[tri-med] Re: Immunizations

----- Original Message -----
From: "Manjit Sadhwani"
>>We were wondering about getting her immunized on what is normal for
kids/babies.  Anyone have any comments on whether we should/should'nt?

Hi Majit & Gina,
Welcome and a special welcome to a fellow Aussie!!!

Everyone has given you wonderful advise and I only have a little extra
information to add.

I have discussed the immunisation of our children with the head of
immunology at the Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney (on behalf of
SOFT) These are the main pointers she offered.

There is no medical reason to withold vaccinations with our children but not
necessarily as per the routine "schedule" for immunisation.

The biggest potential problem with immunisations is with the pertusis or
whooping cough component - this is the one to be wary of and you may choose
to not give that immediately. This is certainly the component that Alex had
problems with and I will tell you our story later.

Do go by weight rather than age. Our ped recommends having a weight of 3 kgs
before immunising - but be guided by your own pediatrician. If your
pediatrician would like to talk with other pediatricians who are advisors to
SOFT please contact me off list or by phone.

You can certainly choose to do the immunisations individually. You may have
hassles in requesting this as in general the immunisation clinics only carry
the multiple vaccinations (DPT or CDT). Your GP however can order the
individual vaccines from the Health Department - be warned though you may
need to pay for them instead of getting them free.

HiB is generally given separately anyway - you may well want to wait a week
or a month in between. Just make sure they keep an accurate record in her
blue book (well blue in NSW - what colour is it in Queensland??)

You can also do the vaccinations in one go without the whooping cough Its
called the CDT instead of the DTP.

When doing the pertusis component ASK for the acellular pertusis. Some
states are using it routinely - but please check that they are using it
where you are and KNOW the difference. The acellular pertussis is less
likely to cause the side effect of increased temperature which is what is
thought to induce the vaccination seizures.

Thats the official doctor recommendations :-) Now I will add my own

I wouldnt do immunisations for our kids through the immunisation clinics. At
the very least I would have my GP do it - but because Alex reacted to the
pertussis component of his first vaccination (done by age not weight - he
was only 4 pounds) all of his vaccinations were done in hospital. The first
as an overnight watch and the rest in outpatients where we stayed and waited
for 2 hours afterwards in case there were problems. Alex's ped NEVER does
anything nasty to Alex (and I mean never) so the nurse gave the vaccination
then we stayed because at the hospital you have everything on hand if
something goes wrong.

Do give panadol afterwards. There is no reason not to. If you do experience
any problems go straight to Casualty. I waited until Alex's temp was over
40C - not a good idea!!! Mind you it went from normal to 40 in less than 2
hours.

You may choose to omit the pertussis until your daughter is older and better
able to handle it. You can weigh up the risks of waiting by reasoning that
our kids tend not to be out and about and around other children as much in
the early days. Thats what I did anyway. However if your area has a whooping
cough epidemic you may want to reconsider.

It was a whooping cough epidemic that caused me to "catch up" with Alex's
vaccinations when he was about 3 years old - up until then we did all his
immunisations (bar the first) without the whooping cough.

Also ask your pediatrician about additional vaccinations such as fluvax,
pneumonia and RSV. Again they are available but you will need to ask.
Doctors differ greatly in their thoughts on these here in Aus. Alex's first
ped was very much against the flu vax for example - his current ped is very
much in favour given Alex's breathing problems and our great desire to keep
him out of hospital (Alex has a latex allergy so hospital is not a safe
place to be). We have never bothered with the pneumonia vaccination though.

Do consider the Hep B vax and also the chicken pox (varicalla) vaccinations
when she is older.

Its tough making all these decisions and knowing what to do. There is no
right or wrong answers I'm afraid, listen to what everyone has to say and go
with your instincts.

I would love to hear more about your daughter and I would also be very happy
to also send you some printed information about Trisomy and caring for our
children. Just email me your snail mail details at karens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up
where I intended to be.
- Douglas Adams

Keep Looking for Rainbows!!!
Karen, Mum to Alex (7, T-18 mosaic)
Sydney, Australia
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens
http://www.trisomyonline.org

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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