Ask Me Help Desk - Vaccines and Flu shot

Is there any harm in giving a 20 month old a flu shot a day after getting a chicken pox vaccine?

In my opinion, vaccines generally are not safe to give a young child. Why would you give your child the chicken pox vaccine in the first place? If you prevent the child from getting the chicken pox vaccine young, they will have to continue the vaccine their whole lives. I know many moms (including my own) who expose their kids to chicken pox young so that they can get it once and not have to worry about it the rest of their lives. What were you thinking when you gave your child the chicken pox vaccine??
Being exposed to the actual disease builds your immune system. I've never had a flu shot in my entire life- no one in my family has except for my dad, and the year he got it, he got sick with a "different strain of influenza" than the few that the flu shot protected, anyway. I don't see any need to give your child the flu shot- his/her immune system is perfectly capable of fighting off infections and healing, without injecting chemicals and "mini versions" of the disease.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaime90

In my opinion, vaccines generally are not safe to give a young child. Why would you give your child the chicken pox vaccine in the first place? If you prevent the child from getting the chicken pox vaccine young, they will have to continue the vaccine their whole lives. I know many moms (including my own) who expose their kids to chicken pox young so that they can get it once and not have to worry about it the rest of their lives. What were you thinking when you gave your child the chicken pox vaccine???
Being exposed to the actual disease builds your immune system. I've never had a flu shot in my entire life- no one in my family has except for my dad, and the year he got it, he got sick with a "different strain of influenza" than the few that the flu shot protected, anyways. I don't see any need to give your child the flu shot- his/her immune system is perfectly capable of fighting off infections and healing, without injecting chemicals and "mini versions" of the disease.

Wow, I'm glad that's your opinion, and not fact.

Fact is that the vaccines help a child produce immunities. The chicken pox vaccine (varicella zoster) is a one time only vaccine, they don't continue the vaccine throughout lift.

Now, I will answer the OP's question. What has your doctor recommended? The vaccine is very important for her right now. Children are dying all over the world with the H1N1 virus. I know a few who have passed.