Are you seeing more vaccine-preventable illnesses lately?

[anon456, BSN, RN]

Just curious. I am especially interested to hear from PICU RNs who have been around long enough to see the trends.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

I wouldn't say we're seeing more on our unit; we get a handful of pertussis every year in children too young to be fully immunized. I can't remember the last HiB meningitis I've seen and I've never seen diphtheria. I think we did have a case of congenital rubella in the last couple of years, but if I remember it correctly, the family had recently emigrated from a third-world country.

In the late summer there was a measles outbreak in another part of the province, in a community known for vaccine refusal but we didn't get any kids with it. We did get a letter from our employer stating whether or not we had documented immunity (through OH&S) to measles, and those who didn't have documented immunity were pretty much ordered to have 2 doses of MMR as a condition of employment. And people born before 1970, who are generally considered to be immune, were not exempt. I had clinical measles when I was about 8 years old and I remember it quite clearly. I also cannot receive live virus immunizations. So I was offered the opportunity to have my titre checked instead.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

We had a pertussis case last month. And a vaccine-preventable meningitis death last fall. (Unimmunized family)