Home MMR
Category:

MMR

MMR

Contagious–what if you got the measles?

by TheVaccineMom
written by TheVaccineMom

You just stepped off a plane from a restful trip overseas–one you spent exploring new cities, cultures, and wildlife. Too bad, it’s time to head back to work and real life after this much-needed time away. 

It’s been a little over a week, and you’ve developed a nasty cold with a high fever. Since you feel miserable, you decide to stay home. 

Your friend calls and offers to bring you some chicken noodle soup, which you decide sounds nice. He comes, hands you the soup and some acetaminophen to bring down the fever, but it does no good. Your friend leaves, and you roll over to sleep off the fever. 

Now you’ve come down with diarrhea, and as you pass the bathroom mirror, you notice your eyes–red and watery. Pink eye? How did that happen? This whole thing is getting grosser by the minute. You’re not sure about the whole pink eye thing, so you head to the walk-in clinic for some drops.  

The doctor looks you over. It’s standard procedure to check your ears, nose, and throat with cold-like symptoms. She quickly backs away, looking concerned.

What’s going on? 

She grabs a mask and washes her hands, then cracks the door and yells for another doctor to come in. They whisper, and he grabs a mask and gloves before asking to look in your throat.

So many questions. Have you been overseas? Where have you been? Who have you been around? Are you fully vaccinated? 

You aren’t sure if you are fully vaccinated. Didn’t your parents take care of this over thirty-five years ago? You’ve never even given it a thought. 

Why? 

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
MMRTrue Stories

Roald Dahl’s Letter to all Parents Skipping MMR for Their Child

by TheVaccineMom
written by TheVaccineMom

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, BFG, James and the Giant Peach…shall I go on? Some of the greatest books, many turned movies, were written by author Roald Dahl.

What you may not know is that behind all of this great writing, Dahl was suffering through the loss of his eldest daughter, Olivia, to measles.

The author knew nothing else to do but write his feelings out for all to learn from. Dahl’s letter (1986) titled “Measles: A Dangerous Illness,” is reprinted below as found in Newsweek:  

Olivia, my eldest daughter, caught measles when she was seven years old. As the illness took its usual course I can remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed about it. Then one morning, when she was well on the road to recovery, I was sitting on her bed showing her how to fashion little animals out of coloured pipe-cleaners, and when it came to her turn to make one herself, I noticed that her fingers and her mind were not working together and she couldn’t do anything.

‘Are you feeling all right?’ I asked her.

‘I feel all sleepy,’ she said.

In an hour, she was unconscious. In twelve hours she was dead.

The measles had turned into a terrible thing called measles encephalitis and there was nothing the doctors could do to save her. That was twenty-four years ago in 1962, but even now, if a child with measles happens to develop the same deadly reaction from measles as Olivia did, there would still be nothing the doctors could do to help her.

On the other hand, there is today something that parents can do to make sure that this sort of tragedy does not happen to a child of theirs. They can insist that their child is immunized against measles. I was unable to do that for Olivia in 1962 because in those days a reliable measles vaccine had not been discovered. Today a good and safe vaccine is available to every family and all you have to do is to ask your doctor to administer it.

It is not yet generally accepted that measles can be a dangerous illness. Believe me, it is. In my opinion parents who now refuse to have their children immunized are putting the lives of those children at risk. In America, where measles immunization is compulsory, measles, like smallpox, has been virtually wiped out.

Here in Britain, because so many parents refuse, either out of obstinacy or ignorance or fear, to allow their children to be immunized, we still have a hundred thousand cases of measles every year. Out of those, more than 10,000 will suffer side effects of one kind or another. At least 10,000 will develop ear or chest infections. About 20 will die.

LET THAT SINK IN.

You can see his beautiful daughter in the photo above holding her kitty. Can you imagine losing a child this way–watching your rash-ridden baby slip away from this terrible disease, knowing there’s nothing you can do?

“I feel sleepy,” she said.

“Let that sink in,” says Dahl in his letter.

Today there’s something you can do to prevent this from happening to your child: Vaccinate your littles with MMR. Do it for all of the lost babies around the world and all the grieving parents.

Vaccines save lives.

Those hesitant about vaccines need to read these true stories. Please pass them on!!

Take just one minute and watch this video on the Newsweek website, that can be found HERE.

0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
MMR

You need a scare for Halloween

by TheVaccineMom
written by TheVaccineMom

Since Halloween is coming up, I think you need a good scare.

Here’s what the measles looks like.

Measles is six times more contagious than influenza.

If you value facts, here are some directly from the World Health Organization:

  1. Even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available, in 2017, there were 110 000 measles deaths globally, mostly among children under the age of five.
  2. Measles vaccination resulted in an 80% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2017 worldwide.
  3. In 2017, about 85% of the world’s children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 72% in 2000.
  4. During 2000-2017, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 21.1 million deaths making measles vaccine one of the best buys in public health.

You can avoid this by getting yourself and your family vaccinated! Two doses of the vaccine give your child 97% protection from the measles.

Photo credit: CDC

0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
MMROpinion articlesTrue StoriesVaccine Q & A

I mustache you a question

by TheVaccineMom
written by TheVaccineMom

Stevie mustache you a question.

Can you put yourself in the shoes of a parent with an immunocompromised child? (That’s a child with a fragile immune system.) This may be a child with an extreme autoimmune disease, cancer, an infant, an HIV-infected child, or so many other diseases I don’t have time to list.

If this isn’t your situation, count your blessings, because there ARE parents on constant high-alert for germs that could potentially kill their weak child. Those germs include vaccine-preventable viruses and bacteria.

Back into that parent’s shoes, your immunocompromised child might not be able to be vaccinated against these diseases, especially with live vaccines such as MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella).

Some of our best vaccines are live attenuated (weakened) vaccines, which contain whole viruses that are so weakened they are unable to cause disease. With this vaccine, as with all vaccines, the body makes immunity to the disease without making you sick.

The problem is that your child with a compromised immune system can’t fight off even a very weakened form of the virus. That means that he could end up sick.

Let’s say the doctor caring for your child doesn’t recommend he get live vaccines, which leaves your child exposed to potentially-deadly germs.

You are thankful because the community that surrounds your child is mostly vaccinated. This means the disease isn’t likely to have a host to enter and pass to other people. We call this community protected by herd immunity.

But what if the herd is dwindling and because other children are left unvaccinated, your child is now left exposed to a disease that could kill him.

America, as well as other countries around the world, were once measles-free. Now, many of these countries have lost their measles-free status due to falling vaccine rates.

You were worried about your child before, but now you’re especially worried about him contracting a disease his body may succumb to.

Back to you, parents of an unvaccinated healthy child. Think real hard about the situation you are putting other parents in. Not only is your unvaccinated child vulnerable, but so are many children who aren’t strong enough to be vaccinated.

You can contribute to the herd, or continue to destroy it. Don’t think your healthy, unvaccinated child is safe. Other parents have bought into the idea that vaccines aren’t safe, and have contributed to the dwindling of the herd.

You have allowed a place for disease to enter your community through your child.

Value the opinions of the experts and the facts. Think twice when the facts go against your beliefs. Stop searching for articles on the internet that support what you believe and that go against what experts are telling you.

You might say you don’t trust big pharma, but think about it. Does a company want a product that’s going to give them a bad reputation, or a product that has a proven safety record?

Vaccines are a product with a proven safety record.

The facts are that vaccines are safe and effective. Choose to be one who values facts over your incorrect opinions. Value the moral responsibility to protect your children and the children of your community.

0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Children's VaccinesInfluenzaMMRParent ResourcesVaccine Q & A

Can your child with an egg allergy be vaccinated?

by TheVaccineMom
written by TheVaccineMom

Does your child have an egg allergy? If so, you’re not alone because around 5 out of 100 kids with allergies have an allergy to eggs. 

Since some vaccines may contain egg proteins, does that mean that 5 out of 100 kids can’t be vaccinated? No, and let me tell you why. 

The three vaccines of concern by parents are the yellow fever vaccine, the influenza vaccine, and the MMR vaccine. 

The yellow fever vaccine is shown to be safe for people with an egg allergy; however, you probably never even need to worry about it. Your kid won’t be getting it unless you’re planning on traveling to an area where the mosquito-borne disease is prevalent. 

As far as the influenza vaccine goes, yes, some flu vaccines are made using eggs. However, the quantity of egg antigen (substance the body sees as foreign) is so tiny that even a person with a severe egg allergy will be fine to get the vaccine. And of course, there’s research to back this. 

(The studies are listed numerically below should you want to read more!)

Study 1 looked at the FluMist, the live but weakened form of the vaccine. They gave it to 115 kids with a severe egg allergy and 188 kids with asthma/wheezing. Neither group of children were more likely to react negatively to the vaccine; in fact, they found no egg-related reactions in the children when given the live vaccine. 

Study 2 came from the same group. They did an identical experiment but on a larger scale. Seven hundred seventy-nine children with an egg allergy (157 were severe) and 445 with asthma/wheezing all showed no reaction with the live vaccine. 

Several other research groups repeated this study many times with the same results. 

The third study followed this experiment but with the inactivated (killed) shot. The shot was given to children six months and over (as recommended for the flu shot) with an egg allergy. There were no significant vaccine reactions. 

These studies allow for the experts at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) to agree that patients with an egg allergy, no matter how severe it is, can get the flu vaccine. There is no greater risk than those who don’t have an allergy. 

They do, however, suggest that if you’re worried about your child with a severe egg allergy, to remain in the doctor’s office for around 30 minutes. That way, you’ll be in the best place should there be a very rare reaction to the vaccine. 

Moving on, I have had many parents voice their concerns for their children with an egg allergy getting the MMR vaccine. Concerns stem from the fact that the weakened versions of the measles and the mumps viruses are grown in chick embryo culture. The vaccine goes through extensive purification and therefore there are only trace quantities of egg proteins that are present in hens’ eggs.

In a study (labeled five below) by Freigang et al., the MMR vaccine was given to 500 children with an egg allergy. Children with an egg allergy tolerated the MMR vaccine well with little reaction.

The same and similar studies, performed with the MMR vaccine, show the same results. 

It’s recommended that if your child has a very severe egg allergy, there may need to be an MMR skin test performed. Studies show a low rate of reaction in skin tests.

The takeaway?

Based on scientific evidence, experts say if your child has an egg allergy, no matter how severe, it’s safe for them to get these vaccines. However, always discuss your concerns with your doctor.

When you get the all-clear from your doc, have your egg allergy children fully vaccinated to make sure they are as safe as possible from vaccine-preventable diseases! 

Resources: 

  1. Greenhawt M, Turner PJ, Kelso JM. Administration of influenza vaccines to egg allergic recipients: a practice parameter update 2017. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2018;120:49-52.
  2. Turner PJ, Southern J, Andrews NJ, Miller E, Erewyn-Lajeunesse M, et al. Safety of live attenuated influenza vaccine in atopic children with egg allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2015;136:376-81.
  3. Turner PJ, Southern J, Andrews NJ, Miller E, Erewyn-Lajeunesse M, et al. Safety of live attenuated influenza vaccine in young people with egg allergy: multicenter prospective cohort study. BMJ 2015;351:h6291.
  4. James JM, Zeiger RS, Lester MR, Fasano MB, Gern JE, et al. Safe administration of influenza vaccine to patients with egg allergy. J Pediatr 1998; 133(5):624-628.
  5. Freigang B, Jadavii TP, Freigang DW. Lack of adverse reactions to measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in egg-allergic children. Ann Allergy 1994;73(6):486-488.
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts