Tylenol is widely used right before or after a vaccine to prevent fever in babies. However, a new study shows that using Tylenol may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine. With the widespread use of the seasonal and H1N1 Swine Flu vaccines, it may be a good idea not to use Tylenol after a child gets the vaccine.
Doctors from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that while the majority of children still get enough protection from the vaccines, the results of the study make it "a compelling case" against routinely giving Tylenol to babies after vaccination.
Many parents give Tylenol (acetaminophen) after vaccination, including the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine, to keep the baby from having a fever. However, fever after a vaccine is not always a bad thing and is a natural part of the body's response. Curbing fever, especially the first time a baby gets a vaccine, also seems to curb the immune response and the amount of protective antibodies that are made, the new study found.
According to the study done by military and government scientists in the Czech Republic, babies given Tylenol were significantly less likely to develop a fever — 42 percent versus 66 percent of the others — and very few in either group developed a high one.
However, lower rates of protective antibody levels from several vaccines were seen in the group given the drug. Levels remained significantly lower in this group after booster vaccines, given when the babies were 12 to 15 months old.
The research was sponsored by Belgium-based GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. This company manufactures all of the vaccines used in the study. Glaxo had a role in reporting the result. Some of the authors who did the study have financial ties to the company, including owning stock in it, so some question the validity of the study.
The CDC's vaccine advisory panel stated that using Tylenol after a vaccine is reasonable thing to do for children at high risk of seizures, which can be triggered by fevers. However, the CDC still thinks that Tylenol might not be good for routine use after babies get vaccines.
If you plan to get an H1N1 Swine Flu or seasonal flu vaccine for your child, consult with your doctor about using Tylenol before or after the child receives the vaccine.
Cheryl Phillips
Exclusive to HULIQ.com
sources: CDC, MSNBC
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