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Poor kid. He just had an awesome Christmas and today he had to go to the pediatrician for a checkup, and another round of vaccinations. It’s been almost a year since his last round of vaccines so I suppose he was due. He got the first dose of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine, and his 3rd dose of the Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) vaccine.
James received the first dose of the Hib vaccine on November 27th, 2009 and the second dose on January 26th, 2010. James also received the Rotavirus (RV) and the Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) on both of those dates. And after both of those appointments, James had a bad reaction. We don’t know which of the 3 vaccines caused the bad reaction, but we’re guessing it was the Rotavirus vaccine, because that was the only one of the three that is taken orally…or in James’ case, put through his g-tube. So far, he has not had any reactions to the vaccines he got this morning, so I suppose we can rule out Hib as causing an adverse reaction.
Below is some brief information about each of the vaccines that James got today. This information was taken from the US Centers for Disease Control website. I have linked each vaccine to their website if you would like further information.
Measles is very contagious and can be serious. An unvaccinated child can get measles when traveling abroad or even in the U.S. Two doses of MMR vaccine provide the best protection against measles for your child.
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- About 1 in 5 people in the U.S. who get measles will be hospitalized
- 1 out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling, which could lead to brain damage
- 1 to 3 out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care
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Mumps is a contagious disease that is caused by a virus. It typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite. Then most people will have swelling of their salivary glands (often referred to as parotitis when the parotid gland, located in front and below the ear, swells). This is what causes the puffy cheeks and a tender, swollen jaw.
Rubella is a contagious disease caused by a virus. Most people who get rubella usually have a mild illness, with symptoms that can include a low-grade fever, sore throat, and a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. Rubella can cause a miscarriage or serious birth defects in a developing baby if a woman is infected while she is pregnant. The best protection against rubella is MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine.
Haemophilus influenzae type b can cause many different kinds of infections. These infections usually affect children under 5 years of age, but can also affect adults with certain medical conditions. Hib bacteria can cause mild illness, such as ear infections or bronchitis, or they can cause severe illness, such as infections of the bloodstream. Severe Hib infection, also called invasive Hib disease, requires treatment in a hospital and can sometimes result in death.
Before Hib vaccine, Hib disease was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis among children under 5 years old in the United States. Meningitis is an infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It can lead to brain damage and deafness.
Hib vaccine is usually given as 3 or 4 doses (depending on brand). Hib vaccine may be given as a stand-alone vaccine, or as part of a combination vaccine (a type of vaccine that combines more than one vaccine together into one shot).
Infants will usually get their first dose of Hib vaccine at 2 months of age, and will usually complete the series at 12-15 months of age.
Below is the US Center of Disease Control (CDC) recommended immunization schedule. Note that the schedule below is for 2009. I’m not sure how often the schedule changes, but if you are reading this sometime in the future, this schedule may be different. Please refer to the CDC’s website for the most current schedule, or talk to your doctor.
