This isn't a typical fun family post-- but addresses a more serious issue that does effect our family and many families in the U.S.
International adoption is now governed by a new set of rules for some countries who have signed the Hague Convention, implemented by the U.S. in April 2008. The concern is an oversight that has resulted in requiring all children adopted into the U.S. from Hague Countries to be current on all Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) recommended vaccines for their age prior to receiving their U.S. visa.
This requirement only effects adoptions from countries that are part of the Hague-- adoptions between the U.S. and China, for example. This requirement does not apply to children who are adopted from countries that have not signed the Hague.
The Hague is intended to provided additional protection to children who are adopted internationally, but unfortunately there has been one major Congressional oversight. While revising the law for the Hague's implementation, Congress forgot to extend a previous exemption that allowed adopted children to postpone their immigrant visa vaccination requirements until they were safely at home.
The Hague Convention itself does not address immunizations. It was simply an apparent oversight in the new line of law that did not reference the earlier exemption that has resulted in this situation.This oversight means that these newly adopted children must become up to date with all the CDC's recommended vaccines before they will be granted entry into the U.S.
In order to receive their U.S. immigrant visas all children that are adopted internationally from Hague Convention countries will be required by this new U.S. law to become current on all Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) recommended vaccines for their age prior to receiving their U.S. visa. This means that they may receive many more vaccines at one time than we would ever give at a single pediatrician visit.
I am not referring to 2 or 3 vaccinations—but ALL CDC RECOMMENDED VACCINES.
This requirement poses serious risks to the children. Many children adopted internationally are already at risk for some serious immune suppression and these vaccinations may overwhelm their little immune systems. What about allergic reactions? Exposure to Hepatitis B? Not to mention that some of the vaccines might not be strong enough to count once checked in the U.S.
Some kids may have already received some or all of the vaccines but there is no record—that is why our doctors do titers when we return from these countries—to see which vaccines a child actually needs.
One of Josie’s documented vaccines from China did NOT register on her titer once we were home and this vaccine was re-administered by our pediatrician. So clearly, being provided documentation that a child has received a CDC recommended vaccine is no guarantee! The best way to handle vaccinations, and the way it was done pre-Hague, was that once at home the family's pediatrician does a blood test to show their titer antibody levels, and then provides only those vaccines that are shown to be missing, on a safe time schedule.
To be clear, this is the result of a U.S. law and only affects Hague Convention country children that are adopted to U.S. families. This is not the requirement of the child's birth country, but the requirement of U.S. law.As the law stands today, these vulnerable children are now the only class of U.S. immigrants that are given no possible exemption from their overseas visa immunization requirements.
All other U.S. immigrants are allowed the possibility of exemption due to medical necessity or religious or moral grounds.
Can it really be that this is a result of the Hague Convention which was intended to actually provide MORE protections for these children? A request to have the law amended is presently being reviewed by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar's office in Washington, D.C.
If you choose to contact your Senator and/or Representative, time is of the essence.
Your appeals to your Senator or Representative could help bring this issue forward for a speedy resolution to stop this process from continuing to happen to future adoptive families.
The blog entry below provides links to all Senators and Representatives and a sample letter regarding this issue. Their websites already contain a quick link to send them an email. Feel free to email or mail it as is or edit it if you would like.
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