We missed our baby's 12-month vaccinations — can they get them all at their next appointment?
Dr Phil Kieran: The current evidence supports vaccinating children even if they are not fully well
It can often be difficult to get children's vaccines on the exact date they are due because of the frequent sniffles and temperatures they often get in their first year. Many parents can be anxious about their child getting vaccines when they are not feeling 100%. However, we work hard to solve this for parents as vaccines are the most important medical development in the past 100 years.
We vaccinate against many illnesses over the five visits children make to complete the first stage of their immunisation schedule. Because of these vaccines, I have seen very few cases of mumps, which used to be very common, and one case of measles in my career. Thanks to the Hib vaccine, I have never seen a case of epiglottitis, an illness that terrified me when I learned about it as a medical student.
The current evidence supports vaccinating children even if they are not fully well. This is because the protection afforded by vaccination massively outweighs any theoretical downsides to vaccinating a child who feels poorly.
The HSE advises that if a child misses any stage of the vaccination programme, they can be given the vaccines at the next stage. Your child missed her MMR and Men B shots at 12 months, so she is due to get five shots at the next visit. This is, from a medical perspective, absolutely safe to do.
There has been much scaremongering around vaccines, mainly stemming from fraudulent claims published in 1998 by British doctor Andrew Wakefield. He was subsequently struck off the medical register for the extent of the fraud he committed in making these claims. Unfortunately, the damage he caused at the time has still not been fully repaired.
There is a common misconception that this vaccination schedule will 'overwhelm' the immune system or put it under 'too much stress'. In reality, your immune system responds to hundreds or more stimuli every day. We take bacteria, fungal spores and viruses into our bodies in every breath or mouthful of food. Our immune system is amazing and complex and fights off these unwelcome visitors, keeping us healthy and safe.
Unfortunately, there is a significant increase in the rates of measles and mumps around, so making sure that your child gets their vaccines as soon as possible is very important.
However, it can be technically difficult to give five injections in one day to a child, so your GP may book them in for two visits to spread out the injections. I recommend discussing this with your GP as they will have their system in place influenced by practical limitations, and they can tell you how to avail of the recommended vaccines.
- If you have a question for Dr Phil Kieran, please send it to parenting@examiner.ie
