New Tool Promotes Safe Immunization

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Pediatricians now have a new tool to ensure nearly every child can be safely vaccinated against deadly diseases, including those who are allergic or suspected of being allergic to vaccine components.

Developed by vaccine safety experts and researchers at Johns Hopkins, the step-by-step tool outlines the measures doctors should take whenever they suspect a vaccine reaction. First, the tool recommends the child see an allergist who can run tests to determine if the child is allergic to vaccine components like gelatin or eggs. If that’s the case, many times the child can be vaccinated with an allergen-free version of the vaccine.

But even if no allergen-free version is available, most kids can still receive the vaccine. They just need to remain in the doctor’s office for a few hours following the vaccination to ensure immediate medical attention is available in the case of an allergic reaction. Generally, severe reactions will occur within minutes to several hours following the administration of the vaccine. Reactions that occur later than that are usually mild and don’t pose any real threat to the child.

If a child has had a serious reaction to a vaccine in the past, the physician may want to test for immunities to the condition the vaccine was intended to protect against before administering additional doses. In most cases, kids will have developed immunities despite the reaction, and additional doses may be temporarily postponed.

Serious allergic reactions to vaccines include hives, swelling, wheezing, coughing, low blood pressure, vomiting and diarrhea. These reactions can lead to the life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.

“We cannot reiterate enough that the vaccines used today are extremely safe, but in a handful of children certain vaccine ingredients can trigger serious allergic reactions,” study author Robert Wood, M.D., was quoted as saying. But he and his team believe with the appropriate precautions, “even children with known allergies can be safely vaccinated.”

SOURCE: Pediatrics, published online September 2, 2008