Hepatitis A Vaccine (poll)

[Alesia]

My children will get any vaccine they can that will prevent them from catching any disease.

Sorry but that is what advances in medicine are all about! There isn't a vaccine on the market that carries any risks higher than the disease they are protecting people from getting. If a disease was completely harmless why would they develop a vaccine?

That's not what Jenny Macarthy says.

Sadly, people are more likely to believe celebrities and things they read from unreliable sources on the internet than scientists.

 

[honugirl]

This really is an important vaccine. If you live in an area where you might have a tornado, hurricane, earthquake or other natural disaster, you may end up at a shelter with many other people. Hepatitis A can run rampant through those types of places. That's why I had to get mine. You never know when you may need it. Also it's good if you eat out because sometime we don't want to think about it, but we know that not every kitchen person washes their hands after going to the toilet...

 

[princessmom29]

That's not what Jenny Macarthy says.

Sadly, people are more likely to believe celebrities and things they read from unreliable sources on the internet than scientists.

Didn't you know Jenny was a doctor????

No,but really, it is sad when people choose to belive whatever is the celebrity cure all hype of the day over solid science. I have tried to figt that figet, but if Oprah and Jenny said it, who am I, a lowly biochemist, to argue with that?

 

[Hannathy]

Didn't you know Jenny was a doctor????

No,but really, it is sad when people choose to belive whatever is the celebrity cure all hype of the day over solid science. I have tried to figt that figet, but if Oprah and Jenny said it, who am I, a lowly biochemist, to argue with that?

And sadly it isn't confined to only medicine but all areas of life!

Who needs real science and scientific method when you have Hollywood and politicians.

And don't ya love when they are finally disproved by yep you got it real science it goes from screaming headlines to a brief mention on page 8 under the largest potato grown that year.

 

[Samar]

My children have had every vaccine available to them including H1N1. They don't have any allergies to any of the components and I would hate to be the parent that withheld a vaccine only to have my child get sick when it possibly could've been prevented (this was my main reason for having us all get the H1N1 vax).

It's definitely important to keep childrent up to date on the vast majority of vaccines if not all of them. School is a germ fest when it comes to small children who are still learning hygiene etiquette (sleeves are NOT tissues and it is NOT ok to sneeze in your hand and pass the block to their friend).

 

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

I had to get the Hep A shot when I was much younger and working fast food.
Another employee ended up in the hospital with it. It caused all sorts of problems. We had to try to warn all of our customers and no one, including workers, wanted to eat there for so time. I luckily did not get infected but another girl that we worked with did. I have no problem getting my kids vaccinated. I would rather do it when they are young and can't remember mom made them get a horrible shot. It only complicates things when you have other problems such as asthma or diabetes on top of a nasty virus.

 

[Honeybell]

When we first moved to FL in 2002 I tried to get the vaccine for my kids because Fl has one of the highest rate of Hep A. At the time the kids Dr. couldn't get it but as soon as she could the kids had it. Now I can't remember if I got it or not. Guess I'm calling the Doctor tomorrow.

 

[Leajess99]

My daughter did not get the Hep B vaccine for this reason. When I was a kid, we got it in elementary school. I can't see any reason for a young child to get any vaccine that has anything to do with bodily fluids unless they're getting a blood transfusion... or a tattoo!

My friend's stepson had Hep B at 6 (he had it before that age but that is when we first knew him) thanks to a blood transfusion. We were not aware of this at first until one day she spoke up and told us that he had it. This little boy went to daycare and everything so yes, my kids have all had the Hep B series because you never know when a child may have it. It can be spread very easily especially when kids are not so diligent about protecting themselves. It is also not just a blood borne pathogen.

 

[princessmom29]

My friend's stepson had Hep B at 6 (he had it before that age but that is when we first knew him) thanks to a blood transfusion. We were not aware of this at first until one day she spoke up and told us that he had it. This little boy went to daycare and everything so yes, my kids have all had the Hep B series because you never know when a child may have it. It can be spread very easily especially when kids are not so diligent about protecting themselves. It is also not just a blood borne pathogen.

So true, and by the time you know your child needs a blood transfusion it is too late to protect them. God forbid something happen to my child and she needs blood, but at least I know she would be protected from Hep.

 

[parkers218]

My daughter did not get the Hep B vaccine for this reason. When I was a kid, we got it in elementary school. I can't see any reason for a young child to get any vaccine that has anything to do with bodily fluids unless they're getting a blood transfusion... or a tattoo!

I am a pediatric nurse and a mom and can tell you that kids--like others on here have said--share bodily fluids more often that you think. Especially when attending daycare and in Kindergarten. The Hep A just became required for nurses at my hospital last year and now it is required before kindergarten. I refused for my youngest cause he is only 2 and doesn't go to daycare but before he starts pre-school he will get it. I see so much at work that I wish other parents could see sometimes. I mean imagine how you feel when their little noses are stuffy and they are miserable cause they can't breathe or they have a high fever and are just laying there and all you want is to have your little guy happy and running around again. Imagine having to see your child like that for weeks on end and then getting poked for all the blood work and medications that they need to treat something that could be avoided with 1 or 2 shots. It would break your heart ....trust me...but still it's your choice so do what's right for you..

 

[DisneyCampers]

yes, as a nuse, my kids get every vaccine available to them. I have seen the very mild reactions to vaccines, but have also seen the not so mild reactions to the disease itself guess which reaction I choose. You just never know when I child may come in contact, bodily fluids mean so much more than sexual contact and blood transfusions. I am of the theory no age is to young. Diseases do not care about age and being to young.

 

[DawnM]

I honestly don't remember if my kids got it or not. I think my older two did.

I had Hep A my senior year of high school. I was laid up for over a month.

That was the year I also got malaria.

Not a good year and I can never give blood or plasma or anything either.

Dawn

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Hepatitis A is usually gotten through contaminated food: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_A

Remember the Chi Chi's restaurant chain, and the trouble they had with people getting sick (including fatalities)? It was caused by contaminated green onions.

Hepatitis B is caused by transmitted by exchange of bodlify fluids. When I worked in a blood bank as a teenager, I was vaccinated for Hepatitis B.

From Wikipedia, about the Hepatitis A vaccine:

"The vaccine was first phased in around 1996 for children living in high-risk areas. In 1999, it was spread to areas with elevating levels of infection. Today, in the U.S., the vaccine is strongly recommended for all children 12 to 23 months of age in an attempt to eradicate the virus nationwide. The original FDA license for Havrix by GlaxoSmithKline is dated in 1995, it has been in use in Europe since 1993."​

 

[taitai]

We travel a great deal internationally with our guys and Hep A is part of the toolkit. So, my guys have had it. I am actually very, very careful about vaccines and have delayed many. Hep A, however, makes sense for our lifestyle so we have all had it.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[AJRitz]

There is no "down side."
The upside is that your child is protected from a potentially deadly infection. Hep A is NOT the kind that is usually transmitted by blood/bodily fluid contact. More often it is transmitted by contaminated food or water. And by getting the vaccine, you do more than simply protect your own child. You help protect your community from the epidemic spread of infectious diseases. The more who are protected, the easier it is to isolate the infection.

There's simply no medical evidence that there are inherent harms from vaccination, with the very remote exception of the high unusual patient who is allergic to the vaccine itself.

Take it from someone who has suffered through a temporary loss of liver function due to hepatitis - it's NOT pretty.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

My children have all gotten the vaccine. I was angry with myself however. When we went to the dr. for their check-ups and other vaccines the dr. presented it as not optional, just threw it in there with the other ones. I wish I had done more research prior to the appt. so I knew exactly which vaccines which children were due for so I at least would have had a chance to learn about this vaccine before my children had it.

It worked out okay and in the long run I am glad they've had it, but yes, do your research!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

DD was vaccinated for it
She would not be allowed in the kindergarten classroom w/o it in September. It sickens me, as there are some vaccines that I honestly wish DD did not receive (Hep A & B, chicken pox, she had a terrible reaction to MMR) and sadly my ped. said they no longer make the MMR as 3 separate vaccines, which is usually how they administer it when a child does have a bad reaction.

 

[Hannathy]

DD was vaccinated for it
She would not be allowed in the kindergarten classroom w/o it in September. It sickens me, as there are some vaccines that I honestly wish DD did not receive (Hep A & B, chicken pox, she had a terrible reaction to MMR) and sadly my ped. said they no longer make the MMR as 3 separate vaccines, which is usually how they administer it when a child does have a bad reaction.

I don't understand this remark at all "it sickens me" That is a very strong sentiment.

It sickens you that she is lucky enough to live in a time she can be protected from horrible diseases? You would rather she get them?

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I don't understand this remark at all "it sickens me" That is a very strong sentiment.

It sickens you that she is lucky enough to live in a time she can be protected from horrible diseases? You would rather she get them?

It sickens me that I basically do not have a say as to what goes into my child's body as she is not allowed into school w/o these vaccines.
Am I against ALL vaccines? God NO! But I don't understand why she needs so many, where in other states they don't need as many as we do here in NJ. But chicken pox? really? come on! They are actually trying to make the flu vaccine mandatory here for children as well.

 

[crysplefty]

It sickens me that my child will be school age for the 2010-2011 school year and he may be in a class with kids who are not vaccinated. Why would I want my child to contract an illness, because another child is not vaccinated and could possibly contract an illness and pass it on to him. My child was born with a heart defect and doesn't need to be exposed to serious illnesses due to the fact that his classmate(s) weren't vaccinated. I've never turned down any vaccination for my children. The outcome of contracting the illness is much worse than the 1 in a million chance of having a serious side effect from a vaccine that would have prevented them from getting an illness.