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bluerevolution9
member
Vaccine update question (long)
bluerevolution9
member
Ok, I know the last post caused a big stir, and I don't mean to upset anyone with these questions. I know the whole vaccinating issue is sensitive for people. But I thank you all for the great info I got. I compared what vaccinations we do here in Israel (where I live and will give birth) and what they give in the US (where we will be moving when LO is 4 months old). In Israel we don't vaccinate for Rotavirus, MMR, or Pneumococcal Polysaccharide. And there are two things that we vaccinate for here that in the US they don't.
My question is this.... have any of you lived with your kids or given birth overseas and been in a similar situation? (Im not sure what board to really post this question on so I am going for it here.) My baby clearly won't be able to be on the same vaccination schedule as US babies when we arrive there. And now I don't even know who to ask about what to do about this situation. I don't want LO to be at risk for something in America because they weren't vaccinated for it here. And Im wondering if its necessary then for them to get those other vaccines at all. Because we plan on returning to Israel before they reach school age.
If anyone has any advice on where I can obtain info on how to do this I would really appreciate it. My doctor here doesn't have much info, and we can't ask a Pediatrician until the baby is born since we don't have a baby yet we can't make an appointment with one (socialist healthcare system here, we don't get to interview them).
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Re: Vaccine update question (long)
The vaccine schedule in the U.S. doesn't start until the baby is 2 months (with the exception of Hep B which they like to do at birth). So when your baby arrives in the U.S. he/she won't be very far behind at all - and the vaccines you mentioned that Israel doesn't do (MMR, roto, and the other that I won't try to spell lol) should be easily caught up on as well when you get to the States. MMR isn't even given until your baby is a year old - so you won't be behind on that one at all. I DO recommend getting the MMR on schedule when you get to the States. I know that's the one that tends to freak out most parents because that is the one everybody likes to tie to autism (which has been debunked!), but there have been some measles outbreaks recently in the U.S. so I'd recommend getting that one on schedule.
As for what Israel vaccinates against but the U.S. doesn't - that's a tougher question. I'd look at the age those vaccines are done. If it is after 4 months, then I wouldn't worry about it because you'll be gone from Israel at that point anyway. If it is before you move, I'd strongly consider getting them. Israel has those vaccines on their schedule for a reason - they're most likely diseases that are more prevalent in Israel than in the U.S., and you wouldn't necessarily want your LO being at risk for them even in the few short months she/he is living there.
My situation is rather different from yours. I live in Italy, but on a military base and so I go to a U.S. military hospital and we still use the U.S. schedule. I hope I've helped some though
Do you have a link to the Israeli vaccination schedule? I'm looking at the site that someone posted in your earlier thread: https://apps.who.int/immunization_monitoring/en/globalsummary/ScheduleResult.cfm. I see MMR-V (MMR + varicella) on the Israeli schedule at 12 months, which is the same as the USA.
Pneumococcal polysaccharide is for adults. Pneumococcal conjugate is for kids, and it looks like that's on the Israeli schedule at 2, 4, and 12 months. The USA schedule does it at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months. BUT that vaccine is a little different, in that if you get any dose at 12+ months of age, that's the last required dose. So, the Israeli schedule is essentially the same in that kids are done with the series at 12 months, they just get one less dose.
At any rate, neither of those differences will matter if you're moving to the USA when your child is 4 months old.
As for rotavirus, that series must be started by 15 weeks of age, so you probably won't be able to get that one if you wait till you get to the USA. Honestly, I wouldn't stress about it. Rotavirus is basically a very unpleasant stomach bug. In third-world countries, it causes a lot of fatalities, and so the vaccine really is a lifesaver. But in the USA, it's almost always a self-limiting disease in otherwise healthy kids. Virtually everyone gets it before the age of 5 and then develops immunity. I'm going off distant memory here, but I want to say that the hospitalization rate is less than 5% and the fatality rate is virtually nil -- you can look up the exact stats in the CDC Pink Book.
Regarding vaccines on the schedule in Israel but not in the USA, I'm not seeing any of those at that link?
One last thing to look out for: Each country approves the specific versions of vaccines independently, so you should make sure that the vaccines you get in Israel are compatible with the ones you'll get in the USA. You wouldn't want to start the series at 2 months in Israel and then have to start over when you get to the USA.
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
Thank you! I actually just found out that that website is not accurate. As of January 1st 2011, Israel changed their vaccines and now we do give the same that America does with Rotavirus and MMR. But we still vaccinate for some things that America doesn't and I am going to do those since we plan to move back here some day. Now I just need to try to figure out if our vaccines are compatible in terms of the brands used. But I am going to make an appointment with the well baby clinic nurse and ask about that (if they even know).
Thank you for the help!
BTW are you in Vincenza? I was there recently and stayed with someone serving on that base. Its so beautiful there!
Were you directing this last question at me? If so, no, we're not in Vincenza. My family is stationed in Sicily - much further south! I do want to visit Vincenza though
Haha, and I am in the USA BUT I have visited Vincenza, also to see someone serving on that base, and it is beautiful!
Such good food, too... yummmmm. I hope to make it back to Italy someday.
OK. Back on track. This web site may help you with figuring out vaccine compatibility:
https://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm093833.htm
It's the package inserts for all of the vaccines licensed for use in the USA. It often says in the package insert whether it's OK to finish a series with vaccine x if you started it with vaccine y. It'll also give you the exact brands for all the vaccines. For example, there are three different brands for the DTaP vaccine licensed for use in the USA. So you can figure out whether any or all of those brands are licensed for use in Israel as well.
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)