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In the days and weeks after birth, infants are vaccinated against a host of serious childhood
diseases.
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Now research from the University of Florida and Columbia University reveals that babies who receive a new combination vaccine, designed to prevent tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, hepatitis B and polio are twice as likely to require medical attention for fever as those who received the old regimen. Pediatricians take fever seriously in the first weeks of life. But they're not always sure which fevers are simply a normal reaction to vaccination and which warn of more serious problems, like a potentially deadly infection.
Dr. Lindsay Thompson / UF pediatrician
"If we then start to excuse fevers- 'oh it's just because they were vaccinated during the last few days'- then we would be potentially missing cases of potential serious bacterial infections, which could be very dangerous."
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The research found that the babies who made a trip to the emergency room also ended up getting more antibiotics and more blood work, not to mention a battery of other tests. Researchers also found that some pediatricians chose to withhold some babies' vaccinations until they are older than two months. That's when infants are considered less vulnerable to fever and therefore aren't treated as aggressively if they develop one. But experts say waiting to vaccinate could put children at risk for dread diseases the shot is designed to prevent. Doctors stress the importance of vaccination and say the combination vaccine is considered safe and effective, though further research will help better determine when fever raises a red flag.
Dr. Lindsay Thompson / UF pediatrician
"What we do want to make sure is that we don't cause excess medical needs when we don't have to. If that means we need to delay vaccination a week or two weeks that study needs to be done… But there's nothing inherently dangerous about any of the vaccines given in this study."
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At the University of Florida Health Science Center, I'm Mike Garrison
