With autism and other possible vaccine injuries in the news, some parents and doctors are questioning the safety of routine immunizations. What parents may not know is that they have options beyond simply whether or not to vaccinate their children.
Considerations for making educated decisions regarding a child's vaccination schedule include finding out which vaccines or brands of vaccines contain controversial ingredients, such as mercury as a possible cause of autism or aluminum which is toxic to the brain; which vaccines may produce adverse reactions when taken together with other vaccines or when taken at particular ages; which vaccines contain live viruses; which combined vaccines can be split into individual components; and which vaccine-preventable diseases are common or serious in infants and young children.
According to Dr. Bob Sears of AskDrSears.com, mercury was removed from virtually all vaccines in 2002, but can still be found in significant amounts in some brands of the flu shot and some older versions of the plain tetanus and diphtheria/tetanus shots. Mercury can still be found in trace amounts in one brand of the DTaP vaccine and some brands of the flu shot and newer plain tetanus and diphtheria/tetanus shots.
Selective and Delayed Vaccination Options
Dr. Bob Sears recommends giving only two vaccines at a time, as opposed to as many as six with a standard schedule, to allow a baby's body to detoxify the vaccine chemicals and reduce the chance of chemical overload from grouping too many chemicals together at once. He recommends giving only one aluminum-containing vaccine at a time, as opposed to the standard four, to reduce the toxic effect of aluminum on the baby's brain, and only one live-virus vaccine at a time to allow the baby's immune system to better cope with the effects of the active virus.
Giving fewer shots at a time and spreading those shots over a longer period of time gives infants' and young children's immune systems a better chance to cope with the possible side effects of vaccines.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN medical correspondent, recommends delaying the newborn Hepatitis B vaccine to avoid the common side effects of fever, lethargy, and feeding problems. Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease which infants are highly unlikely to contract.
Ms. Cohen further recommends splitting combined vaccines into individual components when available to decrease the chance of an adverse reaction, and she recommends checking titers (blood immunity levels) before giving booster shots. Some children do not require boosters according to standard immunization schedules, because their original vaccinations are still working.
Alternatives to Vaccination
Vaccination is one way to boost a body's immune response to infection. Beyond vaccines, early germ exposure and a diet of immune-boosting foods improve a child's immune function.
Know the Diseases
Understanding the vaccine-preventable diseases is an important step in making informed decisions regarding vaccinations. Some diseases are more serious than others and some are more or less serious depending on the child's age.
Common, but potentially serious, diseases include pneumococcal disease, pertussis (whooping cough), rotavirus, and influenza. Common, but less often serious, diseases include chickenpox and hepatitis A.
Rare, but potentially serious, diseases include tetanus, diphtheria, haemophilus influenza type B, meningococcal disease, poliovirus, measles, mumps, and rubella.
Sexually transmitted diseases, very rare in children, include hepatitis B and human papillomavirus.
Know the Vaccines
Exploring different brands of vaccines allows parents to avoid controversial ingredients and to choose between combined and individual vaccines. While certain vaccines are routinely given in combination, such as in the DTaP and MMR vaccines, individual vaccines may be available.
The 12 Childhood Vaccines
- Hepatitis B (HepB)
- Rotavirus (Rota)
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal (PCV)
- Inactivated Poliovirus (IPV)
- Influenza
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
- Hepatitis A (HepA)
- Meningococcal (MCV4)
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Standard Immunization Schedules
The standard childhood immunization schedule for the United States can be found at cdc.gov/vaccines; for the UK at immunisation.nhs.uk; for Canada at phac-aspc.gc.ca; and for the World Health Organization at who.int/vaccines.
Alternative vaccination schedules incorporate selective and delayed immunizations, giving fewer shots over a longer period of time, to reduce the risk of adverse side effects and to give children's immune systems a better chance to cope with toxic chemicals and live viruses. Parents who understand vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases can make informed decisions regarding their children's vaccination schedules.
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