Hives from HIB Vaccine

Updated on September 13, 2011
R.A. asks from Happy Valley, OR
21 answers

Okay so I dont know which one of these is the culprit. My son had a HIB vaccine on Thursday, on Friday I noticed what looks like Hives. I am fairly certain as I looked online as to what they look like. It's mild but def there. The think I am wondering is if A. Anyone out there has had their infant break out in hives after a vaccine (my son is 5 1/2 months old). B. gotten hives from Johnson & johnson bedtime bath wash (we just tried it also for the first time on Thursday) or it could be food related as we started solids and I have been slowly introducing new things (it was peach and avacado within the last week which would seem an odd thing to be allergic too). Any thoughts here? I am leaning more toward the vaccine or the new bath wash (we were using aveeno and for some reason I got the johnson & johnson stuff).

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So What Happened?

It has been several weeks and 2 doctor visits later and my little guy still has hives. The doctor finally said he does not think it is food which was a relief because I had cut out a ton of stuff and he still had hives. He thinks that he had some virus and the hives is a reaction. I still think it was the HIB but who knows. Anyway he says it could take 4 weeks to clear out of his system.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

It could be any of them. My son is sensitive to soaps, with anything perfumed causing hives. I get hives if I use bubble bath with citric in it (lemon or orange), or if I eat strawberries, or drink anything with certain red dyes.

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M.R.

answers from Kansas City on

My neighbor's two yr old had hives and diarhea recently and her doctor said there was a virus going around that causes hives. The little girl had no vaccinations recently. Hard to tell which one of those variables it might be.

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A.Z.

answers from Portland on

You could carefully rule out the J&J as well as the food allergies by trying them again. Please realize, that usually a reaction doesn't occur the first time you try something, but on subsequent occassions as the body gets the exposure the first time and the next time it will react. That is why penicillin and other antibiotic reactions don't typically happen the first time you use them on your child, but the second time. Personally, I would toss out the J&J. It's full of nasty chemicals as others have stated and not worth risking. Your skin is your largest organ and products like body washa nd shampoo can easily permeate the skin and go into the bloodstream. Whether it cause hives or not, I am not sure, but doing a small patch test to find out would be worthwhile as you would want to rule out what you can prior to getting more vaccines. If your child is susceptible to reactions (boys are at a higher risk due to their testosterone levels) you need to know! Vaccines can cause two types of allergic reactions: a reaction, e.g., immediate allergic response (anaphylaxis), and a side effect, e.g., fever, rash, or localized swelling later on. Vaccines are not only in a base of egg whites in many cases which are risky for adverse reactions (egg yokes are safe for babies), but many also contain peanut oil which is one of the highest reactive agents that people are allergic to (hence the airlines no longer serving peanuts). In addition to the viral and bacterial RNA or DNA that is part of the vaccines, here are the fillers (any of which could be the cause of the hives and even more dangerous reactions with future vaccines):

aluminum hydroxide
aluminum phosphate
ammonium sulfate
amphotericin B
animal tissues: pig blood, horse blood, rabbit brain,
dog kidney, monkey kidney,
chick embryo, chicken egg, duck egg
calf (bovine) serum
betapropiolactone
fetal bovine serum
formaldehyde
formalin
gelatin
glycerol
human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)
hydrolized gelatin
monosodium glutamate (MSG)
neomycin
neomycin sulfate
phenol red indicator
phenoxyethanol (antifreeze)
potassium diphosphate
potassium monophosphate
polymyxin B
polysorbate 20
polysorbate 80
porcine (pig) pancreatic hydrolysate of casein
residual MRC5 proteins
sorbitol
sucrose
thimerosal (mercury)
tri(n)butylphosphate,
VERO cells, a continuous line of monkey kidney cells
washed sheep red blood cells

So definitely determine if the other items you mentioned were causing a reaction so you can better prepare for reactions and watch for symptoms if you choose to continue with vaccinations. An educated parent can better protect their child.

3 moms found this helpful
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J.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son had hives after his 1st Varicella shot.....and fever, and constipation, and eye pain and tics for 6 days.....the list goes on and on. My pediatrician insisted it was not related. I created such a stink at the doctor's office they ended up reporting it as an adverse reaction to the manufacturer. Guess what? The manufacturer sent info back saying 1% or 1 of every 100 children will have hives from varicella AND get this, all the other reactions he had. Can you believe it? Don't believe everything you hear. Trust your gut instincts when it comes to your child, you are his advocate for life. The 1% of children that react to vaccines are actually someone's child, not just numbers in a report.

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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

Here is the CDC information sheet for Hib: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-hib.pdf .

Notice under #5 - "hives" is listed in the "what should I look for" in regard to signs of a serious allergic reaction (other sypmtoms listed too). There is a timing component there so read that for yourself.

My child broke out in a terrible rash after receiving the first HepB vax the day after he was born (ugh). At the time I was told it was "mother's hormones."

This is the same child with 40+ food sensitivities now (and a lifetime of chronic sickness until we figured it out around age 9-10). Do I know for sure that there is a connection? Of course not. But I don't know that it's NOT connected either.

Good luck - do your research, check with your regular doctor and possibly seek out other sources of professional advice.

If it were my child I would be extremely vigilant with future vaccines. I'm not saying that you should not get them - just that I would have been alot more careful (i.e., questioned my ped more and researched things for myself) had I known then what I know now.

I'm not a doctor or health care professional - this is just my own mom opinion.

Good luck

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi R.,

Johnson and Johnson anything baby is pretty toxic. Most of their products have a known carcinogen (cancer causing) called quaternium-15 (Q-15). It's a cheap preservative that creates formaldehyde. The vaccine also has some synthetic chemicals as well that could also be a culprit. Hives is a fairly mild reaction but can be a red flag that next time it could be worse. You can go online and get ingredients to all the vaccines before you take them. I don't have a problem with the theory of vaccination but I didn't vaccinate my kids because of the synthetic chemicals. I also didn't have the internet to get specific info like you can get.

I'm not a fan of Aveeno either but it is head and shoulders about Johnson and Johnson. Try the peaches and the avocado separately. Both are usually not a cause for reaction, especially the avocado. It's one of nature's perfect foods.

God bless,

M.

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K.R.

answers from Spokane on

My son had mild skin reations to vaccines, bath products, and peaches! Try the peaches and bath soap again to see what happens (on seperate days of course!) and do some major research on vaccines. After reading the findings of INDEPENDENT research (not done or funded by the pharmaceutical companies) I have chosen to stop vaccinating my children. I will keep myself educated and updated and may change my stance as they get older and/or vaccines get "cleaned up" but for now we're done with them. Check out childhoodshots.com for some enlightening information - we are our child's first and most concerned advocates, use your mind and voice to protect them!

1 mom found this helpful

L.G.

answers from Eugene on

Wikipedia lists HIB as being a multiple vaccination. Tetanus is a known cause of serious allergic reactions. When given separately in clinics it can set off all kinds of problems. They used to give it every time you had an wound but today if you have had one within ten years it is considered good protection.
I don't know why mothers and fathers are given so little information about the required vaccinations children are given. They have so many to go through. I stopped vaccinating when I nearly lost my two year old to measles vaccination.
Children have acquired epilepsy from DPT shots. My grandson did. Fortunately I am a homeopath and was able to cure him.
If your child is showing allergic reactions buy only pure healthy products in the health food store. Cross over stores that carry organics and regular products cannot be trusted in these matters as they do not care about health only the profit margin.
I wash clothes with Planet or Ecover same for dishes. My soaps contain no formaldahyde. I brush my teeth with Calendula tooth paste from Weleda. As a matter of fact I use lots of Weleda products. You see I am someone who has suffered from allergies since birth.
If you smoke or someone close to you smokes do not smoke around your son.
Introduce new foods slowly one at a time. Sometimes allergies to one food are mild and it can be tolerated once a week. When many foods that are mildly allergenic for a person are given at once an allergic episode occurs.

A competent homeopath can cure allergies.

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

As others said, it could be any of those things.

Many vaccines contain traces of eggs and therefore can be a problem for children with egg allergies. Ask your doctor if HIB has egg and whether that could be the culprit. Oddly though, my son, who IS allergic to eggs and can't have any food containing eggs, hasn't had a problem with any vaccines, even those with egg in it. But still, worth checking.

Yes, new bath products can cause hives & rash. My son has also had problems when we switched. We use Dove Sensitive on him now, as many other things cause his eczema to flare up (as well as other problems).

Most kids aren't allergic to peaches or avocado, but it's not unheard of. Pay close attention next time you give one and wait three days before giving the other.

All that said, he may have just had a bad reaction to the vaccine but doesn't actually have allergies to any of the above culprits!

Good luck. I hope you figure out the cause.

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M.K.

answers from Seattle on

i am allegic to peaches and avocado. also nuts, newspapers, carrots and a bunch of other weird things. so it is a possibility. :)

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E.E.

answers from Portland on

My DD is allergic to peaches

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J.W.

answers from Seattle on

You've added several new things to his life recently, so you need to go back to where he was before the 'hives' appeared, with the exception of the HIB vaccine. When you introduce a new food, do it for 5 days straight before you add anything new. Rice cereal is usually the first solid, then applesauce, pears, bananas.... keeping the acids down... peaches, citrus... no meats or vegies yet. And you can be allergic to anything, so no one food is out of the question.
Bath soaps can cause a rash or hive reaction, just as a change in laundry soaps. Be sure to double rinse his laundry, using a quarter cup of white vinegar in the first rinse. This will lift and eliminate any soap residue that remains in the fabrics. You'll find your clothes are a lot brighter, cleaner. This is especially true of flame retardant clothing, eliminating the residue increases the effectiveness of the retardant qualities.

If you nurse, have you added anything new to your diet? Something to consider as well. It could also be a heat rash, roseola, or something else. If this persists after you have gone back to ground zero, call your pediatrician's office.

Take care!

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T.M.

answers from Saginaw on

My son is 3.5months and just had his 2month immunizations. He started breaking out with hives the next day. I believe they are hives from what I have been reading in the internet. They dissappear after a while and others appear throughout his body. How long will this last if it is a reaction from the vaccines? His pediatrician said that he has sensitive skin but I think this is realated to the vaccine.

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H.H.

answers from Hartford on

my dd just had hives too and the dr. said it was not the shots that it was a virus bc she had a fever, which I blamed on the shots too. but I dk really. It is a bit tricky for you to really figure it out bc you have three things going on. I am not really sure. If I were you I would lay off the new bath wash for a bit and after the hives clear up try it again and see if that could be it. if you are introducing two new foods at once that can be tricky too: i was told it was best to do one at a time for 5 days (I was nutty and did 7) and then see how it goes. hives could be from food, so that could be it. did he have a high fever? my dr. said that after a high fever, if it is a certain type of virus, some come w/ hives to follow. I would deff. call the dr. to be sure but they told me to do nothing if they did not bother her. they did not. and if they did to try benadryll but she is much older (19 mo) so I would deff. call. xo

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J.N.

answers from Seattle on

No hives because of the HiB vaccine. We did get the J&J as a gift (I think it was the bedtine bath and she did get hives from it the one time we used it. She also got hives from one of the California Baby soaps. They both had lavender in them, so I am assuming it was that. My daughter reacts that way to many dies and perfumes, natural and chemical. I know some people don't like the Aveeno but we use it because her skin has never broken out from it.

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M.S.

answers from Bangor on

Our 3 year old daughter had a Hib shot on June 30th as our ped. office didn't let us know she needed a 3rd one sooner. 24 hours later she was covered in hives. They have continued daily. She was tested for allergies and is allergic to dairy, egg whites and wheat. The crazy thing, however, is that she was eating yogurt daily for the past 1 1/2 years, as well as wheat and eggs. I can't say that the Hib was the cause of her problems, but it was definitely the trigger. She now gets hives from heat, cold water, pressure, and food. Prior to the vaccine the only time she had hives was after her vaccine for chicken pox and she had two. We have been to a Naturopath and will be using homeopathic treatments to try to turn this craziness around!

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J.D.

answers from Huntington on

My 4 month old daughter got her vaccinations 12 days ago and 48 hours after the immunizations she broke out in hives. I have searched my brain and my home for answers. I can think of nothing that has changed. She is now on Day 4 of the prescribed steroids ( along with Benadryl) and she had another breakout this morning. They look awful and have lasted for so long. I have been searching to determine how long vaccinations stay in the bloodstream but can't get any straight answers. I am beside myself with worry. I just don't know what to do.

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J.C.

answers from Seattle on

obviously, i can't say what it is with introducing so many things in a short period of time....but my son did have a reaction to a Johnson's product when he was little...

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L.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

It could be because of any one of the above --- depends on your son. A good resource of information that I have found regarding the safety of various products that are on the market right now is the Environmental Working Group. Not all things that are out on the market are safe for all children. Some children are more sturdier than others -- after all, they are not robots. So, if you take for example the Johnson & Johnson No More Tears Baby Shampoo, you would assume that the reason that is "No More Tears" is because it does not contain anything that would cause tears. Actually, that is further from the truth -- it is no more tears because it contains agents that anethesize the eyes. So, as a mom, it is definitely best to be an informed consumer.

Hope this helps.

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J.K.

answers from Phoenix on

My kids got hives from vaccines, Johnson and Johnson stuff and food (but not the ones you mentioned.)

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C.M.

answers from Dayton on

My 3 yo had her 4th booster for HIB and following day developed hives too! Of course physician said no way related although she's never had a reaction to anything her whole life. Took her to allergist and he thinks very likely related. Going on a month now and still have to give her childrens zyrtec almost daily. Very frustrated mom! Any updates appreciated.

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