From the Desk of:
Beth Ann Wilmore MSN, RN | Director of Nursing

Today our Pediatric Team, in cooperation with Cumberland Pediatric Foundation devised a way to give the same vaccines with fewer injections. These are the same, long-used and proven effective vaccines but are combined to reduce the number of injections.

Same protection, less shots!! Here’s how the new schedule works:

New vaccination schedule = Two shots

+ 1 shot of Vaxelis + 1 shot of PCV-13 + an oral rotavirus

+ Vaxelis is a new combination vaccine made by Sanofi and Merck. It is a combination of:

DTap – Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Diphtheria (causes a think membrane-covering of the throat) and Pertussis (also known as whooping cough), both spread from person to person. Tetanus enters the body through cuts or wounds.

IPV – Polio is a virus that may cause paralysis and is transmitted through contaminated food or water or contact with an infected person.

Hep B – Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable liver infection. It is transmitted through percutaneous, puncture through the skin, or mucosal contact with infectious blood or body fluids. In chronic cases, symptoms include liver failure, cancer.

Hib – Haemophilus Influenzae Type B is a bacterial illness that can lead to a potentially deadly brain infection in young children, such as meningitis.

+ PCV-13 – Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of middle ear infections, sepsis in children and pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals and the elderly.

+ Oral rotavirus – Protects against rotavirus infections, the leading cause of diarrhea in young children.

Vaxelis + PCV-13 + oral rotavirus are indicated for 2-, 4- and 6-month shots.

Previous vaccination schedule = Three shots

1 shot of Pediarix which has DTaP, IPV and Hep B.
1 shot of Hib.
1 shot of PCV-13
1 oral rotavirus

Also recommended:

ProQuad is a vaccine that helps prevent measles (rubeola), mumps, rubella (German measles) and chickenpox (varicella). ProQuad combines the MMR and Varicella and moves from two shots to one.

Quadracel has DTaP and IPV. For Kindergarten vaccines, they would only get 2 shots instead of each of those components individually as before (4 shots).

Our new changes mainly effect the babies (2-, 4- and 6-month) and Kindergarten shots.