Vaccine Concerns
Probably the most significant innovation in medicine in the last 200 years is the vaccine. It has already saved more lives more than any other medical discovery to date. Thanks to vaccines, we now live (almost completely) without the terrible threat of: mumps, measles, whooping cough, tetanus, Paralyzing children, diphtheria, and Hepatitis type A and B. All these diseases are now extremely rare thanks to vaccines. Other diseases such as meningitis have also been significantly decreased. Recently there have been other vaccines introduced to Israel including: Rotateq and Rotarix (against severe diarrhea), Gardasil and Cerverix (against cervical cancer and genital warts) and Prevenar(against pneumonia, ear infections, blood infections and meningitis).
In the past, vaccines occasionally had uncomfortable, but usually transient side effects. Today’s new vaccines have usually no side effects except for occasional mild fever, rash, irritability or sleepiness.
Nevertheless, there still exists concerns in the community that vaccines can cause side effects such as: retardation, autism, or meningitis. Billions of dollars has been invested in research to determine whether these fears have a real basis, and results of these studies are clear and unequivocal (and have stood up in the Supreme Court) that these vaccines do not cause the above complications. Concerns of this type caused the immunization rate to drop between 1980-1990 in countries such as England, France, Japan, Sweden. As a direct result of the decreased immunization rate there were many more deaths and complications over this time period from vaccine preventable diseases. Closer to home, in the winter of 2007-2008, there was a deadly epidemic of measles which hit hundreds of adults and children due to the lack of immunization.
Parents ask:
1. Why do children need vaccines when most diseases do not exist in the country? The answer is that these diseases still exist at relatively high rates in various countries around the world. The diseases still have the potential to easily spread to Israel if the Israeli population is not immunized. In addition, people who do not get vaccines as children, will find it difficult to travel to many countries due to fear of becoming infected.
2. If vaccines actually work, why do some children still come down with the disease for which they are immunized? Answer: There is a small portion of the population that do not to respond to a particular vaccine, but most vaccines efficiency ranges between 88% to -98%.
3. Wouldn’t it be better to give one vaccine at a time? Many studies suggest that giving vaccines together actually boost the immune system. There is no risk in giving the vaccines together.
4. Maybe it would be better to delay immunizations until my child’s immune system is better? Medical research shows postponement of vaccines is less effective and less safe. A baby’s immune system can produce MORE antibodies that an child’s immune system, and a child’s immune system can produce more antibodies than an adult’s immune system
Your pediatricians along with the Israel Pediatrics Associaten, strongly recommend, to give children all the vaccinations in tipat chalav as well as the new vaccines to reduce the risk of pneumonia, meningitis, blood infections, ear infections (Prevenar), and severe diarrhea (Rotorix, Rototeq). These vaccines should be included in the Health Basket in the near future. In the meantime, you can acquire them through a very subsidized price with supplemental insurance. Please note that due to the controversy surrounding the new vaccine for cervical cancer (Gardisil/Cervarix), each patient should discuss the risks and benefits with their individual physician.