it also comforts the baby.

Objective

To investigate interventions that affect pain reduction during vaccination in infants and children attending a well-child unit.
Study design

A consecutive sample of 243 children between age 0 and 48 months receiving their routine vaccinations was randomly assigned to 1 of the study groups. A total of 158 infants under age 6 months were randomly assigned to breast-feeding or no breast-feeding during immunization, and 85 children age 6 to 48 months were randomly assigned to receive 12% sucrose solution, lidocaine-prilocaine cream, or no intervention. All children were evaluated for crying time and pain score by a pediatrician using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) for those under age 12 months and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS) for those over age 12 months.
Results

Breast-feeding in infants under age 6 months and use of sucrose or lidocaine-prilocaine in children age 6 to 48 months significantly reduced crying time and pain scores compared with controls. No difference in outcome was seen between the sucrose and lidocaine-prilocaine treatment groups.
Conclusions

Here we expand on previous findings by demonstrating that breast-feeding may have an analgesic effect up to age 6 months and that in older children, both sucrose and lidocaine-prilocaine reduce vaccination pain.

Source: Journal of Pediatrics, 2003 - D . Dilli , I . Küçük , Y . Dallar).

If the staff don't want you to breast feed during the shot, as I have heard some mums say, don't consent to it. It's your decision and will be on your terms.

53% of Formula Fed Babies Suffer Fever After Vaccination and Only 25% of Fully Breast Fed Babies do - Make Sure You Exclusively Breast Feed so Your Child Has Less Chance of Vaccine Side-Effects!

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of breastfeeding on the risk for fever after routine immunizations.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a pediatricvaccination center in Naples, Italy. The mothers of the infants scheduled to receive routine immunizations were instructed on how to measure and record infant temperature on the evening of the vaccination and for the subsequent 3 days. The information about the incidence of fever was obtained by telephone on the third day after vaccination. The relative risk for fever in relation to the type of breastfeeding was estimated in multivariate analyses that adjusted for vaccine dose, maternal education and smoking, and number of other children in the household.

RESULTS: A total of 460 infants were recruited, and information on the
outcome was obtained for 450 (98%). Fever was reported for 30 (25%),48 (31%), and 94 (53%) of the infants who were being exclusively breastfed, partially breastfed, or not breastfed at all, respectively (P
.01). The relative risk for fever among infants who were exclusively and partially breastfed was 0.46 (95% confidence interval: 0.33– 0.66) and 0.58 (95% confidence interval: 0.44–0.77), respectively. The protection conferred by breastfeeding persisted even when considering the role of several potential confounders.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, breastfeeding was associated with a decreased incidence of fever after immunizations.

Source: Pediatrics 2010;125:e1448–e1452