Rotavirus

I ended up not getting it for the 2nd child because the 1st child's batch of the vaccine was later found out to be contaminated with a *** virus. We've been assured that nothing will come of it and it's not a big deal, but how on earth can they be 100% sure that is true? They can't. It's too soon to tell and I don't even know how they would begin to assess how that could mutate in humans. We obviously can't worry about it now, but that was enough for me to forgo it for our 2nd child. Good luck with your decision.

It sounds horrendous. My concern is what is known about the long term effects of the vaccine, as well as the side effects of the dosage. Just do some research - google it - there is lots of info out there. Then go and discuss it with your paediatrician. If you leave it too late ( after 6 months old) they will refuse to immunise your baby anyway.

My older son caught rotavirus when he was about five. We were travelling through Dubai at the time and had stopped over for a few days. He started vomiting in the afternoon and was hospitalised and put on an IV drip that night as he was severely dehydrated and couldn't keep anything down. He stayed in hospital for 24 hours which caused us to delay our onward flight. He was poorly for about four days with nasty diarrhoea which meant he completely missed out on Disneyland :-(. He wasn't completely better until about ten days afterwards. My younger son is now ten months. Having been through rotavirus with my older one, I was really pleased that the vaccine was now available. It's horrible watching your kids suffer and although I hate watching them have the vaccinations, the mild temperature after the vaccines which my little one had was preferable to the ten days my other one suffered for. Dubai is full of people coming and going which means they are going to come into contact with a lot more nasties than back in our home countries. <em>edited by uniquename on 29/10/2012</em>

What is MMR? Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine - due from 12 months old depending on what program you are following.

What is MMR?

I had both my girls vaccinated against Rotavirus and neither had any adverse reaction. It is a very common illness here. With all the play areas and nurseries, there are many chances of catching it. You may wash your hands well, but many others may not. Then your child touches that surface and puts his hands in his mouth and then he gets infected. It's very easy to transmit/highly contagious. Yes, it may be treatable. But do you really want the trauma of him having to be treated if he catches it? In the mildest form, he is going to feel awful, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever. In its worst form, dehydration requiring hospitalisation, most likely multiple attempts at inserting an IV because when a person is dehydrated, veins are very difficult to access - this is very painful. Then of course the inconvenience of being hooked up to an IV for a few days (which is difficult for a young child) and the expense involved in the hospitalisation. As for the MMR - I was reluctant to do it because of all the stories. I made an appointment with a paediatrician who very patiently listened to my fears and explained it all very clearly to me. Because of the controversy surrounding this vaccine, it is most likely one of the safest because it has been tested and studied multiple times in many countries. There are so many people out there scare mongering with baseless information. Labelling drs and the medical profession as "working for the drug companies" is highly irresponsible and narrow minded. Complications of measles can be very serious, even deadly - particularly encephalitis and pneumonia. There are still massive outbreaks of it due to people not immunising their children, which is really unfair to the rest of the population. It is also dangerous for pregnant women and anyone else whose immune system is compromised like cancer sufferers etc, to have contact with infected people. All the talk of autism and ADHD, yes it seems more prevalent nowadays, but that's just because we are all more aware of it and have a label to put on it. Dr Andrew Wakefield, who claimed there was a link between autism and the MMR vaccine in his 1998 study, has since been discredited, stuck off the register and barred from practising medicine in the UK, as his study was fraudulent. Only you can decide if you will vaccinate your child, but it is in his best interests and those around him. Prevention is better than cure. Remember also, that when your child goes to school, you WILL have to produce PROOF of all vaccinations being up to date before they will be allowed to attend.

Thanks for the comments. A MW told me that the rotavirus vaccination can be avoided if you practice good hand hygiene. I've been reading into it, long term side affects are relatively unknown as the vaccine is relatively new. The government want the vaccination to be mandatory due to the financial burden of patients with strains of the virus hospitalised. Still undecided on this one. What I'd like to know from people with children, is how common these gastro bugs are here? Specifically the one which rotavirus is used to immunise against? I'm a first time mum so don't have experience of childhood bugs. Samie, With my eldest, I am sure he contracted Rotavirus from the docs clinic. They had this plastic matting on the floor in the waiting area for the children to play on, and 2 days later he was very ill. I'm not sure of the prevalence of Rotavirus over here, but in Europe in the winter months it was common, although most were not as severe as my sons, and could be treated at home. They only hospitalised my son because they were worried that he would become dehydrated as he couldn't keep down liquids. My youngest was never offered any drops, and although he had a very bad gastro bug when he was one, I treated him at home. Do a bit of research to help you make your decision [b'>Burden of acute gastroenteritis among children younger than 5 years of age – a survey among parents in the United Arab Emirates[/b'> http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2431-12-74.pdf http://www.whattoexpect.com/childrens-health-and-safety/rotavirus-in-children.aspx http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-rotavirus.PDF http://www.circleofmoms.com/toddler-moms/should-my-baby-get-the-rotavirus-vaccine-303226 <em>edited by Alismum on 28/10/2012</em>

Hi, Has your baby had the rotavirus drops? What were the side effects? Has anyone's baby or child had rotavirus? After DD experienced a reaction with the 5 in1 I'm concerned about this one...is it necessary? What about the other jabs? Is it possible to get single vaccines for mmr in the UAE? Interested to hear feedback. Thanks edited by samie10 on 26/10/2012 My eldest (now 15) had Rotavirus when he was around 7 months old (in Europe). He spent 3 days in the hospital with a feeding tube, as he couldn't even hold down water and they worried that he may become severely dehydrated. A few days prior to him going into hospital he was vomiting continuously and had the worst diarrhoea. I called the doc out on a home visit and she monitored him, but it didn't clear up on it's own, hence the hospitalisation. All was well in the end though, but if the drops had been available back then he would definitely have had them.

Rotavirus causes more than half a million deaths worldwide every year. A few unsettled days vs feeling secure that your child won't get a horrible disease? Easy choice for me.

my ds didn't had any reaction from the rotavirus. he just takes very less feed for 2 days every time after vaccination and becomes cranky too. otherwise no side effects.MMR is not available as a single vaccine.

If your baby had a reaction to the 5in1 jab, stop vaccinating her. You need to carefully weigh up the risks of DD catching the disease (which almost all are treatable by the way), vs her ending up with LONG TERM side effects like ADHD, Autism, etc. Dont feel pressured into giving her any more vaccines, if you as a mother do not feel it is right. They dont manufacture the MMR separately, so I would wait until DD is much older before giving it to her (if you indeed want to give it to her). It is so controversial this vaccine issue but seems to me the doctors work for the Pharma companies. It is all about profits and money.

I don't think the MMR vaccines are available separately anywhere anymore. I think Merck decided to stop manufacturing them, which is kind of annoying, but whatever. Not everyone wants the "convenience" of putting all vaccines together in 1 jab. Quite frustrating when your options are taken away. As for rotavirus, my first had the drops. I don't remember there being any kind of reaction or side effects, but my memory isn't what it used to be. With my second, opted out of that vaccine. If I were you, I would do some research on the pros and cons, what goes into making it and then make your decision from there.