Has anyone been able to solve the dilemma of finding a provider who gives MMR vaccinations separately? My child's pediatrician is unable to provide the shots separately, and so far I have called a few travel clinics who also do not provide separately. (I know there is not necessarily research proving that separate MMR vaccines are better than the regular MMR shot, but I am still interested in at least trying to find them separately for my own peace of mind). I am in Columbus, Ohio.
You might try a family practioner. They may be willing to give the MMR shot separately.
Thanks to other mamas for posting contacts for the wonderful open-minded doctors...
Part of the refusal has to do with the cost, they only can order in bulk, so in order to accommodate your one dose, they have to pay for 10 or so. The workaround to that is to find others patients who would be interested in splitting the order (or so my pediatrician told me...we haven't done MMR yet for our 3year old).
Connecting with other patients represents a certain challenge as the doc or nurses won't help you with that, neither will they give contact info for other patients, so you are kind of stuck figuring out the logistics.
I read somewhere that you can try applying a little pressure on the doctor's office by asking them to give you a note (to present in daycare or another place where this vaccination is required). The note would basically state that they are unable to vaccinate your child bc they don't want to buy a separate vaccine... This makes the doctor look bad on paper, so some apparently are moved to deal with the request...Again, not that I tried this, but I read it works for some.
I'm not sure where you can get the MMR separately, but my pediatrician does not give it until they are 4 years old. It is also important to know if you son has any egg allergies prior to giving the MMR.
After reading The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears & What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave I decided to use an alteranate vaccine schedule. I had to switch pediatricians as a result. My new pediatrician is wonderful, and I actually found her on Dr Sear's website. Here is her contact information:
Dr. Ali Carine
Pediatric Center at Big Run
4310 Clime Rd, Suite A,
Columbus, OH 43228
###-###-####
I personally don't think babies should get more than one shot at a time. I understand the importance of vaccines, and am vacinnating my son, who is currently 6 months, but we only do one shot a month.
I have also heard that you can get the MMR separately at the county health department, but I'm not 100% sure.
Please let me know if you would like to dicuss this topic further and if you find a place that gives them separately!!
hi J.,
i don't vaccinate and my ped doesn't give me any problems. she may be able to get it separately for you, but not 100% positive. her name is dr kollar at hand-in-hand pediatrics in dublin. the # is ###-###-####. have you spoken directly to the pediatricians or to the receptionists? they may give you different answers. anyway, hope it helps!
