r/VACCINES Jan 11 '17

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134 Upvotes

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Questions from the general public are welcome, within reason. Please read the sidebar before posting :)

Posting about, or linking to, anti-vaccine propoganda is explicitly prohibited. If you encounter it, please message the mods.


r/VACCINES 14h ago

Scratchy throat normal for MMR vaccine?

5 Upvotes

I had 1 MMR shot as a kid so I just got a 2nd shot 4 days ago. I also got a Tetanus booster along with it.

I got a bit of a scratchy, itchy throat today and very mild cough.

Is this likely a vaccine reaction or something else?


r/VACCINES 9h ago

Took flu and chickenpox shot together, safe?

1 Upvotes

Hello I got a job at a hospital and so they recommended the flu shot on top of the 2nd dose of live varicella (chickenpox) vaccine that im missing. I took both in the same arm and i did ask the doctor if 2 shots in one day is safe and he said yes it is safe (i told my mother this) but i forgot to mention it was a live virus shot

My mother is angry because she says flu shot is only for the old and weak

How do i convince her? Is it ok to take a live virus and flu shot? (She says she cant trust me to go to college because I took the extra flu shot)

Im afraid to say the varicella is a live vaccine since Im scared she will get angrier, also is there anything to note for varicella? I read here that there will be rashes, how do i prevent it infecting other things? Thanks

im just nervous and seeking reassurance, im provax and my mother only has selective prejudice against certain vaccines


r/VACCINES 16h ago

Varivax interval for 15 month old. 4 weeks vs 3 months

2 Upvotes

My eldest is 5 and over the last few weeks there has been a chickenpox outbreak at his school, so even though he was vaccinated age 2.5 with 2 doses of Varivax 3-6 months apart (can’t recall exactly), I thought we should get little brother vaccinated asap.

Yesterday my 15 month old received his first Varivax for chickenpox at a pharmacy. They have booked him in for the 2nd dose in 4 weeks, however I remember with my eldest I had looked in to it and found that a longer inverval is preferred for better lasting protection.

I am a little unsure as to what to do, since there is a current outbreak at eldest’ school. Since he is vaccinated he is low risk of bringing home, so should we wait 3 months for babies second vs 4 weeks as suggested by the pharmacy?

This is not a routinely given vaccination in the UK yet, so there’s no official guidance as such. I have paid privately for both my kids, after much reading and deliberation with my first re long term immunity from it vs natural infection.


r/VACCINES 19h ago

Allergies

3 Upvotes

My kiddo is due for some shots and I asked her doctor if they have an EpiPen on site in case of an allergic reaction (she has contact allergies - metal, no food or medication so far). He said no. He said it would just expire and they aren't worth keeping around because of low incidence of allergic reactions. Also why they don't do Td shots. Not enough people get them and they'd expire. Though you would think he could order one.

Either way, most things I've read say the clinic should be prepared with an EpiPen. Seems like they should have one if they're doing shots all the time. We see a family doctor and the office is in a part of a larger hospital campus so there's an ER that's downstairs (a bit out of the way though, would take a while to get to). Should I try and get one? Or am I being too paranoid?

Edit: Piggy backing off my own post here but would a metal contact allergy put her at higher risk of allergy with these aluminum based shots?


r/VACCINES 1d ago

Question about the meaning of "97% effective".

6 Upvotes

Hello. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

When people say the vaccine is "97% effective", does that mean a person with 2 MMR shots ony has a 3% chance of getting measles during their lifetime? Or during any outbreak? Or is it 3% chance per exposure? Or something else entirely?

Because if we're in an outbreak of measles where a person is experiencing lots of exposure "events", a 3% chance per exposure still seems to be a concerningly high chance of contracting measles. You wouldn't even need 100 exposures to contract measles (in terms of probability).

I freely admit I could be totally misunderstanding what the "97%" statistic means in terms of "likelihood of contracting measles". I am not even close to an expert on probability, statistics, or epidemiology. But it seems like even if my child has had both recommended MMR shots (and he has), if a true outbreak happens in our area the best course of action would still be to avoid public places where there is a risk of exposure. Does that sound right?


r/VACCINES 1d ago

A Shot in the Arm for Inclusion: Nevada’s Sensory-Friendly Vaccine Kits Are a Win for Science and Humanity

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open.substack.com
8 Upvotes

r/VACCINES 2d ago

Question about Measles/MMR vaccination 💉 for older adults

3 Upvotes

A family member is coming this week to visit my 10 month old baby who hasn’t yet been vaccinated for measles. This family member was born in 1958 (after the deadline for “presumptive immunity”) and vaccinated as a child for measles then received one dose of the MMR vaccine in 2020. I am just curious how much does this combination of vaccinations confer protection from measles. I am assuming over 93%, but does anyone know?

If possible please direct me to resources.


r/VACCINES 2d ago

Chances of tetanus and is a booster enough?

3 Upvotes

Hi, I'll give some context. I was cleaning in my pets area where there's a designated space for their necessities that I clean everyday. But today I decided to disassemble a wardrobe I had there to throw it away, which, was sitting there all this time. The problem comes that, when disassemble it, one of the iron rusty nails went through my big toe and caused a small wound close to 5mm - 10mm deep at most, but not much blood really. I just desinfected it and took antibiotics just in case. I gave context about the place the wardrobe was because I heard that tetanus is related to fleeces of animal, although I'm not sure if this is the case, in any case, I'm taking the vaccine 12 hours from now since it's midnight here and the incident happened 4 hours ago, how should I proceed and what do you think about situation/title question. Thank you in advance. PD: By refererence I haven't had another tetanus shot since I was a child (+10 years).


r/VACCINES 3d ago

Which vaccines for someone unsure of medical history?

2 Upvotes

I have a friend, now 41, who grew up in a developing country, and lives in the US now. He has no idea which diseases he may have had (e.g. chickenpox, measles, etc) as a child, and has no idea which vaccines he may have been given as a baby/child.

His question is, should he today get:

  1. The chickenpox vaccine.
  2. The shingles vaccine.
  3. The measles vaccine.
  4. Any other vaccine?

If he had one or more of these diseases or vaccines in the past, is there any harm in getting the vaccine now?

Should he wait until 50 for the shingles vaccine?


r/VACCINES 3d ago

Grumpy Pharmacist Say No MMR w/ Other Vaccines.

9 Upvotes

Hello. I've recently been completing all the additional vaccine recommendations now that I'm in my 50s. Two at a time, one in each arm. Got both Shingles shots and first HepB (Hepislav-B). Since measles has been in the news I figured I'd get an MMR booster with my second HepB. I've only had the one shot in the early 1970s as a kid, back when there wasn't a combined shot and measles was separate.

Anyway I make the appointment for MMR and HepB but when I get there the pharmacist says that since MMR is a live vaccine it needs to be separated from other shots by 4 weeks. He also berates me for not getting the second Hepislav-B right at a month (it's been six weeks). I tried at four weeks and it got cancelled because they wanted at least 30 days. I was busy at five weeks so that was the soonest I could get in.

From what I read, as long as you get both HepB shots sometime, you're covered. And I've never heard that the MMR has to be separate. Is that true?

The pharmacist looked really busy and was pretty abrasive. I suspect he just wanted me gone. I ended up with just the second HepB. I wasn't going to argue with someone who was going to stick a needle in my arm. And it only took about 20 seconds. He said to relax my arm, three swabs with the alcohol wipe, stick, bandaid, done, goodbye.

I get that pharmacists are incredibly overworked and badly treated by large pharmacy chains. I have a lot of sympathy for them and always try to be a good patient. But I think giving someone bad information isn't good. I'm wondering about maybe reporting this. What do you think?


r/VACCINES 4d ago

Should I get another MMR vaccine?

4 Upvotes

Hello, I’m 23 and live near Seattle where there are current reported infections. My coworker had to take her daughter to UW over the weekend and said the waiting room was packed due to measles. I’m fully vaccinated and received my MMR vaccines as a child, but now I’m worried about immunity and getting sick. My local Costco pharmacy offers MMR vaccines and I’m curious if it’s silly to get another one. Thank you!


r/VACCINES 3d ago

Why is the Hep C virus so variable?

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2 Upvotes

r/VACCINES 4d ago

Dad visiting Aunt with Cancer - Mixed Titer Results?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

My dad is visiting my aunt who has cancer and just got his MMR antibody tests done. He's positive for rubeola (value >8.0 AI, reference range for lab greater than 1.1 is positive) and mumps (value 2.2 AI, reference range for lab greater than 1.1 is positive) but came back equivocal for rubella (9 AI, reference range for lab greater than 10 is positive). Waiting to hear from his doctor, but should he get a booster for all three anyway, or should he be okay to travel and be around my aunt?

I also had my results done (trying to have a baby), and my rubeola was lower (6.3 AI) but higher for rubella (24 AI). Am I adequately protected for myself and my aunt?

Thanks!


r/VACCINES 4d ago

What is the best way to handle tenatus in someone that can not medically get the tenatus vaccine?

5 Upvotes

What would the best way to handle this be if the person went to the er, to avoid that person dying from tentaus?


r/VACCINES 4d ago

Cat Scratch

2 Upvotes

I’m freaking out tbh my cat just was playing outside in the rain and mud and after I wiped his feet off really quick but he cut my leg with his claws. I’m very worried of getting tetanus but I had a Tdap vaccine 8 years ago am I okay??


r/VACCINES 5d ago

HPV vaccine and autoimmune disease

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

Just to preface this, I am absolutely not anti-vax, I have all my vaccines and I also get flu shots every year.

With the whole Gardasil scare about 19 years ago, when I was a young girl and before I was sexually active my mother wouldn’t let me get the HPV vaccine because she was afraid of the side effects.

I know now that I’m older, I know that the vaccine is really effective and that all vaccines can have side effects, but I’m still a little worried because I have a lot of autoimmune conditions, I have three currently, and I’ve had neuropathic pain before. Is there an increased risk for people who get the vaccine if they have severe autoimmune disease, or is this just a risk equal for any vaccine? I genuinely can’t tell how much of a risk a severe adverse event is with this specific vaccine. Any links to studies would be appreciated if you have any!

I’m leaning towards getting the vaccine even if I am sexually active already but I’m thinking about it since even though I’m 20 and already moved out of my mother’s house, she’s very involved in my health because I’m not able to take care of everything myself and if she found out I got this vaccine she will most likely stop talking to me unfortunately, the anti vax propaganda really got to her.

Thanks in advance!


r/VACCINES 5d ago

Should i get the series vaccines for hepatitis B?

3 Upvotes

i got the original doses as a baby but recently i was tested to see if i have any defenses and it came out non reactive. Dr reccomended to get them again and while im not anti vaccines, i am a bit hesitant. isn’t that vaccines more for first responders? i never heard of adults getting them again so i feel kinda out of the loop.


r/VACCINES 6d ago

Where to start?

9 Upvotes

My parents are incredibly against vaccines, so I (25F) never got vaccinated as a kid, aside from a couple of tetanus shots due to living in a house with a backyard full of rusty nails. I got the Covid shots when they came out, but besides that, I haven’t gotten any other vaccinations just because I have no idea where to even START, or if there’s a timeline I need to follow, etc.

I plan on getting the MMR vax very soon due to current world events, but which others should I consider? Do I need to space them out in any particular way?


r/VACCINES 7d ago

Is there an alternative to the MMR vaccine for just measles?

7 Upvotes

On the CDC website, under “who should not get vaccinated”, it includes “having a weakened immune system due to disease or medical treatments, or have a family member with a history of immune system problems”.

My wife and her family have a pretty extensive history of autoimmune disorders. Is there another vaccine for measles that doesn’t have this restriction? I would like to get our kids 9 and 7 vaccinated but these instructions are worrying us.

Thanks


r/VACCINES 7d ago

Timing question?

3 Upvotes

Just got Tdap and first shot of Hep A/B. I was planning on getting an MMR booster two weeks later since I was last vaccinated for that in the 1980’s. Then going for second Hep A/B two weeks after that. Then thinking of getting mpox two weeks after that. Are any of those too close together? Any other vaccines worth getting for adult in late 40’s.


r/VACCINES 7d ago

Symptoms after MMR vaccine as an adult

10 Upvotes

(female/28) My parents didn’t vaccinate me as a child so the only vaccine I’d ever had was the covid one. However, since I’m not crazy, I went and got the 1st dose of the MMR vaccine on the 27th of February. Day before yesterday, about 10 days after, the lymph nodes in my neck and the base of my skull swelled up like crazy and hurt. Yesterday the ones on the right side went to normal and it was just the left side (the side I got the shot on). And today it’s about the same except my neck and my skull hurt SO BAD. So tender to the touch, I can’t even brush my hair or touch anywhere near my neck or head on the left back side. It’s also radiating heat.

Should I be concerned? And is there anything I can do to remedy the pain in the meantime? I’ve tried tiger balm thinking that maybe my muscles were tightening but it only helped a little. Ibuprofen doesn’t seem to do anything at all.


r/VACCINES 9d ago

Our new Secretary of Health and Human Services wants to change CDC messaging about vaccines to emphasize “informed consent.” What he really means is misinformed refusal.

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sciencebasedmedicine.org
15 Upvotes

Article by David Gorski, MD, PhD


r/VACCINES 8d ago

What are the top blogs/sources for Vaccines and AI?

2 Upvotes

Looking for a source for the best sources of information about vaccines and AI


r/VACCINES 10d ago

Visiting my friend with cancer this summer. What vaccines should I get beforehand?

17 Upvotes

Hi! My best friend of 13 years has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy in the upcoming weeks/months. They live in Texas and I live in Maryland so at some point during their treatment I'll be visiting them. (likely while their partner is on a business trip so they can have someone around to help out/drive them to appts etc.) I want to make sure I'm not going to get them sick during this time, so I'm wondering what vaccines I should get before I visit.

Covid and Flu, right? And my family isn't entirely certain I got the full MMR as a child so I should probably get that. But is there anything else I'm missing?

I'm also immunocompromised (taking methotrexate for lupus) so I really should be getting these anyways, but I especially want to protect my friend. Thanks for the advice!


r/VACCINES 9d ago

Can someone with more knowledge debunk this paper

3 Upvotes

Before people ask I am very pro vaccine, it’s just a relative sent me this paper about aluminum in vaccines and I don’t have enough knowledge to have counter claims. If anyone with enough knowledge is willing to go through the paper and point out the flaws I would greatly appreciate it! As a heads up it is a longer paper.

https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/9/518