NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2018 - 33

SUMMER/ FALL 2018

Some parents are hesitant to get their children immunized
because they have unfounded fears about vaccine side effects. The
biggest recent concerns surround the MMR vaccine and Autism,
a concern that arose after a small study linking MMR vaccine and
Autism was published in England. The article was discredited and
retracted by the journal that printed it, but the fear remains even
though there is an overwhelming amount of data proving that no
connection exists. Another worry of parents is that multiple vaccines given together might "overwhelm" a young child's immune
system leading to problems later in life. Many studies have shown,
however, that children, especially young children, are exposed to
an enormous amount of things in their daily environment, and it
actually appears that children with lots of varied exposures, such
as children that grow up on farms, have better immune systems
than their "city" cousins. There are many reputable web sites,
including the Center for Disease Control, the American Academy
of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians,
among others, where parents can get reliable vaccine information.
And don't forget, your Pediatrician or Family Medicine Doctor is
always just a phone call away. Please be sure to give your child the
gift of safety from preventable illness - you'll be glad you did,
and they will thank you someday when they become a parent.

Rarely a child can get an infection at the site of a vaccination.
It can look similar to a mild reaction but tends to occur a few
days after the injection, not right away. Also, some children
can get very high fever after vaccination (most likely with the
MMR and MMRV vaccines) that can cause fever seizures in
those children. It can be hard to know when a vaccine causes
this to occur, because many children have fever seizures with
illness unrelated to any immunization. Measles and chickenpox
vaccine can also cause a rash 10-14 days after immunization
that is harmless, but can surprise parents if they don't know
it's a possibility. Measles vaccine may also cause immune
thrombocytopenic purpura - a frightening-sounding reaction
that means a child's blood clotting system is affected by the
immune system, causing a rash and potentially blood clotting
problems. This reaction can be treated with medication, but
usually resolves on its own. Rotavirus vaccine, the only oral
vaccine routinely given to children, may cause a swelling of
lymphoid tissue in the intestine called intussusception. This
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causes a bowel blockage and vomiting that
needs urgent medical attention. This is a
very rare complication, so rare that it's
not really certain if babies who get the
rotavirus vaccine actually get more cases
of intussusception than unvaccinated
babies or not. What is clear is that prior
to routine vaccination against rotavirus,
about 60,000 U.S. children were hospitalized and 20-60 died every year due to
the illness. The most severe reaction to
a vaccine is called anaphylaxis which is
an overwhelming and potentially deadly
allergic reaction to one of the components
in a vaccine. It occurs very rarely (less
than one case per million doses of vaccine
given) but because it is life-threatening,
immunizations for children should only
be administered in a setting fully equipped
to handle this emergency. These are only
some of the reactions vaccines can cause,
and some patients with special needs (illnesses or immune problems) may not be
able to get certain vaccinations. Always ask
your doctor any questions you have before
your child gets his or her immunizations.

TIMOTHY D. WELBY M.D., is a board certified pediatrician
with Pediatrics of NEPA and Lackawanna County Medical Society
Board Member.

VITAL SIGNS

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