Government Vaccinations: 2nd MMR at 2.5 Years

[EmptyHead]

Hey,

So yesterday our 2 and a half year-old daughter went for her vaccinations and i was outraged to see they gave her the 2nd MMR. In the book, it says the 2nd is due at 7 years-old (the first is 9 months and remains unchanged). I think in the UK, the 2nd dose is given at around 3.5 years.

We went back to the nurse and she explained that it has just changed all over Thailand (in the government vaccination program, not private). The reason they gave for the change is that Thai doctors think 7 years is a bit too old for the 2nd vaccine to be effective.

My daughter wasn't the only one. All the other 2 and a half year-olds got it too. We checked with some others in the village.

I am still a little concerned, especially becuase of the controversy surrounding the 2nd MMR and autism.

I just wanted to let others know about this.

[iancnx]

I share your concerns over too many vaccinations and their frequency. Which 'book' do you refer too?

[EmptyHead]

I share your concerns over too many vaccinations and their frequency. Which 'book' do you refer too?

The booklet they give you to keep a log/record of all the vaccinations.

Kids get it when they get their first vaccinations. Our daughter got it at birth from the hospital. The government vaccination program has their own logbook with slightly different dates.

In their booklet, for MMR it says 1st dose at 9 months and 2nd dose 7 years, but that has now apparently changed to 2 and a half years.

The book given from the private hospital where our daughter was born says the 2nd dose should be between 4-6 years. And like i said, in the UK i believe it is around 3 and a half years for 2nd dose of MMR.

My only concern is becuase of the controversy that the 2nd MMR has recieved over the years with it (perhaps) being linked with autism. And the fact she got it much earlier than expected worries me more.

Edited October 23, 2014 by EmptyHead

[AyG]

My only concern is becuase of the controversy that the 2nd MMR has recieved over the years with it (perhaps) being linked with autism. And the fact she got it much earlier than expected worries me more.

No need to be concerned. There is no controversy. The junk science of "Dr." Wakefield has been thoroughly discredited.

Not only did he not declare his conflict of interest, he falsified the data and broke the ethics code too.

The paper was fully retracted in 2010.

In short: there is no link between vaccination and autism.

[EmptyHead]

My only concern is becuase of the controversy that the 2nd MMR has recieved over the years with it (perhaps) being linked with autism. And the fact she got it much earlier than expected worries me more.

No need to be concerned. There is no controversy. The junk science of "Dr." Wakefield has been thoroughly discredited.

Not only did he not declare his conflict of interest, he falsified the data and broke the ethics code too.

The paper was fully retracted in 2010.

In short: there is no link between vaccination and autism.

Thanks. I certainly hope so!

[Sheryl]

Yes, it has been conclusively proven that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

In developed countries where measles is rare, the recommended schedule for MMR is 1st does at age 1 year and 2nd between 4-6 years of age, typically just before starting school.

In developing countries where measles is still endemic. recommendation is 1st at 9 months and then a 2nd one around ages 15-18 months (i.e. somewhere in the 2nd year of life). However 2nd dose can be given sooner as long as there is at least a month between the 1st and 2nd.

It sounds like what has happened is that the Thai MoPH has realized that measles is still present in Thailand to a sufficient extent that they need to adopt the second approach. Not sure why they would aim for 2.5 years rather than 1.5 years, for the second dose though.