HEP B VACCINE Question

Hello Everyone,

I hope someone can give me their opinion regarding this. Our son who will be 4 in January appears to be Thal Minor. His info appears in a question I posted under Thal Minor.

Due to various reasons and his propensity for allergic reactions, hives, etc. We decided to delay his Hep B vaccines till later in life, possibly till age 12 or thereabouts.

However, now that we know he has Thalassemia - the question of perhaps one day, if ever, he might require a transfusion is weighing on our mind. He has surgery for a kidney cyst this coming January and the fear of a worst case scenario occurring during surgery has me worried.

What if something goes wrong and he suddenly needs a transfusion (no matter how little) and now he is exposed to the chance of tainted donor blood?  I realize the chance would be slim since the blood supply here is screened through a national medical source and not through private blood banks.

I'm just second guessing our decision to postpone vaccination and was wondering if Thal Minors have ever gone on to require a transfusion? His lowest Hbg has been 10.0, however he does have splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and distended gallbladder already.

Should I try to risk giving him the Hep B shot at just about 1 month before surgery? I know it usually takes the series of 3 shots for them to take effect.

He also is just recovering from fever, vomiting and runny nose and so I'm just really torn whether or not to even risk a vaccine reaction vs a hypothetical requirement of a transfusion.

I have about 3 days to make up my mind before I need to ask the doctor for the shot. I could also ask for a titer test I suppose.

Anyhow, very undecided and hoping to hear from someone about your decision/experience regarding Hep B vaccine.

Thank you in advance to you all.

G

Hi G,

Unless the surgery is expected to cause a heavy blood loss, there would be no reason to vaccinate for Hep B at this point. Also, keep in mind that donor blood is tested for Hepatitis B, greatly reducing any chance of becoming infected by transfused blood. The hepatitis B vaccine usually isn't given before age 12, so it probably isn't really needed at this point.

Andy

For information only

In Australia Hep B vaccine are now given to babies at 2, 4 and 6 months.

Regards

Catherine

Since the primary method of transmission of Hepatitis B is through bodily fluids, why is it given to babies? In the US, they give it after age 12.

Andy comes to our rescue once again!  Thank you Andy, that helps me quite a bit, my husband and I are leaning towards not, but still meeting with his doctors today for more pre-surgery discussions and prep.

Now for the unfortunate bit  - yes, it's also like Catherine says,  in the U.S. the CDC vaccine schedule has Hep B given to babies at birth in the hospital and 3 more times thereafter - I believe exactly like Australia's schedule. There are opt-outs for parents though.

There is incredible controversy about the whole vaccine debate and I don't want to polarize the thread about that. Since I was not infected with Hep B, we opted not to vaccinate starboy at birth. However, we have and always will be worried about the scheduling of certain vaccines for infants/babies/children.

There is an alternative vaccine schedule by a very famous doctor (son of another famous doctor), which for us was incredibly helpful.

We opted to delay his Hep B shots for the exact reason that Andy states - it is primarily sexually acquired and transmitted through bodily fluids, etc. and the dreaded tainted blood transfusion.

And now..this Thal issue. A lot to ponder now from a vaccination standpoint - HOWEVER - starboy has always been sensitive to a lot of allergens and is allergic to a couple of antibiotics and turned into a giant tomato when he had an ear infection, then measles 3 days later and we gave him co-amoxiclav. He got the wildest/scariest looking giant hives all over his entire body when he had local spaghetti that had a tomato sauce with red dye added to the sauce to make it redder.

He often has eczema with soaps and other things - yup, just a picnic over here.

But thanks for the info about the surgery, it's good to know it's pretty bloodless. Wherever do you find the time Andy? You're one of the good guys.

THANK YOU. and also to YOU ALL for sharing all your personal stories that we all learn from. 

Best always,

G

Hi Andy

About 10 years ago Australia changed to giving HEP B Vaccine to babies.

My youngest daughter will have her HEP B vaccine at school next year in first year of high school (as 12/13 year old).

Australia appear to be following a "WHO" plan to eradicate HEP B.  Also the other reason given is that HEP B rates in South East Asia are running at about 10% of the population.

Catherine

I think the power and influence of the pharmaceutical industry is a big factor in vaccinating children for Hep B long before they have any chance of ever being exposed to it. I would say that in general, I am very concerned about the amount of vaccinations given to babies who don't even have a developed immune system with which to respond to the vaccines and the overall stress this causes on young bodies. There are many parents who feel there is a direct connection between vaccinations and conditions in their own children, such as digestive disorders and autism. This is based on their own experience and there are thousands of reports that can be easily found online concerning real world experience.

I am very hesitant to recommend many of the newer vaccines. Many have been poorly tested and the need for the vaccine itself is often questionable. The long term effects of combining so many different vaccines in one body is not known. The long term effects of the adjuvants used in some vaccines is also unknown, although some of the adjuvants are toxic metals like mercury and aluminum. As we know that the body cannot rid itself of excess iron, it also has no capability to remove other toxic metals. I am amazed that the medical industry has so much faith in products that introduce toxic materials to the body. I have none. These metals are harmful and it is well known. Excusing their use in medicines should not be accepted, in my opinion.

There is a vaccine being given girls starting at age 12 and there is even now a campaign to vaccinate boys with this vaccine. The producers of this vaccine are very aggressive, so I will not mention the name or what it is for, but I would suggest that anyone who has a child who may be subject to this vaccine, to fully research its side effects BEFORE allowing your child to be vaccinated. There is a site on Facebook that closely follows the controversies over various vaccines and I recommend it to anyone wanting to investigate the immunizations routinely being given in today's world. This page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/national.vaccine.information.center

Since the primary method of transmission of Hepatitis B is through bodily fluids, why is it given to babies? In the US, they give it after age 12.

Actually, the hep b vaccine is given at birth or soon after (within first 3 months of life) in the U.S. Here is the 2011 immunization schedule from the cdc that the American Academy of Pediatrics follows:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf
Nicole