Babies and immunisations
But if you’re swinging towards not bothering to get your child vaccinated you need to focus on the bigger picture. Yes, your child may be at a fairly low risk of contracting many childhood illnesses because ‘herd immunity’ ensures she’s unlikely to come into contact with children who have those illnesses. But if enough parents don’t get their children vaccinated, herd immunity is at risk and won’t provide your child with a safety net.
At the end of the day, deciding not to vaccinate your baby doesn’t just affect her health and wellbeing – it also affects your health and wellbeing and that of her siblings and any other child (or adult) she comes into contact with – especially those who can’t be immunised due to health problems like leukaemia, or babies who haven’t yet had their first immunisations or completed the course. Immunising your child helps to protect their health as well as hers. So what do you need to factor into your decision?
Rare illnesses making a comeback
Many parents use the argument that it isn’t worth having their child immunized because the diseases they get vaccinated against have all but been eradicated. It’s true that many of the diseases in question are now rare – but we’ve reached this point because of immunisation. There is a real risk that if the number of unvaccinated children continues to grow, these diseases could make a comeback.The UK has seen measles outbreaks in the last few years and the number of children currently not vaccinated against this common illness is at an all-time low due to concerns over the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella (German measles). In fact, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has recently warned that some parts of the UK could be on the verge of a measles epidemic. People travel to the UK every day from countries where diseases such as measles and diphtheria are rife, exposing your unvaccinated baby to possible infection if they spread the virus.
Vaccine safety
Vaccines have to meet high safety standards and are only licensed for use after stringent testing. Once they start being used, they’re continually monitored to keep track of their safety and effectiveness.Vaccines are weakened versions of the viruses that cause illness. While the diseases themselves could potentially weaken your child’s immune system to the point where she might pick up another illness if she caught chickenpox or measles, the vaccines don’t.
Many parents worry that the immunisation schedule exposes their baby to more bacteria than her immune system can cope with. It’s natural to worry – but it’s nothing she can’t handle. In fact, from the moment she’s born her body is exposed to many different viruses every day. Her immunisations are a drop in the ocean compared to what she encounters in the air she breathes and the food she eats. Another point to remember is that vaccines aren’t as potent as they used to be. With these facts in mind, most experts recommend simultaneous vaccination wherever possible.
The link with autism
One myth that lives on is that the MMR can potentially cause autism. Two scientific studies carried out in 90s are the source of this belief but follow-up research hasn’t found any evidence of a link and have discredited the original studies, suggesting that the methods used were flawed.
Other studies suggest that the increase in autism isn’t associated with use of the MMR and that the incidence of autism is the same in children whether or not they’ve had the MMR. Ongoing research is indicating that the roots of autism may be genetic and new diagnostic techniques are now spotting signs of autism in babies under 1 year old, well before the MMR is given.
Ill effects
You may have heard of ‘measles parties’ set up by parents who would prefer their child acquire immunity by catching an illness from a child who already has it – but don’t imagine that catching the illness will afford your child better immunity. With many, like Hib, pneumococcal meningitis and tetanus, the vaccines give stronger immunity than the illnesses themselves.You also need to consider the potential complications that come with the illnesses. While it’s true that most children don’t suffer dangerous complications from measles, mumps and rubella, long term side effects are a possibility and could potentially harm your child’s hearing and vision, and cause brain damage. Plus, unborn babies are at risk if exposed to measles and/or rubella. And in the worst-case scenario, these illnesses can be fatal – worldwide, measles alone kills around 500,000 children each year. Vaccines are your baby’s best defense.
However, vaccines can cause reactions. These are usually mild: soreness and redness at the injection site or a mild fever for a couple of days, and an be relieved with the appropriate dose of infant paracetamol (check with your doctor if it’s safe to give this after your baby’s first set of immunisations, which take place at 2 months of age). More serious reactions are rare but they do happen, and may be due to your child being allergic to something in the vaccine. If your child seems to have difficulty breathing after a vaccination, develops a rapid heartbeat or starts to wheeze, take her to your doctor or local accident and emergency department.
Mercury in vaccines
Many vaccines used to incorporate a preservative called thimerosal, which contains mercury, but it’s no longer used in routine vaccines in the UK. Although fears have been raised as to a possible link with mercury in vaccines and autism, several large studies have shown that the incidence of autism was the same among groups of children who had and hadn’t received vaccines containing thimerosal.Mercury is a naturally occurring element and low levels are present in water, and both formula and breast milk – in fact, a breastfed baby may ingest more than twice the amount of mercury contained in vaccines.
Single vaccines may not be safer
After public confidence in the MMR vaccine plummeted, many parents chose to have their children immunised with single vaccines, If you’re considering this option, be aware that a recent study by UK researchers dispels the myth that single measles and rubella vaccines are safer than the MMR vaccine. The study showed that there are an unexpectedly high number of cases of anaphylactic shock after single vaccines given at private clinics. The researchers estimated anaphylactic reactions to single measles vaccines to be 18.9 per 100,000 doses and 22.4 cases per 100,000 doses for single rubella vaccines; these are thought to be underestimates. The reactions are higher than the MMR vaccine, which has a rate of 1.4 per 100,000 doses. If you are considering single doses, keep in mind that there is actually less evidence of their safety than there is for the combined vaccine.The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
Last Modified:
Mothercare
ELC
