I have heard different opinions regarding thalassemia and immunization. Because of the frequent transfusions, live vaccines are unlikely to survive long enough to produce the antibody reaction necessary for a person to become - vaccinated or immune. Other doctors believe suggest to go ahead and vaccinate as usual.
My son is due for his 10 year old vaccine, but we cannot do it right now because of his recent ritux/ivig treatments. However, I wonder how the larger thalassemia centers handle vaccinations.
Maybe transfusing with washed red blood cells for a period of time 6 months - 1 yr before vaccinating may be a good idea to ensure that the vaccinations will be successful.
Perhaps attendees of the conference in Singapore (if time permits) can get information regarding immunizations - I think it would be very helpful for a lot of people.
Sharmin