PiCO Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 My daughter's pediatrician recommends the meningitis vaccine at age 11/12, along with the T-dap, when entering 6th grade. I did the T-dap today, but not the meningitis. I don't like to do too many toxins at one time, and I wanted to look into the meningitis a bit more. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 As a peds nurse I would tell you that this is one of the vaccines that is an absolute MUST for my own kids, no questions asked. Meningitis can kill you within 24 hours and by the time you're feeling very ill, it can be too late. I have personally seen children in the office with bacterial meningitis and only presenting with a temp of 99.5 and a mild headache at the time. It is a scary, scary illness and I jumped for joy when the Menactra vaccine was recommended for all kids. As far as side effects, I haven't ever seen any serious ones and hardly any mild ones either. My own kids said their tetanus shot hurt much worse. I would take them back and get the Menactra as soon as you can. This is truly a vaccine that saves lives. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 How long has Menactra been on the scene? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 My daughter's pediatrician recommends the meningitis vaccine at age 11/12, along with the T-dap, when entering 6th grade. I did the T-dap today, but not the meningitis. I don't like to do too many toxins at one time, and I wanted to look into the meningitis a bit more. Thanks! My 3 kids had it last year and none of them had any problems with it. Meningococcal meningitis is an awful disease. Even though the risk of getting meningitis is fairly low, the consequences can be terrible. For me, the benefits of the vaccine far outweighed the risks, and it was an easy choice. Just an fyi- there are 5 strains of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease. The vaccine only covers 4 of them. There should be a vaccine for the 5th strain coming in the near future. So don't be surprised if your dd gets the regular vaccine, and then is told she needs another one in a few years. That would be to cover the one strain that is currently not included in the vaccine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 How long has Menactra been on the scene? 2005, I think. Memomune has been available since the '70s, but it didn't last very long, and revax was required. Menactra is supposed to be much longer lasting....at least through the period of the most vulnerability in a person's life...up to age 24. Of course, you can always get a booster after that if you want it. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted July 17, 2010 Author Share Posted July 17, 2010 As a peds nurse I would tell you that this is one of the vaccines that is an absolute MUST for my own kids, no questions asked. Meningitis can kill you within 24 hours and by the time you're feeling very ill, it can be too late. I have personally seen children in the office with bacterial meningitis and only presenting with a temp of 99.5 and a mild headache at the time. It is a scary, scary illness and I jumped for joy when the Menactra vaccine was recommended for all kids. As far as side effects, I haven't ever seen any serious ones and hardly any mild ones either. My own kids said their tetanus shot hurt much worse. I would take them back and get the Menactra as soon as you can. This is truly a vaccine that saves lives. Thanks for the info. My gut feeling was to get it, but I don't just blindly get whatever vaccines are available- I wanted to research and ask the hive first. I also don't get more than one vaccine at a time, because my older dd has had reactions to vaccines (rashes, fever, etc.) I figure why flood their immune systems with so many toxins at once? Just space it out a bit. D-tap is already 3 vaccines together, isn't it? Younger dd was "required" to have T-dap before starting 6th grade in a month, so I stopped by for a nurse visit today. I have her regular physical scheduled for September, so I'll have her get the meningitis then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I don't know much about it either, but I do know that there are several cases of meningitis in our area schools every year, and it scares me enough to make sure my kids get that vaccine. It is required at a local college here if a child wants to live in the dorms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 There should be a vaccine for the 5th strain coming in the near future. So don't be surprised if your dd gets the regular vaccine, and then is told she needs another one in a few years. That would be to cover the one strain that is currently not included in the vaccine. It's good to hear that a vaccine for the 5th strain is in the works. I hope it will be available soon. We had our children vaccinated as soon as they could be. Our pediatrician did the same with his own children. Meningitis is uncommon, but uncommonly bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I've refused others, but this is one I made sure both my kids had. Our friend's son came home from college one weekend complaining of feeling ill, went back on Monday and died on Wednesday. Devastating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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