Vaccine Nation: The Rise of American Vaccines

By the time children reach the age of 18 they will have received at least 16 vaccines. It's far from the norm to not estimate tons of shots when you have a baby, but the federal government keeps adding to the current list. Some of the newest shots for children include Hepatitis A, as well as a vaccine to guard against the rotavirus.

Public health officials agree with the development of the new vaccines. In their eyes it is a good way to minimize suffering or even death from contagious disease, as well as lowering the cost of healthcare that are associated with the illnesses.

The newest vaccines are not being widely accepted by the medical community, however. Depending on the pediatrician or primary care physician that you take your child to for immunizations, they may not recommend the newer vaccines. Currently, the regular list of vaccines protect against: Chickenpox (Varicella), Diptheria, Flu (Influenza), Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), Hepatitis A (HAV) and B, Measles, Meningitis, Mumps, Pertussis, Pneumonia, Polio (IPV), Rotavirus, Rubella, Tetanus, and HPV (the newest for girls only). Some of the vaccines are actually paired together in one shot in order to make it easier for children, such as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and DTaP (Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis),

The new Hepatitis A vaccine was released because of the steady increase of Hepatitis A nationwide. Just last year, students at Kent State University had to be vaccinated against Hepatitis A when a student that worked with food services was diagnosed with the disease. Normally Hepatitis A comes from poor hygiene, such as ingesting something (such as food) that is contaminated by the feces of a person that is infected. The infection can also be found in well water or even swimming pools if an infected individual contaminated either water source.

Hepatitis A is more prominent in Southwestern border states that have a higher immigration rate. The worst outcome of contracting Hepatitis A can be liver failure. Statistics for the disease show that one in five people that contract the disease have to be hospitalized while three to five of every 1,000 end up dying.

Specialists state that the Hepatitis A vaccine carries a low risk of problems and only costs around $50.00 for the 2-series shot when administered by the local Health Department. Still, doctors are split on the decision to recommend the vaccine unless patients are planning to travel to high incident areas of the world. In Ohio the incident rate is very low at five in 100,000, so the medical community in the state is not quickly jumping on the Hepatitis A bandwagon.

The other new vaccine that is being recommended by the CDC is against the Rotavirus. This disease is a very common illness that strikes young children and tends to cause severe diarrhea which sometimes leads to hospitalization. The biggest target of the rotavirus is daycares. When the rotavirus hits a daycare, it can normally hospitalize at least five children a day, according to Dr. Dennis Cunningham of Children's Hospital.

The concerns that physicians are having with the rotavirus vaccine is the prior attempt to vaccinate for the virus that caused intestinal blockage in many cases. The new vaccine has been improved and will cost around $180.00 total for the three oral doses. Other problems that are causing physicians not to stock the two newest vaccines stem back to financial obstacles that are being laid out by insurance companies failing to reimburse for the treatment. Other doctors that can stock the vaccines are still opting to wait a while to see the side effects of the new medicines.

Parents are also ones to worry when it comes to vaccines, especially newly released vaccines. While some parents feel that vaccines can cause autism in children, the CDC stand behind current scientific evidence that proves otherwise. They do however digress and state on their website that they do support any additional research on the hypothesis of vaccines and autism.

So the bottom line question in the hearts of physicians as well as parents would be, "How safe are the new vaccines?" The facts are that the Hepatitis A vaccine has been given to people visiting other countries for years. There can be side effects, but they are normally minor such as soreness at the injection area, headache, tiredness, and loss of appetite. The rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq® (Merck and Co.), however has had some ill effects such as intussusception. According to the CDC website, Intussusception is "a serious, life-threatening condition that occurs when the intestine or bowel becomes blocked. One portion of the intestine telescopes into a nearby portion, causing the obstruction. This leads to inflammation, swelling and eventually decreased blood flow. With prompt detection and treatment, almost all patients fully recover."

But according to the latest information obtained by the CDC on RotaTeq®, the number of cases of intussesception reported after taking the rotavirus vaccine does not exceed the number of cases they would find without the vaccine being administered. So the FDA and the CDC will continue to monitor the reports that cover possible adverse side effects caused by the RotaTeq® vaccine.

So the final answer on immunizations still lies solely in the hands of the parent. We can ask our children's physician for input as well as research the facts for ourselves, but it all boils down to our final answer. The real question here is "Do the benefits really outweigh the risks?" For the most part I would say they do, however, with the two newest vaccines that answer may still be up in the air.

For more information on the RotaTeq® reports, you may call 1-800-822-7967 or go online to http://www.vaers.hhs.gov/. You can also access the CDC site for Immunization information at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/default.htm.

*Sources*

-CDC. "Autism and Vaccines Theory". URL: http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/iso/
concerns/mmr_autism.htm . (2007Mar16) (2007May18).

-CDC. "Intussusception & RotaTeq® Vaccine". URL: http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/iso/
concerns/rotavirus.htm. (2007Mar16) (2007May18).

-Crane, Misti. "With CDC Calling Shots, it's 16 Vaccines by Age 18." Columbus Dispatch Online. URL: http://columbusdispatch.com/dispatch/
content/local_news/stories/2007/05/18/
HEPATITIS.ART_ART_05-18-07
_A1_U36OL7H.html . (2007May18) (2007May18).