Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months

Do you get LO a flu shot?

I'm undecided on this and my husband is leaving it up to me because he does not like the flu shot, has never gotten one and would prefer I not get it either. His reasoning is that it is quickly and mass produced mist likely by the lowest bidder in China and who knows what kind of junk and filler is in there along with the vaccine to keep it stable. Fair enough, I can see that logic. Also, it only covers a few limited strains of the virus so it is a gamble if the strain you may encounter is one covered by that years shot. I can see his logic there as well. I got a flu shot last week at my OB's office because I'm pregnant and it's recommended since we are approaching flu season. I was told the immunity will be shared by DS who will be born next week. My DD is almost two, I've not gotten her a flu shot yet and am on the fence as to if I will or not. Didyou get your LO a flu shot? Why/why not?
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Re: Do you get LO a flu shot?

  • yes, we are all getting them. i believe it's important to get immunized, especially with a new baby almost here.  JMHO.
  • imageAmaryllis619:
    yes, we are all getting them. i believe it's important to get immunized, especially with a new baby almost here.  JMHO.

    agreed!! This is us too...... 

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  • imageAmaryllis619:
    yes, we are all getting them. i believe it's important to get immunized, especially with a new baby almost here.  JMHO.

    agreed!! This is us too...... 

  • Yes for us, because my DH works in health care, and there's no way to avoid her getting the flu without her getting the shot.  Even if he didn't, though, we would still get it.  For little ones, it's common for them to end up in the hospital for IV fluids at the very least if they get the flu, and no one wants that.
  • i fought for days with my husband on this subject. I personally have never received one and didnt want my LO to get one either for the same reasons your husband is against them and i also believe that getting a flu shot puts the virus in your body and makes you sick (obviously so your body can create the proper antibodies, but my little man has not once been sick and i wanted to prolong it as long as i could). i lost and my little boy is now running a fever with a combination of loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea (THE FLU). its a personal decision but i do wish i would have gone with my gut and stood my ground.
  • imageMOTHERANDBRIDE12:
    i fought for days with my husband on this subject. I personally have never received one and didnt want my LO to get one either for the same reasons your husband is against them and i also believe that getting a flu shot puts the virus in your body and makes you sick obviously so your body can create the proper antibodies, but my little man has not once been sick and i wanted to prolong it as long as i could. i lost and my little boy is now running a fever with a combination of loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea THE FLU. its a personal decision but i do wish i would have gone with my gut and stood my ground.


    I'm all for flu vaccines... But wanted to point out that the flu does not cause vomiting and/or diarrhea. Sounds like your LO has something else like gastroenteritis.
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  • ditto PP. What people call the "stomach flu" isn't really the flu, and it's NOT what the shot protects against. Doubtful that the child got sick from the shot.

    Yes, I get my LOs the shot and have each year. With a new baby coming, I would definitely get the shot for your 2 YO. And, really, your DH should get one as well for the baby's protection.

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  • Neither of us will get flu shots. 
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  • Yes.  I'm a Kindergarten teacher, enough said.
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  • imagedrpayne:
    imageMOTHERANDBRIDE12:
    i fought for days with my husband on this subject. I personally have never received one and didnt want my LO to get one either for the same reasons your husband is against them and i also believe that getting a flu shot puts the virus in your body and makes you sick obviously so your body can create the proper antibodies, but my little man has not once been sick and i wanted to prolong it as long as i could. i lost and my little boy is now running a fever with a combination of loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea THE FLU. its a personal decision but i do wish i would have gone with my gut and stood my ground.


    I'm all for flu vaccines... But wanted to point out that the flu does not cause vomiting and/or diarrhea. Sounds like your LO has something else like gastroenteritis.


    Agreed. It is impossible to get "the flu" from the shot it's not a live vaccine. Now if you got the mist version, it's possible, but not from the shot, just FYI.

    Also, we all always receive the vaccine every year. I am an RN and therefore very susceptible to many strains of the flu.

    I try hard to understand when people think the way your DH thinks, OP, but I'll admit, I have a hard time. It's not just a random few of the strains that get put in the vaccine, it's the ones that will be major players in the coming flu season. I know many people like to think "big pharma" is out to trick us all, but really, the researchers that make these vaccines aren't just throwing in any old thing. I wish people would have a little more respect for the work that goes into these sorts of things.
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  • imageLynn07:
    imagedrpayne:
    imageMOTHERANDBRIDE12:
    i fought for days with my husband on this subject. I personally have never received one and didnt want my LO to get one either for the same reasons your husband is against them and i also believe that getting a flu shot puts the virus in your body and makes you sick obviously so your body can create the proper antibodies, but my little man has not once been sick and i wanted to prolong it as long as i could. i lost and my little boy is now running a fever with a combination of loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea THE FLU. its a personal decision but i do wish i would have gone with my gut and stood my ground.
    I'm all for flu vaccines... But wanted to point out that the flu does not cause vomiting and/or diarrhea. Sounds like your LO has something else like gastroenteritis.
    Agreed. It is impossible to get "the flu" from the shot it's not a live vaccine. Now if you got the mist version, it's possible, but not from the shot, just FYI. Also, we all always receive the vaccine every year. I am an RN and therefore very susceptible to many strains of the flu. I try hard to understand when people think the way your DH thinks, OP, but I'll admit, I have a hard time. It's not just a random few of the strains that get put in the vaccine, it's the ones that will be major players in the coming flu season. I know many people like to think "big pharma" is out to trick us all, but really, the researchers that make these vaccines aren't just throwing in any old thing. I wish people would have a little more respect for the work that goes into these sorts of things.

    All the bolded.  Sorry, OP and everyone else who threw rhetoric out there with zero scientific research cited.  You all sound pretty ignorant regarding this subject. 

    We will get the flu shot.  It is extremely important and it baffles me that anyone would not want to do all they can to protect their LO from the flu, which can be deadly for children and pregnant women. 

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  • LO is getting one. His pedi recommends it and I trust her. While I do my research and ask questions, I have yet to disagree with any of her recommendations.
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  • Yes.  Both kids have always gotten one.  DD#1 is in school, so I will be sure to get hers and DD#2 and I will both get them as well.  I am home with the kids, so I certainly don't need to get it - nobody here does for that matter.  I have gotten the flu shot for several years now, I guess steadily since I was pregnant with #1.  Knock on wood, but I have never had any reaction to it, the kids haven't either. 
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  • Yes I have gotten it for probably 10 years now (I used to be a teacher).  I will get it for LO.  As my dr explained it, it is not just a "stomach bug" like PP said, it is basically a viral pneumonia.  I do not want my daughter to go through that. 

    I SAH, so we aren't in a high risk group, but a lot of my friends don't vaccinate their kids (Zip it!) so I for sure want her protected.

    ETA:  Does YH have legit research to back up his ideas of how the vacccine is produced?


  • All the bolded.  Sorry, OP and everyone else who threw rhetoric out there with zero scientific research cited.  You all sound pretty ignorant regarding this subject. 

    We will get the flu shot.  It is extremely important and it baffles me that anyone would not want to do all they can to protect their LO from the flu, which can be deadly for children and pregnant women.

     

     

    Well, he isn't ignorant on the subject. He is a DVM and has done a great deal of research and has almost a decade of experience with vaccines.  His clinic is very particular with which companies they will purchase medications and vaccines from because of the reasons cited, which is why the vaccines make him so nervous, and that is for the amimals he treats, not his child! I agreed to the flu shot my OB administered because they were able to show us the source of the vaccine and they offer one that is preservative and 'junk' free. Not everyone does. Our newborn will have the same flu immunity I do during this season because I got the shot while he was still in utero so in essence our newborn has been vaccinated too. I'm a SAHM and my DD has little exposure to things outside our home. We do the regular vaccine schedule for everything else so I don't know why getting the flu vaccine is weighing so heavily on me.

    I was hoping to get responses with substantiated reasoning other than 'because we aren't ignorant'. If you have been undecided on vaccines, what has swayed you one way or the other?

    I'm curious how researchers are able to predict which flu strains will be dominant within a particular year, I will be googling that today. 

    Thanks for the input. 

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  • EcyEcy member

    imagedragon_chica:
    Yes.  I'm a Kindergarten teacher, enough said.

    I'm a high school teacher & feel the same as this poster. However, the first time I ever received the flu shot in my life was when I was pregnant 2 years ago.

    My DD will also receive the shot because she is in DC.

    My DH refuses to get the shot because he has never had the flu and thinks the vaccination is silly. Whatever!

  • imagenc@hotmail.com:
    I'm undecided on this and my husband is leaving it up to me because he does not like the flu shot, has never gotten one and would prefer I not get it either. His reasoning is that it is quickly and mass produced mist likely by the lowest bidder in China and who knows what kind of junk and filler is in there along with the vaccine to keep it stable. Fair enough, I can see that logic. Also, it only covers a few limited strains of the virus so it is a gamble if the strain you may encounter is one covered by that years shot. I can see his logic there as well. I got a flu shot last week at my OB's office because I'm pregnant and it's recommended since we are approaching flu season. I was told the immunity will be shared by DS who will be born next week. My DD is almost two, I've not gotten her a flu shot yet and am on the fence as to if I will or not. Did you get your LO a flu shot? Why/why not?

    Yes, our children get the flu mist and we get the shot.  Your husband might be a DVM, but he is not a scientist let alone a virologist or a public health expert.   The shot I received is made by Novartis, a well respected global bio pharmaceutical company.  The shot is made under extremely strict GMP and GLP conditions.  The flu mist is made by Medimmune located in the US, the UK and Netherlands.  Again the mist is manufactured under strict conditions.   There is no junk or filler added.  Do you or your husband even know how to culture a virus?  I do,  I have cultured them and they will not grow if there is 'filler and junk' added.  It is not a hot dog.

     

    As for the gamble that you will not get the right strain I will let the CDC address that:

    The influenza (flu) viruses selected for inclusion in the seasonal flu vaccines are updated each year based on which influenza virus strains are circulating, how they are spreading, and how well current vaccine strains protect against newly identified strains. Currently, 130 national influenza centers in 101 countries conduct year-round surveillance for influenza and study influenza disease trends. These laboratories also send influenza viruses to the five World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centers for Reference and Research on Influenza located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC); London, United Kingdom (National Institute for Medical Research); Melbourne, Australia (Victoria Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory); Tokyo, Japan (National Institute for Infectious Diseases); and Beijing, China (National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention) for additional analyses.

     

    Edited for spelling. 

    Smiley: April '05 Rocky: May '06 Tex: July '09
  • Um, wow! People get really touchy about these subjects! Yikes! 
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  • We all get it.

    DS1 -6/25/11

    DS2 -3/23/13

    Missed MC D&C 8/26/14

    DD - 8/26/15

    LO#4 due 5/30/17


  • imagenc@hotmail.com:
    Um, wow! People get really touchy about these subjects! Yikes! 

    People get touchy because it is a public health issue.  My friend has breast cancer and is in the middle of chemo.  She needs as many people possible to get the flu shot to lessen her contact with disease in her immuno-compromised state. 

    Smiley: April '05 Rocky: May '06 Tex: July '09
  • imagejcsumm0:

    Yes I have gotten it for probably 10 years now (I used to be a teacher).  I will get it for LO.  As my dr explained it, it is not just a "stomach bug" like PP said, it is basically a viral pneumonia.  I do not want my daughter to go through that. 

    I SAH, so we aren't in a high risk group, but a lot of my friends don't vaccinate their kids (Zip it!) so I for sure want her protected.

    ETA:  Does YH have legit research to back up his ideas of how the vacccine is produced?

    To answer your question in the later post, the bolded is what made my decision.  I didn't know if I would get it simply b/c she's not in a high risk group, but when you think about it as a pneumonia vaccine rather than a flu vaccine, it suddenly seemed a lot more important to me.

  • DH and I have never had flu shots, so we did not get DD a flu shot.  I SAH and he works from home, so our exposure is limited.  If we worked in healthcare, or DD went to daycare, we would probably get one.  But our pedi agreed that we are at a very low risk and she didn't push for it at all for our particular situation. 
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  • yes

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  • Absolutely! DH and I both work in healthcare and will more than likely end up around someone with the flu (the real flu) each year. DS got the flu shot at 6 months and the booster a little bit after that. He will get it again at his well check next week. Other than a little redness, he had no reaction to the shot at all.
  • 1) I got the flu shot for the first time in years last year..and I got sick!
    2) We didnt get our son the flu shot, he got sick, but didnt end up in the hospital...he just threw up every night.
    3) there are so many different strains of the flu, and more keep being created..so imo the shot is pointless..the flu is like the common cold, with how many strains there are, there arent any vaccines for the common cold.

    so..no, we wont be getting our ds the flu shot this winter either.

    I cant believe how up in arms people get about vaccines..theres a lot of grey, its not black and white..theres no wrong or right answer..do what you feel is right for you and your family

    oh, and I had no clue the people who make the vaccine were pyschics and know what strains are going to hit hard that year...
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  • imageJgButtahz:

    1) I got the flu shot for the first time in years last year..and I got sick!

    2) We didnt get our son the flu shot, he got sick, but didnt end up in the hospital...he just threw up every night.
    3) there are so many different strains of the flu, and more keep being created..so imo the shot is pointless..the flu is like the common cold, with how many strains there are, there arent any vaccines for the common cold.

    so..no, we wont be getting our ds the flu shot this winter either.

    I cant believe how up in arms people get about vaccines..theres a lot of grey, its not black and white..theres no wrong or right answer..do what you feel is right for you and your family

    oh, and I had no clue the people who make the vaccine were pyschics and know what strains are going to hit hard that year...

    I literally laughed out loud when I read this. I have seen a lot of misinformed bullshitt about flu vaccines, but you take the cake, dear. For the sake of your kids, do some research.

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  • Yes, we all get the shot, especially since I am pregnant. DH nearly died from the flu when I was overseas for work. Thank god his sister went to check on him after I was unable to get ahold of him for 12 hours I knew he had the flu and was trying to touch base every 6 to 8 hours.. He was admitted to the hospital with pnemonia and dehydration so severe that the doctor pointblank told his sister that if he had waited another 12 to 18 hours, he would have died. Died.

    My husband was in the best shape of his life at the time, as he was in the police academy. He missed so much time that they had to make all kinds of special arrangements for him to graduate on time.

    The flu, the REAL flu that is, and not the BS stomach bug that people THINK is the flu, is no joke and still kills an average of 30,000 people in the US each year. Infants, pregnant women, and elderly are most at risk. So yeah, yay flu shots in this house!
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  • In response to OP: Fuckyes I got my kid a flu shot. I did a LOT of research and talked to a lot of doctors before getting my shot while pregnant. I urge everyone who is on the fence about the flu vaccine to do what I did, because I can honestly say that I never once found anything even close to being a legitimate reason to NOT get it aside from having an allergy or other medical inhibition.

    Please do not take the advice of your vet husband on this. He's a vet. There are way, way less stringent standards and laws regarding animal vaccines. Vaccinations in the U.S. are part of an extremely well-studied field with detailed and concrete evidence showing why vaccines are important and beneficial. It's not a bunch of quacks throwing shitt in a vial and hoping the masses will trust them. I don't understand why so many people are unwilling to trust the medical evidence from years and year of research.

    I don't feel like getting any more involved here, so here's a C&P of a post I made a couple days ago on the subject:

    1) The flu shot can not give you the flu. It contains dead viruses that enable the body to build antibodies against the strains selected; there are only a handful of strains that cause most cases of flu every year. There is a whole department at the CDC dedicated to studying which strains are most active and most likely to cause the most illnesses in the coming year. The nasal vaccine contains weakened live viruses, and that can give you mild flu symptoms for a couple days.

    2) There is no such thing as the stomach flu. Influenza generally does not affect the digestive tract, although certain strains can cause minor upset. The 'stomach flu' is a term some idiot made up after getting a really bad stomach bug. Influenza is a serious virus that causes fever, aches, chills, cough, headache, fatigue and sometimes runny nose. It usually does not cause severe congestion, whereas colds always do. Bad colds are often confused with the flu.

    Links:

    https://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm

    https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/coldflu.htm

    https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/influenza/DS00081

    https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs211/en/index.html

    https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/flu.html

     

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  • No. DS is almost 2 as well as he will not get the vaccine and neither will we. Just today nvic.org  posted, Study Shows Influenza Vaccines Cause Spontaneous Abortions and Stillbirths. I recommend checking out the nvic.org website for more info.
    TTC since 10.07~Diagnosed with PCOS 08.08~4 rounds of clomid=BFN~Took a break from meds... Surprise BFP 03.29.09~ Natural m/c 04.06.09~50mg clomid & progesterone 06.09=BFN


    Adoption made our wish come true 12.21.11~JEC 11.10.10

    Surprise BFP on 03.26.16! EDD 11.28.16




  • No. DS is almost 2 as well as he will not get the vaccine and neither will we. Just today nvic.org posted, Study Shows Influenza Vaccines Cause Spontaneous Abortions and Stillbirths. I recommend checking out the nvic.org website for LOTS more info before deciding.
    TTC since 10.07~Diagnosed with PCOS 08.08~4 rounds of clomid=BFN~Took a break from meds... Surprise BFP 03.29.09~ Natural m/c 04.06.09~50mg clomid & progesterone 06.09=BFN


    Adoption made our wish come true 12.21.11~JEC 11.10.10

    Surprise BFP on 03.26.16! EDD 11.28.16




  • We have decided not to get the flu shot. My daughter is almost 15 months old and in daycare. Anyone can call me a bad mom if they want to....I don't care because my husband and I are doing what WE feel is best for OUR family. Here's another shocker.....she doesn't have all of her regular shots either! We are not fans of injecting her with things that may not work in the first place. What they give her will probably not be the strain that goes around this year anyhow! A couple years ago my husband got the flu and we were told it wouldn't matter if he'd gotten the shot because it wasn't the strain they were seeing. Go with how YOU feel. Hope you make a choice you are comfortable with.
  • imageskio:

    imageJgButtahz:

    1) I got the flu shot for the first time in years last year..and I got sick!

    2) We didnt get our son the flu shot, he got sick, but didnt end up in the hospital...he just threw up every night.
    3) there are so many different strains of the flu, and more keep being created..so imo the shot is pointless..the flu is like the common cold, with how many strains there are, there arent any vaccines for the common cold.

    so..no, we wont be getting our ds the flu shot this winter either.

    I cant believe how up in arms people get about vaccines..theres a lot of grey, its not black and white..theres no wrong or right answer..do what you feel is right for you and your family

    oh, and I had no clue the people who make the vaccine were pyschics and know what strains are going to hit hard that year...

    I literally laughed out loud when I read this. I have seen a lot of misinformed bullshitt about flu vaccines, but you take the cake, dear. For the sake of your kids, do some research.



    Oh, and
    3) His dr was completely behind our decision. we dont have him in daycare because our work schedules just work that way. and Ive done research...like i said, its not black and white..theres no wrong and theres no right..I am comfortable with my decision and some random person on the internet who doesnt know my history isnt gonna change my mind..
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  • imageJgButtahz:
    1) I 

    I cant believe how up in arms people get about vaccines..theres a lot of grey, its not black and white..theres no wrong or right answer..do what you feel is right for you and your family

    oh, and I had no clue the people who make the vaccine were pyschics and know what strains are going to hit hard that year...

    No the people who make the vaccines are not psychics, they are scientists.  I will cut and paste my PP so you can try and understand how the strains are picked.

    The influenza (flu) viruses selected for inclusion in the seasonal flu vaccines are updated each year based on which influenza virus strains are circulating, how they are spreading, and how well current vaccine strains protect against newly identified strains. Currently, 130 national influenza centers in 101 countries conduct year-round surveillance for influenza and study influenza disease trends. These laboratories also send influenza viruses to the five World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centers for Reference and Research on Influenza located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC); London, United Kingdom (National Institute for Medical Research); Melbourne, Australia (Victoria Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory); Tokyo, Japan (National Institute for Infectious Diseases); and Beijing, China (National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention) for additional analyses. 

    Smiley: April '05 Rocky: May '06 Tex: July '09
  • imageJgButtahz:
    1) 

    I cant believe how up in arms people get about vaccines..theres a lot of grey, its not black and white..theres no wrong or right answer..do what you feel is right for you and your family


    People are passionate about vaccines because people die from disease.  My friend with cancer does not want to die from the flu.  She has two children to raise.  The more people who are immunized against disease the less chance she has to get sick.  There is no grey in her world.

    Do you know that between 1879 and 1979 smallpox killed more people than all the wars on the planet during that time.   When the vaccine was introduced people were scared of it.  They barred their doors from doctors and thought it was some kind of voodoo and all the while their neighbors were dying from the disease.  We look back at that and say 'wow, what idiots a simple step to ward off death/ a disfiguring disease.'.  I cannot understand why people still think that way and because of that thinking diseases such as whooping cough and influenza still kill people.

    Smiley: April '05 Rocky: May '06 Tex: July '09
  • imagemainerocks:

    imageasreinholm:
    No. DS is almost 2 as well as he will not get the vaccine and neither will we. Just today nvic.org  posted, Study Shows Influenza Vaccines Cause Spontaneous Abortions and Stillbirths. I recommend checking out the nvic.org website for more info.

    So you are afraid your 2 year old son will have a spontaneous abortion? 

    Clearly, that's what I meant....funny!

    It was just an example of the risks involved in getting the flu vaccines.

    TTC since 10.07~Diagnosed with PCOS 08.08~4 rounds of clomid=BFN~Took a break from meds... Surprise BFP 03.29.09~ Natural m/c 04.06.09~50mg clomid & progesterone 06.09=BFN


    Adoption made our wish come true 12.21.11~JEC 11.10.10

    Surprise BFP on 03.26.16! EDD 11.28.16




  • imageJamieKays:
    We have decided not to get the flu shot. My daughter is almost 15 months old and in daycare. Anyone can call me a bad mom if they want to....I don't care because my husband and I are doing what WE feel is best for OUR family. Here's another shocker.....she doesn't have all of her regular shots either! We are not fans of injecting her with things that may not work in the first place. What they give her will probably not be the strain that goes around this year anyhow! A couple years ago my husband got the flu and we were told it wouldn't matter if he'd gotten the shot because it wasn't the strain they were seeing. Go with how YOU feel. Hope you make a choice you are comfortable with.

     I really hope people like you don't attend my DDs daycare.  it really shocks me when people actively choose NOT to protect their LOs from something as harmful as the flu... and any other disease the aap researches and reccomends vaccinations against. so very sad....

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