1 year jabs

[awilliams123]

Just wondering if anyone's kids have had any reactions to the MMR? DS is having his today and am a teeny tiny bit anxious. I've read a few articles stating that they're best given after 15 months, but nothing official. Anyway, just hoping someone can put my mind at ease.

[Vanessa3]

One of my boys were a bit grumpy for a few days, the other one had no reaction. Don't worry, your little one will be fine.

[Saffron]

What type of reaction are you worried about? The previously reported link between MMR and autism has be soundly refuted.

Sometimes children have allergic reactions to the MMR preparation. This is very rare, and would most likely manifest as an immediate reaction.

It's not uncommon to have a low fever after an immunisation. You can give baby ibuprofen and/or paracetamol before* and after the jab, according to the dose and time interval on the box.

Very rarely, idiosyncratic reactions can occur to any drug. If you see any clearly abnormal symptoms in your child, phone the NHS direct 0845 4647.

Try not to worry. xx

(Edited to say)

*Oops, scratch that, and see below! It's now recommended to give paracetamol/ibuprofen only therapeutically, not prophylactically.

[Yak]

Thicko question, (and sorry to hijack this thread) but I'm assuming we need to make arrangements to have the MMR, rather than waiting for the health visitor / surgery to contact us? Given that my nearly 1 year old hasn't had his 8 month check my HVs are not known for being proactive.

Hope all went well today for you and your little one, awilliams123.

[Saffron]

If you haven't received a letter, you might want to phone and check. Also, the ages for immunisations are just guidelines. It will not matter if you deviate a bit from the schedule, so don't worry if you're late making the app. xx

[snowboarder]

Yep you need to contact them. I need to sort for 13m old so thanks for reminder.....Hmm neither he nor my 3 yr old have had their 8m checks...oops...

[jennyh]

Mine had hers on the 29th march, no immediate reaction but came down with a nasty rash all over yesterday. The nurse did say it can happen anywhere from 7-14 days after. Rash looks nasty but doesnt seem to bother her. Have had it checked out and doc confirmed it could be that or just your usual viral thing.

[Saffron]

I was told a rash can appear, generally on the stomach, up to 6 wks afterwards! I don't know how true that is, or if it was just something the nurse personally believed to be the case. From a medical point of view, if you were studying side-effects, how would investigators confirm that the rash was not viral or due to other irritation? I don't think you could ever prove causation, only correlation. Needless to say, if it's just a rash without fever etc, it's probably not a big deal one way or the other.

[awilliams123]

Hi all, thanks for your replies. He had the jabs yesterday and cried so much, it was awful. It was an entirely new cry, but he calmed down quite quickly afterwards. I did give him calpol about an hour before the appointment, dunno how much or if it helped. He's pretty whiny today, but nothing more so fingers crossed he stays okay. The rash thing sounds horrid. Fingers crossed for that doesn't happen either!

[Saffron]

Hi for future, you can also give ibuprofen/paracetamol before the jabs*. Research suggests that pain and fever reduction are greater if you give the drug(s) before the jab. I think I did ibuprofen ~1hr before the jab, then paracetamol when we arrived home.

You can also ask your pharmacist for Emla cream, a topical anaesthetic marketed specifically for jabs in babies and children. It's not perfect, but it helps some.

Sound like your LO will be just fine. xx

(Edited to say)

*Oops, scratch that, and see below! It's now recommended to give paracetamol/ibuprofen only therapeutically, not prophylactically.

[KattyKit]

Hi Sorry just to say that current advice is not to give paracetamol before immunisation as there is now evidence that it interferes with the antibody response so best to wait and only give if needed.

K

[Saffron]

Yes, very interesting! I've just found it here http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167586.php. This copy is dated 2009, but this is not what I was told by nurses as late as 2011. I would be inclined to believe the research, but also this research gave 3-4 doses in the first 24 hrs, which seems excessive. Is there research on ibuprofen as well?

[Saffron]

See also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8308786.stm

This BBC article is a bit better written, easier to interpret. Their takehome message to parents:

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "Some children may develop a mild fever following vaccination.

"Department of Health advice is that infant paracetamol or ibuprofen can be given to a child to treat a fever.

"The findings of this [Lancet] study do not contradict this advice."

So best to give meds if fever develops, but not before, according to this.

Interesting then that the nurses were still telling us to give prophylactic paracetamol! I'd go with the research on this, thanks KattyKit. I've updated my previous posts to reflect your information. I think it's hard for nurses (let alone parents!) to stay up to date. xx