*****FROM ABC NEWS MEDICAL UNIT*****
Hi balboaswim and thank you for your question. Here is an answer to your question from Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases/Vaccination specialist at the University of Rochester Medical Center:
It is actually a very common misconception among parents [and yes, still some doctors and nurses] that current antibiotic therapy is a contraindication to vaccination. In fact, all of the regularly scheduled pediatric vaccines, and virtually all other vaccines as well (except for some specific vaccines given before international travel) may be given while someone is receiving antibiotics.
Nor do routine vaccinations need to be deferred or withheld from an otherwise well child experiencing a mild acute illness with low-grade fever, such as a cold or a mild diarrheal illness, or one who just recovered from such an illness. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that deferring immunization for mild illnesses with or without mild fever, or during antibiotic therapy, contributes to missed opportunities for vaccination, resulting in unimmunized or underimmunized children (who then are at risk of developing or transmitting vaccine-preventable diseases). Of course, if a child has a moderate to severe febrile illness, the doctor will usually defer vaccines in order to take care of the illness first, and not lead to confusion about whether a change in symptoms is due to a vaccine reaction or the illness itself.
With your daughter feeling better, I would encourage you to keep the appointment for your child’s routine vaccination whether she is on antibiotics or not!