Vaccine choice is under constant attack. As of this writing, if you live in Colorado, you have a choice. You can choose to get every single one, at the exact recommended interval. You can choose to get a few here and a few there at any time you desire. You can choose to not get any at all.
Just don’t make the decision blindly. I don’t write this with intent to give you medical advice. I write this with the intent of giving you parental choice. Since I have small children and want the best for them, this is how my wife and I decide if we should vaccinate or not.
Hepatitis B Vaccine:
If you have a traditional hospital birth, you have to decide within minutes of your baby being born if you want your little bundle to have the hep B vaccine. It’s the very first shot your child is recommended to receive. The child is also expected to get this shot at 1-2 months and 6-18 months for a total of 3 shots.
Is your child at risk for Hepatitis B? It shouldn’t be the shot that shapes your opinion. The risk of Hepatitis B should be what shapes your opinion.
According to the CDC’s Hepatitis B Vaccine Information Sheet, you be the judge.
Who is at risk for Hepatitis B?
• A baby whose mother is infected can be infected at birth;
• Children, adolescents, and adults can become infected by:
– contact with blood and body fluids through breaks in the skin such as bites, cuts, or sores;
– contact with objects that have blood or body fluids on them such as toothbrushes, razors, or monitoring and treatment devices for diabetes;
– having unprotected sex with an infected person;
– sharing needles when injecting drugs;
– being stuck with a used needle. (Does anyone else see the irony here?)