[mgbridges]

Hi folks,

We've recently got ourselves registered with a local doctor and they tell us that our almost 6yr old son needs to have a course of Hep B injections. 3 in total, each one a month apart from the next. Has anyone else had to do this and if so did your child have any reaction?

Our wee one has always done pretty well with his jabs but I'm a bit worried as he had most of them done when he was really too young to realise what was going on.

First one is this Friday after he breaks up for the summer - poor kid, what a way to start the holidays!

Anneliese

[Tanya]

We were told ours would need it too but they havent pursued it thankfully. I have had many discussions with medical people about it and I have decided (at this stage) not to subject them to it.

Like you my 2 didnt remember their injections they had in the UK for the all the ones they do but we had to have the Meningitis ones when we got here and they now have an aversion to needles!! That was a nightmare!:no

My son is already worried about his jabs he will get when he turns 11 - he has worried for a year now!

Apparently over 80% of islanders carry Hep B and if I was planning on trips there I may think about it more - but until then, I will keep my fingers crossed!

I am sure everyone has their own opinions on vaccinations - thats just mine - don't shoot me down please!;)

Tanya

[IanW99]

Hi folks,

We've recently got ourselves registered with a local doctor and they tell us that our almost 6yr old son needs to have a course of Hep B injections. 3 in total, each one a month apart from the next. Has anyone else had to do this and if so did your child have any reaction?

Our wee one has always done pretty well with his jabs but I'm a bit worried as he had most of them done when he was really too young to realise what was going on.

First one is this Friday after he breaks up for the summer - poor kid, what a way to start the holidays!

Anneliese

My son had the Hep B injections in NZ without any problems (he was older though).

One question, I would check the time between jabs (unless someone else can answer). Our nurse had to check because adult and children schedules are different. I'm pretty sure that for adults it was one month apart but for children it was longer?

Ian

[peebles16]

I am confused about this one so checked with OH as blood etc is his profession. Hep B blood borne so why would you immunise??
Karen

[Nienke]

My GP told me kids might get infected at school, through scrapes and small wounds. Apparently there is quite a high rate of hep B in Nz, so I decided to have my then 4 year old have the injections.
He was fine with them, no reactions fortunately.

[Tanya]

I am confused about this one so checked with OH as blood etc is his profession. Hep B blood borne so why would you immunise??
Karen

True:

Hepatitis B infection is common in Maori, Pacific Island and Southeast Asian people living in New Zealand. It is very easily transmitted in blood (or other secretions) from an infected person to a susceptible person.

Broken bones and concussions aren't the only hazards football players face on the field, a new study has found. Hepatitis B, a blood-borne virus that attacks the liver and can last a lifetime, can be spread among team sports players through contact with other players' wounds during training,

Maybe if my son gets into contact sports I might consider it!!

Tanya

[Tanya]

My GP told me kids might get infected at school, through scrapes and small wounds. Apparently there is quite a high rate of hep B in Nz, so I decided to have my then 4 year old have the injections.
He was fine with them, no reactions fortunately.


Only if someone else who happens to have it touches the wound I assume??

Tanya

[Tanya]

..

[Tia Maria]

My oldest had his done when he was 5, he had a fridge magnet kept at the doctors which recorded each jab and he got to take it home at the end of the course. They also gave him a sweetie each time.

My son was very nervous (he'd been fine when he was younger) and for one of them actually screamed 'Mummy don't let them hurt me' :( . So they would prepare the injection before he got in the room so he had less chance to dwell on it.

As I have needle phobia myself I knew how he felt. So I explained why it was important, explained that it could hurt (I told him to dig his nail into his arm to see what it would be like) and then let him choose the reward for being brave. We had a few discussions about how sometimes you just have to do difficult things. After it was all over he would show off his fridge magnet and told all his friends how brave he was!

My friend just feeds her lot smarties while they are getting the jabs and it seems to work! :D

None of mine had any physical reaction to the jabs, apart from a sore arm which was very easily soothed with a piece of folded wet kitchen towel placed on it.

Cheers

Tia

[sizzlingbadger]

Mine three had it done, no reactions. For us it wasn't a decision we took lightly but felt in the long run it would be better for them to have it done.

[Marie P]

My three had them done and did get a very sore arm after the first injection.

So they played on this for the second injection and ended up in getting a day off school ,so for the third injection I booked it for a friday after school :nice1

Do you have to pay for them now ?

Marie x

[nippa&pippa]

My eldest two children had their course of 3 jabs at 10months old and 3 years old, first one last december/january and last one in June this year, and both had no problems with their jab..
I think you have to pay for Hep B and/or Men B now as I recalled getting it done before the deadline as it was free then.

[ourquest]

I am confused about this one so checked with OH as blood etc is his profession. Hep B blood borne so why would you immunise??
Karen

Yes I had also thought this. The scenario of playground injuries is a valid one though, and in countries with high incidence of HIV children have strict instruction not to touch other children's blood. And of course professional rugby players leave the field with "blood injuries" for exactly this reason. Hep B is not anything like as lethal as HIV can become, but if I remember correctly it is much easier to transmit.

[gil]

Ours all had them, all fine. With the amount of sports played here, even at primary school for both boys and girls, soccer, rugby,touch, sevens etc we thought it was worth it. Do check the time spacing of the jabs though, as there was a variation from the monthly sequence, but I can't remember what it was now!

Gil

[mgbridges]

Thanks all! Will be going ahead with it as Joe is permanently getting scrapes just playing on all the equipment at school - heaven help us if/when he gets into contact sports!

Thanks for the tips Tia about how to broach the subject and the Smarties, fingers crossed it all goes well. If the weather holds he has a trip to the beach (& maybe the ice cream parlour) to look forward to straight after its done.

Anneliese

[mgbridges]

Well all went OK today with just a bit of an 'ouch that hurts' when the needle went in. So far no adverse reactions just complaints that his arm is sore. I expect the ice cream and the trip to the park helped him over the worst of it! :laugh

Thanks for the queries ref. how far apart the shots should be as the nurse today said they needed to be 6 weeks apart not just a month, so I've booked in for the next one in 7 weeks time on a Friday afternoon.

We also saw the GP as he is a new patient and all is good although as we went into his office Joe did say 'is he going to stick a needle in me?' so I wonder how we'll do next time around! :uhoh

The best bit was it only cost $15.00.

Anneliese

[shakyle2906]

Thanks for this info, its something i was told this week by the school nurse that my 5yr old has to have..........

Sharon

[Familyofmonkeys]

My 3 have all had to have the 3 Heb B injections, along with 3 Meningitus B injections (they had Men C in UK) and DTAP-IPV. My youngest was due to have his second Prevenar injection when we left the UK, but they don't have that here yet. Apparently they are introducing it next year, so we are waiting rather than paying the $178 to get it done privately.

[peebles16]

Thanks for all the info folks although I can see I'm going to have my work cut out for me persuading OH it's a good idea!!

karenx

[Familyofmonkeys]

My son had the Hep B injections in NZ without any problems (he was older though).

One question, I would check the time between jabs (unless someone else can answer). Our nurse had to check because adult and children schedules are different. I'm pretty sure that for adults it was one month apart but for children it was longer?

Ian

For children it is 6 weeks between jabs. In fact...i got a recall for my son's 3rd jab last week, so made an appointment and turned up for it at surgery, only to be told that they couldn't give it as he needed to wait 2 more days for the full 6 week time gap. I wasn't best pleased at the wasted appointment and asked why they sent me a letter telling me to book an appointment if they wouldn't do it yet. All they could say was..."well, most parents need a couple of reminders before they get round to it so we send out letters early" ????
Had to take him back on christmas Eve for last one :(