Baby Immunisations

[Guest JacquiHH]

Hi everyone!! We have finally booked our flights and will be arriving in Adelaide on 25th March!! Yippee!!

 

Anyway the reason for my post is that my youngest son will be 3 months when we arrive and has not yet had his immunisations here as I'm not sure what they are offered in Australia and didn't want to double up!!

Can anyone tell me what immunisations babies receive over there and at what age??

 

thanks and looking forward to starting our new life down under!

[Sallyh]

blinking loads, is the answer.

 

the dtp hib lot are the same but they add chicken pox and rotavirus as well.

 

We've done a conscientious objection for ours, because we have some ethical objections to some of the vaccines (chickenpox and Rubella) so have had to do that so we don't get in trouble with medicare / centrelink.

 

conscientious objection is easy, unless you are a bit unlucky with the doctor you choose to do it... I've done 2 of our children now but got to get the paperwork sorted for the other 2 as well although we haven't had anyone knocking on our door just yet.

[Sallyh]

In an attempt to be a tiny bit more helpful, here's a linkL Parenting and Child Health - Health Topics - Immunisation

[Guest the4hopes]

Just ask to see a list of all the ingredients before you have them injected into your baby!

[nikkinoodlesuk]

the immunisations here are pretty musch the same as Uk apart from the chicken pox, and rotavirus, so you could have had your baby vaccinated there, and anything else they need when age appropriate, just make sure you fetch your baby book with you with a list of all meds to date. or you can go into your local health centre and get a print out of all immunisations had complete with batch numbers.

when you register with medicare they give a you a form which you take to your new GP to fill in all baby immunisation details then they decide which ones you need.

 

hope that helps.x

[Guest DrMike]

Hi all,

 

One of my patients referred me to this forum, when they asked me to fill in a conscientious objector form for the varicella (chickenpox) immunisations.

 

I have read a few of the other posts regarding immunisations in this forum, including concerns about the combined MMR.

 

Firstly chickenpox is mostly a mild disease in children. However it is a dreadful disease to get as an adult, with potential complications of pneumonia, meningitis and death (unheard of since the introduction of immunisations). It also causes shingles which can take years to respond to treatment. Rubella (german measles) is also a mild childhood disease but can cause severe congenital malformations of foetuses during pregnancy. We had a case this year in Adelaide where a mother had a stillbirth after maternal rubella infection (she was a migrant from a country that doesn't provide immunisations because of civil war).

 

MMR - a lot of controversy was started by a British doctor that has led to alltime low rates of vaccinations in the UK. See this recent article -

Andrew Wakefield found 'irresponsible' by GMC over MMR vaccine scare | Society | The Guardian

 

I can't stress enough that combined MMR DOES NOT cause autism spectrum disorder. The Wakefield "study" has been debunked, the Lancet has officially removed it from it's journal.

 

The combined MMR is safe to bring your kids up to date with the schedule when they reach Australia.

 

I would encourage you to visit this website to see the current schedule

Immunise - National Immunisation Program Schedule

 

It is unfortunate that we get complacent about these preventable diseases in our western community.

 

No, I didn't sign the objector forms because the patient wasn't able to convince me they had a valid reason not to protect their child. "I don't want to" doesn't cut it.

I'm sorry to have come across as argumentative, and I don't presume that this is the general opinion of all the members of this forum. What concerns me most is making decisions based on bad evidence.

 

Please, speak to your GP about immunisiations

[Guest the4hopes]

Hi Dr Mike,

Just out of interest would you be able to put a full list of ingredients of one vaccine?

Thanks

[jo_marnes]

Hi Dr Mike,

Just out of interest would you be able to put a full list of ingredients of one vaccine?

Thanks

 

What does it matter if it protects your child?? Do you really think they would approve these things if they weren't safe? Yes there are certain vaccines that have ingredients you may be allergic to, but these are highlighted at the time of immunisation. There is a greater risk of you feeding your child something they are allergic to without being aware.

[Guest the4hopes]

What does it matter if it protects your child?? Do you really think they would approve these things if they weren't safe? Yes there are certain vaccines that have ingredients you may be allergic to, but these are highlighted at the time of immunisation. There is a greater risk of you feeding your child something they are allergic to without being aware.

How about mercury, formaldehyde, and cells of animals brains?

Yes they do approve things that are not safe.

[Riponian]

Hi everyone!! We have finally booked our flights and will be arriving in Adelaide on 25th March!! Yippee!!

 

Anyway the reason for my post is that my youngest son will be 3 months when we arrive and has not yet had his immunisations here as I'm not sure what they are offered in Australia and didn't want to double up!!

Can anyone tell me what immunisations babies receive over there and at what age??

 

thanks and looking forward to starting our new life down under!

Wow I would have just stuck with the UK program until you got here thats what we did.

 

I whole heartedly agree that immunistaions are the best thing for you and your kids! I would have loved to give my kids the chicken pox vaccine rather than them catch it as it was not nice when they did, my dd was only 6mth old and completly pickled!!!

 

They would neve double up as you would have the imms in your childs red book anyway and you just take that to the nurse! I know your leaving at the end of the months but I would have at least there first imms in the UK just to protect him on the way over.

 

You might wnat to check that any insurnace you have is valid if your son is not up to date with his imms???

 

Good luck with the flight

Michelle

[Guest DrMike]

How about mercury, formaldehyde, and cells of animals brains?

Yes they do approve things that are not safe.

 

varivax CSL (chicken pox vaccine used in Australia)

Each 0.5 mL dose contains: approximately 18 mg of sucrose, 8.9 mg hydrolyzed gelatin, 3.6 mg urea, 2.3 mg sodium chloride, 0.36 mg monosodium glutamate, 0.33 mg of sodium phosphate dibasic, 0.057 mg of potassium phosphate monobasic, 0.057 mg potassium chloride. The product also contains residual components of MRC-5 cells and trace quantities of neomycin, and bovine serum from MRC-5 culture media. The product contains no preservative.

 

A mercury based preservative thiomersal has been used in some vaccines, none currently used in Australia. The combined MMR has NEVER had thiomersal. It is being phased out in the US & UK after controversy surrounding its theoretical toxicity, despite no confirmed cases of direct toxicity.

 

I absolutely concede that their is risk attached to immunising ourselves. Risk of mild side effects, risk of allergic reaction including the risk of anaphylaxis. However I absolutely believe that the benefits of immunisation outweigh those risks and as such wholeheartedly advise that it is carried out. All of my and my family's children are fully immunised.

 

Luckily, for the small proportion of people who "choose" not to immunise themselves & their families they are protected to a degree by the herd immunity principal.

[Sallyh]

Hi all,

 

One of my patients referred me to this forum, when they asked me to fill in a conscientious objector form for the varicella (chickenpox) immunisations.

 

I have read a few of the other posts regarding immunisations in this forum, including concerns about the combined MMR.

 

Firstly chickenpox is mostly a mild disease in children. However it is a dreadful disease to get as an adult, with potential complications of pneumonia, meningitis and death (unheard of since the introduction of immunisations). It also causes shingles which can take years to respond to treatment. Rubella (german measles) is also a mild childhood disease but can cause severe congenital malformations of foetuses during pregnancy. We had a case this year in Adelaide where a mother had a stillbirth after maternal rubella infection (she was a migrant from a country that doesn't provide immunisations because of civil war).

 

MMR - a lot of controversy was started by a British doctor that has led to alltime low rates of vaccinations in the UK. See this recent article -

Andrew Wakefield found 'irresponsible' by GMC over MMR vaccine scare | Society | The Guardian

 

I can't stress enough that combined MMR DOES NOT cause autism spectrum disorder. The Wakefield "study" has been debunked, the Lancet has officially removed it from it's journal.

 

The combined MMR is safe to bring your kids up to date with the schedule when they reach Australia.

 

I would encourage you to visit this website to see the current schedule

Immunise - National Immunisation Program Schedule

 

It is unfortunate that we get complacent about these preventable diseases in our western community.

 

No, I didn't sign the objector forms because the patient wasn't able to convince me they had a valid reason not to protect their child. "I don't want to" doesn't cut it.

I'm sorry to have come across as argumentative, and I don't presume that this is the general opinion of all the members of this forum. What concerns me most is making decisions based on bad evidence.

 

Please, speak to your GP about immunisiations

 

It is illegal for you not to sign the conscientious objection form. Your view as to whether they had a valid reason not to protect their child is subjective. It is not a legal requirement that children in Australia are vaccinated.

 

There is some good information on chicken pox vaccines on NHS Direct as to why the UK has made a policy decision not to vaccinate against it.

 

varivax CSL (chicken pox vaccine used in Australia)

Each 0.5 mL dose contains: approximately 18 mg of sucrose, 8.9 mg hydrolyzed gelatin, 3.6 mg urea, 2.3 mg sodium chloride, 0.36 mg monosodium glutamate, 0.33 mg of sodium phosphate dibasic, 0.057 mg of potassium phosphate monobasic, 0.057 mg potassium chloride. The product also contains residual components of MRC-5 cells and trace quantities of neomycin, and bovine serum from MRC-5 culture media. The product contains no preservative.

 

A mercury based preservative thiomersal has been used in some vaccines, none currently used in Australia. The combined MMR has NEVER had thiomersal. It is being phased out in the US & UK after controversy surrounding its theoretical toxicity, despite no confirmed cases of direct toxicity.

 

I absolutely concede that their is risk attached to immunising ourselves. Risk of mild side effects, risk of allergic reaction including the risk of anaphylaxis. However I absolutely believe that the benefits of immunisation outweigh those risks and as such wholeheartedly advise that it is carried out. All of my and my family's children are fully immunised.

 

Luckily, for the small proportion of people who "choose" not to immunise themselves & their families they are protected to a degree by the herd immunity principal.

 

My own irrefutable objection to the chickenpox vaccine, and the Rubella element of the MMR is an ethical one. Just to clarify your list of ingredients, the MRC-5 cell line comes from an aborted 14 week old male baby whose 27 year old mother was physically well. The abortion was for 'psychological reasons'.

 

Quite simply I will not profit from the death of another and I will not protect my own children with vaccines that are made in this way. I will do my best to find alternatives but when it comes down to it I will not do that. They will remain unvaccinated for chicken pox and rubella and I will do my best to get single vaccines next time we are in the UK for measles and possibly mumps.

 

An internet search will back up what I have said - and there is stuff about the MMR available on NHS direct before confirming that it, also, has been made from cell lines originating in abortion.

 

Not everyone will be bothered by that, but we as a family are. Just like some people boycott products tested on animals although this to me is far more serious.

 

It is absolutely possible for vaccines to be made without resorting to abortion to make the drugs. But mostly they don't, and I think it is a problem which will get worse and not better. So my choice TO vaccinate has been taken away from me, rather than me making a choice not to.

 

Not meaning to upset anyone but just highlighting to you Dr Mike that not everyone is into the Dr Wakefield stuff, and objections about ingredients can take different forms.

[Guest DrMike]

Thank you SallyH,

if you had presented that argument to me and I wasn't able to convince you of my side of the argument then i may well have signed the form for you. However, the form requires that I declare I was able to convey the risks of not immunising the patient, and I felt that this person did not grasp that concept.

 

As I said originally "I don't want to" and then "here sign this" aren't valid reasons. I have convinced a number of people to reconsider and have the immunisations, I have also signed the forms when I believe they are making a well grounded decision. I am not obliged to sign any centrelink forms, by any law.

 

The DHS concerns relate to the UK environment, the national Australian body have made an evidence based decision relating to our environment.

MRC-5 - cell lines are also used for chemotherapy development for lymphomas, leukaemias & immunosuppressive treatments. I accept your personal objection to these cells being used, and hopefully alternatives will be used in the future (pharmaceutical companies have a lot to answer for - but i don't want to open that nutshell right now), however at the risk of an increase in preventable disease?

[Guest Lauren & Alan]

"I can't stress enough that combined MMR DOES NOT cause autism spectrum disorder. The Wakefield "study" has been debunked, the Lancet has officially removed it from it's journal.

 

The combined MMR is safe to bring your kids up to date with the schedule when they reach Australia."

In reply to your above note, maybe you are not aware of this .....

Daily Mail 18 May 2004

MMR KILLED MY DAUGHTER

By Bonnie Estridge

 

The authorities still refuse to admit any link between autism and the MMR jab. Yet this mother tells for the first time how she made them concede it DID cause her child's death.

Last week, the parents of 1,000 children allegedly damaged by the MMR vaccine were sent letters by one of the drug manufacturers, threatening them with huge legal costs if they refused to drop their claims for compensation. One mother, Carol Buxton, found the news particularly shocking. Thirteen years ago, her daughter fell ill and died following the MMR jab. But Carol, a travel consultant who lives with her police officer husband Tony and three sons in Northampton, did get her day in court - with astonishing conclusions. Here, she reveals to BONNIE ESTRIDGE how she made the Government accept liability.

 

read all the article at:

Jabs Home

 

also this....

MMR mum makes legal history - Wigan Today

[Sallyh]

Thank you SallyH,

 

MRC-5 - cell lines are also used for chemotherapy development for lymphomas, leukaemias & immunosuppressive treatments. I accept your personal objection to these cells being used, and hopefully alternatives will be used in the future (pharmaceutical companies have a lot to answer for - but i don't want to open that nutshell right now), however at the risk of an increase in preventable disease?

 

It does worry me that we need to make sure that we follow this through with other drugs and treatments we end up having in our lifetime and will have to make sure we are satisfied whenever different drugs are prescribed for us. When I say "worry" I mean having to try to obtain the information / persuade doctors to respect our views.

 

But no, I personally won't choose to use those cell line drugs where I can find out the information, its not just the MRC-5, there's WI-38 (used in rubella amongst other things) and others - and there are new drugs coming out all the time using these - such as the HIV vaccine. I have to make sure I give only to charities for example, who are not taking part in programmes involving these drugs (so I refused the Kidshots photo shoot recently although really would like baby girl photographed with her adoring brothers sometime soon). Basically I am trying to say for us it is a prolife issue that we continue from cradle to grave - and have recently lobbied in the euthanasia debate.

 

You sound nicer than the doctor we saw the other week who didn't listen to our concerns (we weren't even there with a form for him to sign) and was aggressive towards us in front of our children. When we went back to discuss the appointment with him without our children present - he was extremely unprofessional, threatening and rude in front of them - he admitted some day someone will take him to the medical board for it. BUt he showed as much regard and concern for them as he did for us. It made no difference to us and we are not emotional about what he did, but it shows me a lot about him as a person. And a doctor.

 

There are laws I don't like and have to live by. There are laws that doctors must also respect and behave professionally with regard to when confronted with patients with views different from their own medical and personal views (however well informed).

 

*off soapbox*

[Guest aarenlainey]

My Little mans got his first jabs nxt week as we were delayed cause of xmas. Just wondering how all the babies were during or after?

side affects? (i've been told he'll just be grumpy and unsettled in the evening!)

anytips for making it easier on him and me?..