Hep B Vaccine for Program.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Jun 17, 2006

Hello all!
I just got accepted to a program here in Denver, and I'm excited as all heck. I have some things that I have to get done (as everyone does) inorder to enter the program. One of them is to either get a Hep B Vaccination (3 doses worth) or to sign a waiver declining the vaccine knowing the risks of possibly contracting Hep B in clinical situations.
I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but my initial assumption is that I should get the vaccine. But seeing that the program has a waiver, it got me thinking....
Is there something I'm not considering here? Why would anyone decline? Is there a high risk in getting the vaccines?

I would get the vaccinations for sure. Some people (for person reasons, relgion ect..) believe that vaccinations are bad for what ever reason ("my kindergarten does not need hep B because it is a sexually transmitted disease and they will not be having sex"...."that vaccine has vaccine has mercury in it (and even though studies have proved against it) and I believe it will give my child autism..." or what ever reason!

But working in the health field I would not waiver any vaccination. I have vaccinations for MMR, dipth-tet, Hep A and Hep B and get my PPD every year.

Jo Dirt · Jun 17, 2006

Remember that clouded judgement may not necessarily be the other guy's.

It is ultimately your decision. Weigh both sides (use independent sources and do not use the manufacturer of the vaccine or a pharmaceutical company as one of your resources).

I have been in health care a number of years and have declined the hepatitis B vaccine each time it has been offered.

Even when you take your children to be vaccinated you are supposed to be given the option of declining the vaccines. By law doctors are supposed to tell you the risks and let you decide, but this most always never happens. And it is not true that you have to have vaccinations to leave the country or go to public school. But a lot of people in the system will tell you this because the general population follows without question so it isn't an issue that comes up a lot. But anyone who *threatens* it is against the law if you are not vaccinated to the gills does not understand the law.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about vaccine effectiveness and side effects that may or may not be caused by vaccines. It may anger some people that not everyone readily jumps on the vaccine bandwagon but that is because we have had it instilled in our psyches (brainwashed) for most of our lives that vaccines are mandatory to be healthy.

LauraF, RN, ASN, CNA, LPN, RN · Jun 17, 2006

I agree that it is a choice and not to start a debate, but we are in a Mumps epidemic here in the midwest. I will be doggoned if my kids is going to be sitting next to a kid without their immunizations in school. With that being said....

The hep B vaccine has few proven side effects. Yes is it a pain in the butt to keep up with your schedule but if you are a little late you can still get it. And what happens when you have a guy that is a good bleeder, you draw blood and he squirts everywhere and it gets in your eye, or some other mucous membrane, do you want to take the chance? I sure did not.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Jun 17, 2006

I have signed a waiver thus far and I will bump up the post about my concerns about the HepB vaccine. I certainly am not one to just jump when the Pharma companies say so (apparently that is "cloudy judgement"), but of course as health care workers we do have certain risks that the general population does not.

Here is some info about HepB from the CDC's Pink Book:

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/pink/hepb.pdf

I research, from independent sources such as medical journals, before I take any medications including vaccinations....ALL vaccinations have risks and you have to you use your judgement to make the best choice for yourself.

We were just discussing this actually because a friend of mine had a pretty bad reaction to this vaccine, and some other people shared their experiences with it as well. I will bump it up for ya-I think the post is entitled "Oh boy I am freaking out (HepB vax)"

You might want to look at the National Vaccine Information Centers website as well (though this is not a medical site, they do have good information for you to consider IMO from medical journals, the CDC, the IOM, etc):

http://www.909shot.com/Diseases/Hepatitis_B.htm

Congrats on being accepted! And good luck with making the best decision for yourself.

My waiver is simply stating that it is against my religious or moral/philosophical beliefs.

supermo · Jun 17, 2006

i have signed the waiver in the other classes i've taken (cna etc) but i decided to go through with it for the adn.

i didn't decline for any noble reasons, i just couldn't squeeze another $275 into my budget if it wasn't absolutely necessary. :)

this time around i read the declination waiver very carefully and it says,

"... and i further understand that those clinical facilities which require students to have the hepb vaccination can refuse a student's clinical assignment to their facility without it. should this occur, i supermo further understand that my standing in the program could be joepardized and clinical/graduation requirements may not be met."

i feel better safe than sorry. i don't want to risk my clinical time or my health for that matter.

read anything you sign very carefully.

i'm not gonna get into the good v evil of vaccinations debate.

and last, but not least,

:balloons:congratulations on your admission!!:balloons:

Jo Dirt · Jun 17, 2006

I agree that it is a choice and not to start a debate, but we are in a Mumps epidemic here in the midwest. I will be doggoned if my kids is going to be sitting next to a kid without their immunizations in school. With that being said....
The hep B vaccine has few proven side effects. Yes is it a pain in the butt to keep up with your schedule but if you are a little late you can still get it. And what happens when you have a guy that is a good bleeder, you draw blood and he squirts everywhere and it gets in your eye, or some other mucous membrane, do you want to take the chance? I sure did not.

My nephew had his mumps vaccine and he still got a bad case of the mumps.

As far as your child's health being threatened by nonvaccinated children, doesn't it make more sense that your vaccinated child would be more of a threat to a nonvaccinated one?

After all, if vaccines are so effective there is nothing to be concerned about.

Jolie, BSN · Jun 17, 2006

My nephew had his mumps vaccine and he still got a bad case of the mumps.
As far as your child's health being threatened by nonvaccinated children, doesn't it make more sense that your vaccinated child would be more of a threat to a nonvaccinated one?
After all, if vaccines are so effective there is nothing to be concerned about.

We can all cite examples of vaccinated people coming down with the illnesses that the vaccines were intended to prevent.

There are 2 reasons for that: 1. Some vaccines contain a live virus, and present a KNOWN risk of infection, albeit a small one. The chicken pox vaccine is one example of this. My daughter became infected from the vaccine, but as is typical, experienced a very mild case.

2. No medication (vaccines included) are 100% effective. Not everyone who receives a vaccine produces a sufficient immune response to protect from future infection. Just as not everyone who takes a Tylenol experiences pain relief.

These are known limitations of vaccination programs. That is why herd immunity is so important. If nearly 100% of a population has been vaccinated, those who have sero-converted will help to protect those who haven't from infection in the event that the illness is introduced into the community.

So in a nutshell, those who have been vaccinated do indeed protect those who haven't.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Jun 17, 2006

After all, if vaccines are so effective there is nothing to be concerned about.

Unfortunately, the world isn't black and white, so just throwing out a blanket statement like that is a little absurd.

I think if you took a step back and looked at the undeveloped countries who didn't have access to vaccines, it's pretty obvious that they tend to die of incredibly preventable diseases. Also, look at some of those countries when the vaccines are introduced. It's amazing how diseases can be eradicated by a simple thing.

Vaccines are effective for most. For some people they aren't. You make up your mind and go from there.

Jo Dirt · Jun 17, 2006

Unfortunately, the world isn't black and white, so just throwing out a blanket statement like that is a little absurd.
No it isn't. Vaccines either work or they don't.
I think if you took a step back and looked at the undeveloped countries who didn't have access to vaccines, it's pretty obvious that they tend to die of incredibly preventable diseases. Also, look at some of those countries when the vaccines are introduced. It's amazing how diseases can be eradicated by a simple thing.
Vaccines are effective for most. For some people they aren't. You make up your mind and go from there.

Provide examples, please.

LauraF, RN, ASN, CNA, LPN, RN · Jun 17, 2006

My nephew had his mumps vaccine and he still got a bad case of the mumps.
As far as your child's health being threatened by nonvaccinated children, doesn't it make more sense that your vaccinated child would be more of a threat to a nonvaccinated one?
After all, if vaccines are so effective there is nothing to be concerned about.

Children are now required to have 2 MMR's to be fully vaccinated. You said he got the vaccine, implying one. As other's have said vaccines may not completely prevent the disease but can decrease the intensity or the severity. I worked for a pediatrician for many years. We gave 300 varivax shots. Only 10 of those kids got the chicken pox with the average being about 20 lesions. Only 1 of that 10 had a severe case of countless lesions. I know this is not a published study but it is showing the incidences with one pediatrician.

Demonsthenes · Jun 17, 2006

I suggest that you take the "Twinrix" vaccination protocol. This vaccination protects you both against Hepatitis A and B. In the clinicla setting you will be exposed to blood and other body secretions under conditions in which you might not be able to take appropriate precautions. Sometimes those precautions are ineffective. Also, you sometimes are exposed to individuals which are unaware that they have Hepatitis A or B. The risks are too great for a health professional not to take this series of vaccinations. I completed my third and last vaccination for the Twinrix about 3 weeks ago. Best of luck!