Reply #210: The vaccine is the live virus. [View All]

[lumberjack_jeff]

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/commoninfections/a/shingles_4.htm

"The vaccine is a live attenuated strain of the chickenpox virus," says Philip R. Krause, M.D., lead research investigator in the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "However, it's a weaker form so it gives rise to a milder infection. But in the course of giving rise to this milder infection, it induces enough immunity to prevent people from getting the natural infection." It is estimated that the vaccine is between 75 and 85 percent effective in preventing chickenpox. "But the important thing," says Krause, "is that it is almost completely effective in preventing severe cases of chickenpox."
Now that we have a chickenpox vaccine, are shingles and PHN on their way out? Although the FDA hasn't evaluated the effects of the vaccine on shingles, Krause believes that "in the long term, if you can prevent enough people from getting the wild (natural) type of chickenpox, you're likely to see a beneficial effect on the incidence of shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia. But it may take several generations for this to happen."

There's a 15-25% chance that the child will still get the more severe natural infection even after having the vaccine, and no evidence that they'll be immune from shingles.

There's only a qualitative difference between immunizing children through the attenuated virus and the natural one. Natural is more severe but more effective at preventing future infections.

I have three children, born in 1991, 1993 and 1998. The older ones both had the natural virus (before the vaccine was available) the younger had the immunization at 18 months. At age 3 he was diagnosed with Autism.

I'm not convinced there's a connection, but there you have it. I do not see the decision to blanket immunize as being clear cut at all.

DU is schizophrenic. We are proud of our freethinking heritage and our distrust of big pharma, right up until the topic is immunizations, at which point anyone who doesn't take parenting advice from Pfizer is a child abuser.