My sons pediatrition said that there is a new vaccine to fight against pheumonia that she wants to give him the next visit when we see her. I think they have had way too many vaccines as it is, but I am wondering if anyone else has gotten it and what you think about it. He is up to date with all the others, he is 3.5 years old and she says it is for kids under 5 years old. Thanks
Just another way for the pharmaceutical companies to make money and pump the kids with more poison. I am a former NICU Respiratory Therapist and this is completely unneccessary. Kids don't die of pneumonia.
Lisa
OK- anyone who reads my posts knows that I'm "pro-vaccine", but this seems absolutely unnecessary. Is this really a public health issue or an epidemic? If so, I haven't heard about it and b/c I work for a public school system we get notified and updated constantly about health issues and warnings.
I say if it's not required and your son isn't "at-risk" for pnuemonia, then decline.
oh hell no. my kids are 15, 11 and 8 and DO NOT get ANY shots...EVER, immunization/vaccine, flu, whatever...none. and they have had perfect attendance and are rarely sick while every other kid in class is hacking up a long or throwing up...no kidding. They also take daily multivitamins and omega 3's. I especially wouldn't trust it if its "new". Just my opinion.
My son had pneumonia at 14 months old. It was scary although he was never bad enough to land in a hospital in an oxygen tent. He's had all his shots and the Pneumococcal vaccine which has been out for I think about 10 years. There is a new one but if my child were under 5, I'd have him get the shot. I've always made sure he gets his shots whenever any new one comes out. He's never had a bad reaction. He's 12 now and had a DTaP booster before he entered middle school.
"Kids don't die from pneumonia". Really?
Sorry but the CDC disagrees.
"In 2007, 1.2 million people in the U.S. were hospitalized with pneumonia and more than 52,000 people died from the disease.
Globally, pneumonia kills more than one and a half million children younger than 5 years of age each year. This is greater than the number of deaths from any other infectious disease, such as AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis. Access to vaccines and treatment (like antibiotics and antivirals) can help prevent many pneumonia-related deaths. Pneumonia experts are also working to prevent pneumonia in developing countries by reducing indoor air pollution and encouraging good hygiene practices."
Yes, kids can die of pneumonia. We just had a little girl come into our office today for a hospital follow up visit for pneumonia. She was in the PICU for almost a month because she had a large area of pneumonia in her left lung and also developed a pneumothorax and had to have a chest tube put in. She was a completely healthy kid before this happened, and she almost didn't make it.
The vaccine you are talking about is the pneumococcal vaccine, or Prevnar. It's not a new shot. It protects against the s.pneumoniae bacteria that can cause meningitis, blood infections, and also ear infections. The shots that they used to give protect against 7 different strains, now it protects against 13 different strains, so it is given to kids so they can have more protection against that nasty bacteria. My daughter has had the shot and my son will be getting it at his 4 yr checkup. It is now part of the series of shots that babies get at their 2,4, and 6 month checkups.
This is from the Prevnar website:
PD describes a group of infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae), also known as pneumococcus. There are more than 90 strains of pneumococcus but a small number of them cause most pneumococcal disease.
Pneumococcus enters through the nose and throat. It can cause either non-invasive pneumococcal (ear infection) or invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).
IPD includes serious illnesses:
* Meningitis—an infection of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord
* Bacteremia—an infection of the bloodstream
Pneumococcal disease can be a serious illness in infants and young children. S. pneumoniae is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis among US children less than 5 years of age, and these infections can be fatal.
How does PD spread?
PD is contagious. Your child could be exposed to it by being around other children (for example, in day care).
The pneumococcus can travel through the air and spread by close contact through sneezing, coughing, or even breathing and talking. It's also important to know that some people can carry the pneumococcus without being sick themselves.
Well it's not really "new" it replaces Pcv7 it is now pcv13 because it helps protect you against 6 more types. It is not just pneumonia this Bacteia is responsible for meningitis.it also causes ear infections and blood infections. It's recommended that children under 5 get one dose if they have have completed the previous vax series. My youngest got it last year and he did just fine.
