Weakened live vaccines, e.g. meales/mumps/rubella (MMR) and chickenpox vaccines, are not intentionally given during pregnancy because there is a theoretical risk that a live vaccine could affect the fetus. Although research in the US, Germany and the UK found no injury to the unborn child when the MMR vaccine was inadvertently given just before or during pregnancy women are advised to delay becoming pregnant for one month after having a live vaccine.
There is no need to delay pregnancy after receiving non-live/inactive vaccines, e.g. influenza, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
Yes. It is important that all the scheduled doses are received because best protection does not occur after only one dose. Some vaccines (such as the pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines) require infants to receive more doses than older children to get the same level of protection.
Missing immunisations increases the risk of getting a disease and reduces the protection when it’s needed most.
Since the year 2000, infants are exposed to about 50 antigens by immunisation. In 1980, children were vaccinated with 3041 antigens. Before the eradication of smallpox the smallpox vaccine alone contained 200 antigens! Children today are being exposed to far fewer antigens throughout an entire immunisation schedule than some of their parents and grandparents would have been exposed to in a single vaccine!
All children under 18 years of age can have National Immunisation Schedule immunisations for free, including catch up doses of vaccines they have missed, whether or not they are New Zealand residents. This includes children who are in New Zealand for a holiday, with a parent or guardian here on a short term or temporary visa, or who are here on a student visa.
However, for the human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil®, a girl who is a non-resident must be less than 18 years of age and be living in New Zealand for eight months or more after starting the vaccine course to be eligible to receive the vaccine for free.
Immunisations are given at local Doctor/General Practitioner (GP) practices or medical centres. They may be administered by the Doctor or by the Practice Nurse. Parents or guardians usually need to make an appointment for their child to have immunisations. It is advisable to ring the medical centre you want to attend and ask what they prefer.
Sometimes, just one exposure to the germ isn't enough to teach the immune system how to respond to it. In these cases, it is important to have repeated vaccines or "booster" vaccines, which use extra doses of the vaccine to remind the immune system about how it should respond. These reminders allow protection against the disease to last for a long time.
Some vaccines (such as the pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines) require infants to receive more doses than older children to get the same level of protection.
No. For most vaccines, including Prevenar®, the evidence shows that the use of some vaccines leads to a decrease in illness and death in those who receive the vaccine and those not targeted by that immunisation.
Years after the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevenar®) in the US invasive pneumococcal disease caused by the types of bacteria in Prevenar® decreased in children who had received the vaccine, their peers who had not received the vaccine and the elderly who had not received the vaccine. However, the number of cases caused by one type of pneumococcal bacteria not in Prevenar® had also increased.
After all the evidence was reviewed the benefits of less disease caused by the bacteria types in the vaccine were much greater than the increase in disease from the type that was not in the vaccine. An increase in pneumococcal disease caused by a type not in the vaccine has not happened anywhere else in the world where Prevenar® is used.
Since the year 2000 infants are exposed to about 50 antigens by immunisation. In 1980, children were vaccinated with 3041 antigens. Before the eradication of smallpox the smallpox vaccine alone contained 200 antigens! Children today are being exposed to far fewer antigens throughout an entire immunisation schedule than some of their parents and grandparents would have been exposed to in a single vaccine!
During the birth process most infants come into contact with about 18 types of genital and 400 types of faecal (poo) bacteria. Breast milk also contains about eight types of bacteria. Each type of bacteria encountered contains 3,000 – 6,000 proteins that stimulate an immune response in the infant. This means that infants are exposed to more than a million bacterial proteins at and shortly after birth!
An infant has more immune cells to respond to germs per millilitres (mLs) of blood than an adult. This means that infants have an enormous capacity to respond to a very large number of antigens.
