Why do some folks think that preemies frequently crash after they get their Hep B shot?
Because it is a common anti-vaccine myth that they do…
Do Preemies Frequently Crash After They Get Their Hep B Shot?
We hear it over and over from the usual suspects.
And they have been posting about it for years.
It is always the same story too, that they have heard stories from NICU nurses that they get crash carts ready before giving preemies their vaccines.
Crash carts?
A crash cart or code cart is a self-contained, wheeled cart with trays and drawers that include all of the supplies you need in a medical emergency.
Of note, none of these posts are actually from neonatologists or NICU nurses.
They are all from folks who had supposedly read or heard about the posts from the NICU nurses, but in reality, they are likely familiar with them because it has become a common anti-vaccine talking point.
As I’m sure you have guessed, they aren’t true.
For one thing, premature babies do not frequently crash after getting their hepatitis B vaccine.
“Vaccines are immunogenic, safe and well tolerated in preterm infants. Preterm infants should be vaccinated using the same schedules as those usually recommended for full-term infants, with the exception of the hepatitis B vaccine, where additional doses should be administered in infants receiving the first dose during the first days of life if they weighed less than 2000g because of a documented reduced immune response.”
Gagneur et al on Immunization of preterm infants.
The hepatitis B vaccine is safe, with few side effects.
Anyway, crash carts are always ready and nearby in the NICU!
These babies are in an Intensive Care Unit, so you are always ready and prepared for them to crash, doing everything you can to prevent that from happening.
More on Hepatitis B Vaccine Safety
- Vaccines for Premature Babies
- What Shots Do You Need to Be Around a Newborn?
- Don’t Skip Your Baby’s Hepatitis B Shot
- First Day Deaths and the Hepatitis B Vaccine
- Premature Infants and Vaccines
- Study – Safety of currently licensed hepatitis B surface antigen vaccines in the United States, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 2005-2015.
- Study – Immunization of preterm infants with GSK’s hexavalent combined diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B-inactivated poliovirus-Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine: A review of safety and immunogenicity.
- Study – Immunization of preterm infants.
- Safety – Safety of neonatal hepatitis B vaccine administration.