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| The new vaccination danger – tardiness
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Not vaccinating is dangerous, but leaving it late is too
While vaccinations are on the increase, so too are conscientious objectors. But while it's universally recognised that not vaccinating is potentially fatal, new research shows that leaving it late can also lead to serious illness and febrile convulsions.
While vaccinations in pre-school children is on the increase, following the introduction of the no jab no play policy, it has been estimated that conscientious objection to childhood immunisation is also on the rise as parents exploit a loophole in the recently implemented law that allows unvaccinated children to be enrolled in childcare centres.
The federal Health Department says 3910 parents across Australia lodged a conscientious objection form last year, the highest number recorded by the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register since 1999. This takes the total number of conscientious objectors to 36,320, out of more than 2.2 million children on the register.
According to the latest National Health Performance Authority report there are 75,002 children aged five and under who are not fully immunised, with one in five of those, or 14,869 children registered as conscientious objectors in 2012-13. Registered conscientious objectors can still obtain the family tax benefit A supplement immunisation bonus worth $2100.
Of course there is a very small minority of objectors to vaccinating children, and this is largely due to misinformation, scaremongering and largely unsubstantiated stories of vaccines linked to other illnesses and syndromes such as autism.
But they are increasing and according to many medical practitioners, researchers and scientists, there must be more deterrent
The Australasian Virology Society, The Australasian Society for Immunology, and The Australian Society for Microbiology, who collectively represent approximately 4000 of Australia's most prominent researchers, clinicians and scientists, have written to the government calling for action to close the loophole.
Eminent biologist Sir Gustav Nossal said conscientious objectors were making a mockery of the system put in place to increase vaccination.
"I am not in favour of these people getting a financial benefit for not vaccinating their children," Sir Nossal said.
"Almost 8 per cent of Australians do not have their children vaccinated and only 2 per cent of those are genuine conscientious objectors, and ifthat was all there were it wouldn't be too bad, but the other 6 percent are not informed and just heard in the supermarket vaccination was bad, they are not genuine conscientious objectors," Sire Nossal said.
And while the majority of parents are vaccinating their kids before they get to school age, a new study published last month in the US Pediatrics magazine, found that administering the MMR shot or the less frequently used MMRV one (which includes the varicella, or chickenpox, vaccine) later, between 16 and 23 months, doubles the child's risk of developing a fever-caused, or febrile, seizure as a reaction to the vaccine.
The risk of a febrile seizure following the MMR is approximately one case in 3,000 doses for children aged 12 to 15 months but one case in 1,500 doses for children aged 16 to 23 months.
"This study adds to the evidence that the best way to prevent disease and minimize side effects from vaccines is to vaccinate on the recommended schedule," says Simon Hambidge, lead author of the study and the director of general pediatrics at Denver Health. Otherwise, he says, an undervaccinated child is left at risk of infectious disease for a longer period.
"Delaying also makes for increased visits to the doctor's office," says Hambidge, "along with the time and hassle and risk of exposure to other infectious diseases in the doctor's office".
It's not clear why the MMR and MMRV vaccines increase febrile seizure risk in the older children, but it may be simply that they receive the vaccines when they are already more susceptible to the seizures. Hambidge says evidence shows the immune system may still be maturing during the second year of life, and febrile seizures caused by viruses naturally peak around 16 to 18 months.
Vaccines administered during this interval may increase the risk of fever, and therefore febrile seizures, because the vaccines rev up the immune system to mount a better immune response. These seizures do not cause any long-term health effects. "Even though they're scary for parents, these seizures are temporary events. They don't recur and don't cause epilepsy", Hambidge says.
If you've experienced a febrile seizure with your child, you will know just how scary it is. No amount of reassurance from other people, even medical staff, can stop you from panicking at the stiffness and glassy eyes that babies and small children get with a seizure. For a couple of minutes you are convinced they are going to die.
As parents of children enrolling in school are asked to provide an Immunisation History Statement, which can be obtained by contacting the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register.
As parents we need to take responsibility. You simply cannot "forget" to vaccinate your child any more than forget to feed it and you shouldn't leave it any later than the recommended vaccination age. These recommendations are given for a reason and this latest research just goes to show there is no room for complacency when it comes to vaccination against serious diseases.
View the current vaccine schedule.
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