Vaccines HepA/B

[bntp02]

Hi there,
My daughter had her 3yr review recently, and they recommended the Hepatitis A shot (she already has Hep B vaccine, they do it right away when they are born). I told them we were moving to Finland in the summer, and she would not be able to get her second shot in time. The doctor suggested I still get her the first shot. Any suggestions? Should I just wait till we arrive, and then get her the HepA shots in Finland? Neither my husband or I have had either vaccines, but these days they recommend them in the states.
I'm also having our second child in about 5 weeks, so she will have to get most of her shots then in Finland as she gets older, but again will most likely get her first shot of Hep B a day after birth.
Oh and chicken pox vaccine? Is that automatically given, or does a parent need to request it. Again, that is automatically given here, and my 3yr has the vaccine.
Any thoughts would be great! Thank you

[EP]

I think in Finland people get hepatitis A shots only if they travel somewhere where it is common (And isn´t A type more commonly sexually transmitted anyway? And B through food?). Also I don´t think children here get hepatitis B either. But they get all the pox-vaccines, neuvola (a place where all children go) takes care of all the vaccines automatically.

[sinikala]

I was given my first Twinrix (HepA&B) shot last March

http://www.travelsafely.com/030_Learn_A ... nation.htm

I got the second a couple of weeks later weeks and the third and final one this March (after 1 year).

So long as the child has a vaccination certificate



the Finnish doctors should know what to do to complete it's course of treatment (if the child is halfway through when it comes here).

[CH]

(Hep A is through food, Hep B is through blood.)

Neither of the Hep shots are automatic here for children, nor is the Chicken Pox vaccine. You can request them, but it means that you have to pay for them yourself. At least the Twinrix (hep A + B) shot series is ¤!=#! expensive, but I think that just the Hep A vaccine isn't that expensive.

Bring the vaccination records with you, and if the doctor has any questions she can ask Kansanterveyslaitos/the National Public Health Institute (http://www.ktl.fi/portal/english/) for their recommendation on how to continue with the vaccination program for your children (that's what they did for our daughter).

[Shazzer]

Hi,
We were just at the Neuvola on Wednesday to get a vaccination shot for our one year old. We were also told that the next vaccination would be when the child is 18 months and it would be for Hep A & B. I stand corrected but at least that was what I understood the midwife and paediatrician meant. So, it seems as if the Hep A/B vaccines are part of the vaccination programme here in Finland? That is the last vaccine for the child until age 4 where another vaccine would be given (forgot what that one is for).

[scoobymcdoo]

At the 18 month check Sophie got the MMR.

I'll have to check her book for HepA/B

Hannah

[EP]

it would be for Hep A & B

OK, so that is new.

[scoobymcdoo]

Just found the Neuvola book.

At 2 day she was given the BCG (TB vaccine)
At 3 months she had the first of 3 vaccines (5 months and 1 year were the booster jabs) for DTaP, IPV and Hib (Diptheria and Tetanus, Polio and Haemophilus influenza type b)
At 18 months she had the MPR (Measles-mumps-rubella vaccine).

She is now up to date until she is 4.

Hannah

[GaryK]

At least the Twinrix (hep A + B) shot series is ¤!=#! expensive, but I think that just the Hep A vaccine isn't that expensive.

The prices for those tend to be quite high indeed. I had a series of three Hep B shots here in DC, and without insurance they would've been $100 each! Thankfully my co-pay was only $15 for them!

[RA]

HepAandB vaccines and chicken pox vaccines are not part of the basic vaccination programme in Finland. You can get the vaccines if you request them and pay for them as well i.e. you request a prescription from the doctor or through the neuvola, you buy it from the pharmacy, neuvola or the rokotuspoliklinikka (vaccination clinic) gives your kid a jab. Twinrix (HepA and B) was really expensive 35€/bottle, 3 jabs in all=3bottles=110€. Chicken pox vaccine, I don't know how much yet, but I think it must be cheaper than Twinrix. We're getting that in 2 weeks time.

[Lisa 15]

The chicken pox is between 60 and 70 euros and they don't have it in all pharmacies, so better to order it after you got hte prescription.
Hep B is not performed unless your child presents certains risks (such as AIDS, special conditions). Now they normally gicve the first shot 1 month after the birth. Both my girls got theses vaccinations, but they are still quite uncommun in Finland. However, no doctros will make any trouble to give the appropriate prescription

[Rosamunda]

I had never heard of the chicken pox vaccine until I moved here. It was not routinely given in France (at least not in the early 90s). My second son became very seriously ill when he caught chicken pox. He was on a course of cortisone due to severe eczema and asthma at the time (he was 8mths old). Chicken pox is related to the herpes, zona viruses and cortisone makes it flare up - it is the worst possible thing to give... The virus got inside his body and he was "saved " thanks to massive doses of Zovirax. His whole body is covered in scars (he is 13 yrs now).

His big brother caught the virus at the same time and his symptoms were negligeable... a few spots, hardly any fever, nothing. Little brother caught the virus here in Finland - he was 6 yrs old. He was off school for a week but nothing serious, a few spots a short fever. Nothing spectacular.

So.... if your kids are taking any kind of cortisone medecine then yes, definitely go for the chicken pox vaccine.

[catstale]

Gees, does cortisone really have such effect with Chicken pox?

This may sound funny to some people, I know one of my friend found it amusing. Since Chicken Pox is not harmful when you get it as a small child, parents here actually get their kids infected with Chicken Pox as soon as possible (or when it is convenient for them). As Penelope mentioned the symptoms are hardly visible when you get it as a young child. However, when you get this as an adult, the consequences could be severe. 1 out of 3 adults die if ill of Chicken Pox (shocking!).

Getting it as a child is the best way never to get it again. If you give your child the vaccine make sure that it is given again once it expires because getting it later when the child is older will do more harm than good.

[catstale]

Oh yes, another thing to consider with Chicken Pox... It is something you DO NOT want to catch when you're pregnant! It poses a small risk to the fetus: * Scars on the skin
* Muscle and bone defects
* Malformed limbs
* Smaller than normal head
* Blindness
* Mental retardation

I got chicken pox as an adult while we were trying to get pregnant.. I was horrified! Luckily I wasn't pregnant then.

[RA]

If you give your child the vaccine make sure that it is given again once it expires because getting it later when the child is older will do more harm than good.

Ehm wait a minute, it doesn't give immunity like getting if one actually got chicken pox? They didn't say anything to us at the neuvola, just that after the vaccination one wouldn't get chicken pox. I just assumed that one's immune for life. Oh boy... then is it worth it getting the vaccine? I mean I'd rather her getting chicken pox as a child than as an adult.