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Parenting
Declining the Heb B vaccine for newborns?
An acquaintance mentioned doing this when her daughter is born. Said there is no reason to give a 1-day-old a vaccine for STDs. I'd never heard of this before. Anyone else decline the Heb B vaccine?
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Re: Declining the Heb B vaccine for newborns?
We declined it.
I have been tested and am negative, and no one else who is in regular contact with my kids has HepB. Unless there was a freak accident and they shared blood with someone they wouldn't be exposed to it. Given how careful everyone is with blood since HIV/AIDS came around, I doubt that is going to happen.
I will get them vaccinated around age ten, to make sure they have it before they are sexually active.
.Natalie and Olivia did not get it at birth.
We didn't decline; however, in Saskatchewan the Hep B vaccine is not given until Grade 6.
We declined at birth.
However it's a good idea to remember that accidents can happen - due to a incident during my 4 y/o's 2 month shots he had to undergo tests for HIV, Hep B/C, etc - 3 sets total - the nurse went through her own hand and into his thigh.
3 boys (15, 8, 6), 1 girl (4)
Wow. Ouch. And what a scary experience for you!
Yep this was my feeling too. Neither of my kids has had it.
Decline, but keep in mind, especially if you send you child to daycare.
Is hepatitis B vaccine safe?
Yes. Hepatitis B vaccines have been demonstrated to be safe when administered to infants, children, adolescents, and adults. Since 1982, more than an estimated 70 million adolescents and adults and more than 50 million infants and children have received at least one dose of hepatitis B vaccine in the United States. The majority of children who receive this vaccine have no side effects. Serious reactions are rare.
What side effects have been reported with this vaccine?
Of those children experiencing a side effect, most will have only a very mild reaction, such as soreness at the injection site (fewer than one out of three children) or low-grade fever. Adults are slightly more likely to experience such mild symptoms. Serious allergic reactions following hepatitis B vaccination are rare.
How effective is this vaccine?
After three properly administered doses of vaccine, at least 9 out of 10 healthy young adults and more than 9 out of 10 infants, children, and adolescents develop protective antibodies and subsequent immunity to HBV infection.
Why is this vaccine recommended for all babies when most of them won't be exposed to HBV for many years, if then?
There are three basic reasons for recommending that all infants receive hepatitis B vaccine, starting at birth.
First, babies and young children have a very high risk for developing chronic HBV infection if they become infected at a young age.
It is estimated that about 1 out of 3 of the nearly 1 million Americans with chronic HBV infection acquired their infection as infants or young children. Those with chronic HBV infection are most likely to spread the infection to others. Infants and children who become chronically infected have an increased risk of dying prematurely from liver cancer or cirrhosis.
In contrast to other vaccine-preventable diseases of childhood, HBV infection in infants and young children usually produces no symptoms. Thus, the small number of reported cases of hepatitis B among children represents the tip of the iceberg of all HBV infections in children. For every child with symptoms of hepatitis B, there are at least 100 HBV-infected children with no symptoms---hence the increased risk to spread the infection to others without knowing it.
Second, early childhood infection occurs. About 16,000 children under 10 years of age were infected with HBV every year in the United States before routine infant hepatitis B vaccination was recommended. Although these infections represented few of all HBV infections in the United States, it is estimated that 18 out of 100 people with chronic HBV infection in the United States acquired their infection during early childhood. Clearly, infections occur among unvaccinated infants born to mothers who are not HBV-infected. In addition, unvaccinated foreign-born children account for a high proportion of infections. More effort needs to be placed on vaccinating these unprotected children.
Most early childhood spread of HBV occurs in households where a person has chronic HBV infection, but the spread of HBV has also been recognized in daycare centers and schools. The most probable ways children become infected with HBV are from skin puncture (e.g., biting) or from having their mucous membranes or cuts and scratches come in contact with infectious body fluids from an HBV-infected person. HBV remains infectious for at least seven days outside the body and can be found on and spread through sharing of inanimate objects such as washcloths or toothbrushes.
Third, long-term protection following infant vaccination is expected to last for decades and will ultimately protect against acquiring infection at any age.
Why should your child be protected against hepatitis B if h/she won't ever inject drugs or be sexually promiscuous?
HBV can be transmitted in many ways in addition to sex contact and injection drug use. On average, an unvaccinated baby born in the United States has 5 out of 100 chances of developing HBV infection sometime during his or her lifetime. By avoiding obvious means of exposure, people can reduce their odds of becoming infected. But while there are degrees of risk involved in contracting HBV infection, there is no such thing as "no risk." Moreover, hepatitis B vaccine is the first vaccine to prevent cancer--HBV-related liver cancer.
This. DS1 had it b/c I didn't know any better. We declined it for DS2.