| I have looked up the two vaccines you mention in the book, Medications and Mothers' Milk by Dr. Thomas Hale. (This is THE book about taking drugs while breastfeeding.)
Hepatitis A Vaccine (page 428 – 12th edition)
Hepatitis A vaccine is an inactivated, noninfectious viral vaccination for Hepatitis A. Although there are no specific data on the use of Hepatitis A vaccine in breastfeeding women, Hepatitis A vaccine can be used in pregnant women after 14 weeks and in children 2 years of age. There is little likelihood that Hepatitis A vaccinations in breastfeeding women would cause untoward effects in breastfed infants.
Lactation Risk = L2 = SAFER
Typhoid Vaccine (page 884 – 12th edition)
Typhoid vaccine promotes active immunity to typhoid fever. It is available in oral form (Ty21a) which is a live attenuated vaccine for oral administration. The parenteral (injectable) form is derived from acetone-treated killed and dried bacteria, phenol-inactive bacteria, or a special capsular polysaccharide vaccine extracted from killed S. typhi Ty21a strains. Due to a limited lipopolysaccharide coating, the Ty21a strains are limited in their ability to produce infection.
No data are available on its transfer into human milk. If immunization is required, a killed species would be preferred, as infection of the neonate is possible.
Lactation Risk (injectable) = L2 = SAFER
There are 5 lactation risks in the book:
L1 = SAFEST
L2 = SAFER
L3 = MODERATELY SAFE
L4 = POSSIBLY HAZARDOUS
L5 = CONTRAINDICATED
L2 = SAFER = Drug which has been studied in a limited number of breastfeeding women without an increase in adverse effects in the infant. And/or, the evidence of a demonstrated risk which is likely to follow use of this mediation in a breastfeeding woman is remote.
Often doctors don’t use the Hale book (as they have to buy it!) but instead use a book published by the drug companies (which is given to them). The drug company books often say that medications are not advisable when pregnant or breastfeeding. This is a way for the pharmaceutical companies to protect themselves against law suits (especially law suits from the USA). But in their own protection they don’t worry about adverting mother to stop breastfeeding when they didn’t need to.
I can also look up the anti-malarial drugs if you can give me their medical names.
Best wishes,
SARAH  |