where do you stand? vaccinations

JrsMommy11

AprilLynn09:

JrsMommy11:

AprilLynn09:

heysupnatalie:

JrsMommy11:

And here I was getting all bored on TB.

Pro-vaccine period. The lady's story had me in tears yesterday. They didn't even check her for Pertussis until it was too late, why? because it hasn't been a problem seen in years...until now, when all of a sudden so many people are questioning immunization and refusing it.

This. That was extremely sad.

very sad.

DH is a needle phobe and had refused the vaccine for himself. Now, he is for sure getting it as well as our immediate family. I plan to bring it up at our OB visit on Monday while he is there so she can pressure him even further..

good luck I'm trying to do the same. Uneducated people are scaring DH out of getting it so I'm hoping our "very pro-vaccine" pediatrician can push the issue.

isn't it annoying? Just because SIL and her DH didn't get it or his co-workers didn't I do not care. They were lucky, good. He makes it out like I'm some sort of crazy hypochondriac. I love my OB though. She told me that if I didn't get my flu shot baby could be toast if I got the flu. Exact words. I know she will be a great help on Monday. I'm even hoping she'll whip one out and do it right then.

Exactly the reason he blows it off. Until it personally effects him, he wont even listen.

kimbo1216

starskristen79:

I REALLY hate the idea of telling people what to do, but I think our entire community is reliant upon everyone who can be vaccinated getting vaccinated for the major diseases.

   Yep.  It's one thing when something only affects you.  It's another when it affects other people too.  Vaccination is for the protection of the greater good--especially for those who can not get vaccinated for whatever reason.

tjmtjm

swimbikepuke:

UCONNHuskies:

I'm not a tree hugger by any means, but I do teach and can see the benefits of both sides on this issue.  Curious how everyone else feels.

https://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/05/13/no-we-dont-vaccinate/

Seriously, I do not understand why, if you wanted to know about vaccines, you would go do this blog.  Why wouldn't you go to the CDC website or pubmed?  I do not go to the McDonald's website to get the latest information on nutritional guidelines.  Why would the misinformed blogging of an anonymous internet personality have any relevance to such an important decision?

 

kimbo1216

fraservalleybride:

Does anyone remember that episode of law and order.. where they had a case about vaccination.

I think the mom had 2 kids and they were not vaccinated i believe had chicken pox or something that you should be vaccinated for.. the mom took the kid or kids to the park and one of the kids or both came in contact with a baby who was not old enough or not able to get vaccinated and i believe died.

I dunno about the law these days by all means im not a lawyer.. but in the story i think the mom who took her kids to the park was i believe found guility for it.

 

Was that an SVU episode?  I think I do remember it.  lol.

novilise

Yeah, that was an SVU episode...about measles.

Now I think it might be that a baby does get some antibodies against measles from his mom, but I'm not positive and I still don't see that as a good guarantee, personally. 

I, too, do find there to be a societal responsiblity to vaccinations. 

I might delay the Hep B till the 2nd month or so, not sure yet, but that is it. 

And, yeah, some of these diseases will make bigger comebacks because people are refusing to get them. What about small pox? It's considered eradicated because I believe it had been a mandatory vaccination. What if it would come back? It would be pretty terrible. 

 And I also don't think that vaccinations cause Autism. Actually, the MMR study about it is being questioned and even thought as possibly partially fradulent now. I've been around lots of autistic adults and kids at my old job and I truly do think that one reason the numbers are so high is that kids are being misdiagnosed. 

I do understand a parent's concern about vaccinations because sometimes fear makes you worry about them and you think these diseases are gone now, but, in the end, I think it is best for the children and for everyone else's children, too. I can understand some of the delayed schedules, though, and if done properly they can still be effective. 

chocoholicchick

Pro vaccine all the way.  SBP, thank you for coming in this thread early and providing credible. medical links. 

Stellar1

I think it's crazy not to vaccinate your children. How many people used to die of all these diseases that now we are fortunate not to get? Every doctor I have spoken to and all the research I have read, says to vaccinate your child.

memali26

UCONNHuskies:

no offense, but seriously, you are annoying me because I am not attacking anyone, but clearly you are the expert on EVERYTHING vaccine related.

You must have a medical degree.

You did read the part where her child has a medical concern that caused her to need to delay vaccines, right? I would imagine in that case she's done just a tiny bit of research. No need to have a medical degree to read and understand the information that is out there. 

I personally will continue to vaccinate DD on schedule, and this LO as well. My babies' lives are too important to risk it.

adeloney8

plumag:

Pro-vaccination - period.

kbjones

There is obviously lots of controversy over this. My mom is a nurse and she says that it isn't each individual vaccine but sometimes when they are mixed like the MMR. She has suggested that we get all of the vaccinations separate as you can ask for this. You can even get them the same day but there may be something that happens when they are all mixed in one shot that changes their chemistry. That's just what we will be doing!

google123

I can't believe this is even something to debate about!  Children NEED to be vaccinated, period.  It's for the benefit of your child's health.  Don't believe all the other mumbo jumbo you read online.  By the way...the whole 'vaccinations causes autism..has been debunked and the information was completely fraudulent'.  I believe the guy responsible for that is on academic leave.  Vaccinations are safe, and typically a child will only suffer from a little fever or discomfort after the injection.  That's much better than acquiring a virus that can lead to much more detrimental complications.

 

And I'm not an expert, but I am doing my ph.D. in Immunology...so I probably know a little bit more about vaccinations than the average person.

ElatedMom2B

I choose vaccination - my step brother and the mother of his child are very "natural" people.  They have a six year old.  She has never been vaccinated and was brought to a small village in the middle of India for six months while her mother was there to study the Tibetan language (she is in school to be a Tibetan translator) - without one single vaccination.  When they returned their daughter was put back into the public school system.  My step-mother insists that she had some issues upon her return, health wise, but of course nothing would be said because everyone thought they were crazy for allowing her to go to a third world part of a country without a single inoculation.  Just crazy - oh and how is it that the child is allowed to be in a public school system without any vaccines...apparently where they live, due to their religion, they are exempt from having to have vaccines!!!

It is for that reason that I must vaccinate my children!!

JrsMommy11

google123:

I can't believe this is even something to debate about!  Children NEED to be vaccinated, period.  It's for the benefit of your child's health.  Don't believe all the other mumbo jumbo you read online.  By the way...the whole 'vaccinations causes autism..has been debunked and the information was completely fraudulent'.  I believe the guy responsible for that is on academic leave.  Vaccinations are safe, and typically a child will only suffer from a little fever or discomfort after the injection.  That's much better than acquiring a virus that can lead to much more detrimental complications.

 

And I'm not an expert, but I am doing my ph.D. in Immunology...so I probably know a little bit more about vaccinations than the average person.

I have read that as well. 

damabo80

UCONNHuskies:

I am glad we live in a free country where people can make the decision that is best foor their familly.

It may be best for YOUR family (by the way, better don those tin foil hats...or else the aliens can read your mind)...but when your non-vaced 8 year old infects my baby (who isn't old enough to get vaced) while in the pedi's waiting room, then the choices that you made that "are best for your family" now can cause my family to bury a baby.

 Not cool.

d6u23e11

JrsMommy11:

google123:

I can't believe this is even something to debate about!  Children NEED to be vaccinated, period.  It's for the benefit of your child's health.  Don't believe all the other mumbo jumbo you read online.  By the way...the whole 'vaccinations causes autism..has been debunked and the information was completely fraudulent'.  I believe the guy responsible for that is on academic leave.  Vaccinations are safe, and typically a child will only suffer from a little fever or discomfort after the injection.  That's much better than acquiring a virus that can lead to much more detrimental complications.

 

And I'm not an expert, but I am doing my ph.D. in Immunology...so I probably know a little bit more about vaccinations than the average person.

I have read that as well. 

I was going to mention that as well...

Jake Ian's Mommy

We weren't vaccinating for awhile because both of my boys were having severe reactions to them. We decided to give it another go, and they've been fine since. Although, we are now selective about vaccines, such as no flu or chicken pox vaccines and no more than two at a time. I think most vaccines are important, but certainly not all of them.

GingerCupcake

swimbikepuke:

MissyOlivePants:

swimbikepuke:

Vaccinate or stay home.  If I were queen of the world, it would be illegal not to vaccinate.  Unless you have a verifiable medical reason that your child cannot be vaccinated (in which case, you're probably very pro-vaccine as you are reliant on herd immunity) the only right answer is to vaccinate.  It's not a "personal choice", it's not "up for debate", it's not "you have to do what works for your family".  Vaccinate your kids.  The end. 

So - if you vaccinate your kids - then why would does it matter if the non-vaccinated kid is wandering about? Just because a kid isn't vaccinated doesn't mean they are infecting others with a potential fatal disease.   Just curious.  FWIW - we do selective vaccinations in our family.   I don't think that everything requires a vaccination.

1.  Not everyone can vaccinate their children.  Know what the #1 cause of death is in children with leukemia (other than the actual cancer)?  Measles.  Because those children are not candidates for vaccination.  Who has the highest rate of mortality for whooping cough?  Infants under 2 months of age (first DTaP is at 2 mos).  My daughter couldn't receive her MMR until she was 18 months old because of a heart condition she has.  So she could have contracted it prior to that.  That same heart condition would have meant that measles was pretty much a death sentence for her if she had gotten it.

2.  Some people will not become innoculated even though vaccinated.  The vaccine simply doesn't take.  Combined with the population of people who, for legitimate medical reasons, cannot be vaccinated, the percentage of children reliant on herd immunity is about 5%. Generally, herd immunity starts to become affected for measles at around 95%.  So literally, everyone who can be vaccinated, needs to be vaccinated or we risk outbreaks - which is exactly what we've seen.

Not everything requires a vaccination.  MMR, DTaP, HiB.  For the love of Christ, at least do that.  Or, yeah, stay the hell home.

All of this!

P.S.: I think I love you!

UCONNHuskies

Jake Ian's Mommy:

We weren't vaccinating for awhile because both of my boys were having severe reactions to them. We decided to give it another go, and they've been fine since. Although, we are now selective about vaccines, such as no flu or chicken pox vaccines and no more than two at a time. I think most vaccines are important, but certainly not all of them.

Thank you and good luck to you and your boys. 

Snapdragon750

Fact: There has never been any causal link found between vaccinations and autism or any other kind of developmental disorder in children.

Fact: There (obviously) is a direct causal link between not vaccinating for, say, whooping cough, and your child contracting and/or spreading whooping cough and killing someone or dying.

 I don't understand why there is any debate at all!

desmerelda317

Jake Ian's Mommy:

We weren't vaccinating for awhile because both of my boys were having severe reactions to them. We decided to give it another go, and they've been fine since. Although, we are now selective about vaccines, such as no flu or chicken pox vaccines and no more than two at a time. I think most vaccines are important, but certainly not all of them.

I am glad you're able to vaccinate your boys now, but I don't understand how you can say they aren't all important?  Everybody likes to use the polio vaccine to back their point up here.  They say, "it's eradicated, so why are we still vaccinating for it?"  Well, the truth is, it isn't eradicated.  It is MOSTLY eradicated.  NOT the same thing.  And with the world getting smaller and smaller everyday, that means polio is ONE (count them - ONE) plane ride away at any given moment.  I went to the funeral of a man who died in his 90s last year.  He spent all of his life, except for his first 3 years, in a wheel chair because he contracted polio and it left him crippled.  I bet his mother would have given her right arm and both her legs for a polio vaccine.  Sure, the likelihood of your kid contracting polio in the US is rare.  But it isn't impossible because it does still exist in the world.  Maybe I take that more seriously than some because I live outside the US.  And diseases we think of as benign and part of childhood, like the chicken pox for example, can be very dangerous.  And as other posters have said, some children cannot be vaccinated for legitimate health reasons (like SPB's daughter who has a heart issue).  The choice of an unvaccinating parent affects her daughter's health directly.  This is not a choice you (meaning a general you, not you specifically Jake Ian's Mommy) make in a vacuum.

mari_gold

kattyleigh:

fraservalleybride:

Stephiehun:

UCONNHuskies:

I never said NO VACCINE. I appreciate those who have been honest and OPENMINDED about the question.  I am someone who is leaning toward selective vaccination, esepcailly because I will be fortunate enough to have at home care for my baby for the first year or so of his/her life.  As someone who has children who have suffered from the bundling of vaccines, I am leaning toward unbundling and being selective of when (an if necessary, if). 

I am glad we live in a free country where people can make the decision that is best foor their familly.

That's all well and good, but won't make a difference if you plan on ever leaving the house with your child.  

I hate that "free country" has become synonymous with "I can make reckless decisions that will affect other people, and you can't stop me."

Does anyone remember that episode of law and order.. where they had a case about vaccination.

I think the mom had 2 kids and they were not vaccinated i believe had chicken pox or something that you should be vaccinated for.. the mom took the kid or kids to the park and one of the kids or both came in contact with a baby who was not old enough or not able to get vaccinated and i believe died.

I dunno about the law these days by all means im not a lawyer.. but in the story i think the mom who took her kids to the park was i believe found guility for it.

 

I am a pediatric RN on a PICU floor and have seen this situation in real life (except it was Whooping Cough not Chicken Pox).  It happens.  Tragic.

The worst part about this whole "debate" is that the anti-vaccine crowd never addresses the fact that it's OTHER children, not their own, who are really at risk from non-vaccinated kids. It's socially irresponsible and, in my opinion, unconscionable not to vaccinate your child (whether you do it on the recommended schedule or on a delayed schedule).