Vaccine Research: Rotavirus

This is a VERY brief overview of the Rotavirus and vaccine.  Let me say it again… very brief, and definitely not thorough.  Please do your own research (and again, I suggest Dr. Sears book, “The Vaccine Book,” which is where I got this information).

Rotavirus – it’s common, and can be serious in younger infants.  It’s basically a bad stomach bug.  People have died from it—mainly from dehydration.

This tells me that if I don’t get this vaccine for Hazelnut, then I need to be aware.  If she has a bad stomach bug and is vomiting and/or has diarrhea, then I need to have her checked out by my doctor.  If it’s bad (which is very rare), I should expect hospitalization in order to get fluids in her.

From what I can tell, this isn’t an issue anymore, but the original vaccine caused seizures in 1 in 1,000 infants, among other things.  The vaccine was re-vamped in 1999 because of what they learned.

To me, this throws up a red flag.  Sure, they changed it, and that is good.  But before that, this vaccine was causing lots of issues, one of which affected my husband when he was younger.  So let’s think about it… what may be in the vaccines, or what may the vaccines be causing now, that we won’t know about for several more years?  Maybe nothing, maybe something.  The thing is, we just don’t know.

It’s a risk.

It’s a risk to get the vaccine, and it’s a risk to not get the vaccine.  The thing you have to consider is which one is the bigger risk.  And unfortunately, there isn’t enough research on either side to give us a definitive answer.  Fun, right?

This vaccine is given orally at 2, 4, and 6 months.  Hazelnut never had an oral vaccine.  I’ll have to double check with our doctor, but I’m fairly certain she hasn’t had this vaccine at all.  I’m not sure why, but I’m thankful.  The Vaccine Book says that infants who have birth defects related to the intestinal system shouldn’t have this vaccine because of issues it could cause (p. 68 Oct 2011 edition).  Hazelnut has had intestinal issues from the beginning.  Are those issues bad enough to fall into that category?  I’m not sure, but I’m thinking it may be part of the reason why she never (to my knowledge) got this vaccine..  And for that, I’m thankful.  Thankful that although I didn’t start researching until later, I’m still able to make a choice on this.

I’m going to end with this:  I’m not an expert.  I’m just a mom trying to figure out the best for my child.  If you’re a parent, please do the research yourself.  If you’re thinking, “Hey, vaccines are safe!  I had them and I’m just fine!”  just please do the research yourself so that you can back up your reasoning.  After doing research, many families choose to vaccinate, and many choose not to.  But if something goes wrong, you want to know that you  made the best decision that you could for your child and your family.