Monday, 25 August 2008
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Infant Vaccination Controversy
Ever since I was pregnant with my son 3 years ago, vaccinations has been a hot topic in my circle of family and friends. I know many people who just follow the recommended vaccination schedule, but for every person I know who follows the recommendations, there is someone who doesn't or modifies it.I know people who:
- Give their children all of the vaccinations, but spread it out so that their babies get one shot per month instead of getting multiple shots at once.
- Delay the vaccinations until they are toddlers, but then follow the recommended schedule.
- Pick and choose which vaccinations to give based on what they've read about possible reactions or risks.
- Pick and choose which vaccinations to give based on which diseases are most risky or dangerous.
- Don't give any at all.
I personally do all of the vaccines on schedule, except for the Hep B in the hospital at birth and the chicken pox vaccine. We also do not do flu shots. I have to admit that I was back and forth about what to do - I've heard so many horror stories or theories of vaccines causing autism, ADD, and a plethora of other things. After much discussion with those around me, I finally decided that I felt the most peace about going forward with the vaccines. I felt that the benefits outweighed the risks, and made my decision based on that. I still have a nagging thought in the back of my head every time that we get them, but I do my best to push it out.
Recently I read an article about the random outbreaks of the measles that have been occuring in different parts of the USA and the fact that this is mostly likely due to children not being vaccinated. It made me ponder my decision yet again, and obviously made me thankful that I have vaccinated them. I wish there was definitive research, but I feel like so much of it is just theory and unqualified study.
Do you vaccinate your children? Why or why not?
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Comments (51)
My children have all the shots that they are required to have for school.
We do not do the flu shot though.
I also will not be getting my daughter the gardisil shot when she reaches that age.
I most definitely have made sure my girls were vaccinated. We followed the schedule and mommy cried with her babies, but infant Tylenol was a fabulous help -- probably for me too. LOL. We also did the Chicken Pox vaccine... I myself actually didn't catch the chicken pox until I was 16 of all things. Owie! So I felt I ought to help my girls now rather than wait and wonder and try to get them infect naturally. As for the flu vaccine... I just took it this past year and ironically was among the few who didn't get sick and who felt just fine. I plan to do it again and make sure my daughters and my diabetic husband have the shot as well this coming year.
I have heard so many arguments against vaccination or for partial vaccination and I am skeptical of those arguments. I am actually stunned to think that a parent would rather risk measles, or mumps or some other very dangerous and highly potentially deadly disease for their child, but at the same time I do respect their decisions despite the lack of scientific evidence for a linkage between vacs and autism. A parent's going to do what they feel best for their children and that's that.
This link is a wonderful article -- it's a reminder to ask your ped what vaccinations they're using and if Thimerosol is being used in any of them. And this link contains a vital fact: "Since 2001, with the exception of some influenza (flu) vaccines, thimerosal is not used as a preservative in routinely recommended childhood vaccine".
If nothing else, it's just important that we educate ourselves before we blindly follow one opinion or another
When I was a kid (born in 86) my mom did all the vaccinations except for flu shots. Our family has a pretty bad immune system and my mom actually gets the flu from getting a flu shot. I also did not receive the gardisil even though my Dr. pushed it pretty hard.
As far as I can tell more children are harmed by there vaccines than by the diseases they prevent. The thimerosol (mercury) that was in the shots given to my generation has been replaced with aluminum, which is only slightly less toxic. The number of shot currently recommended gives too high of a collective dose of aluminum for me to be comfortable with it.
Diseases like measles and mumps have an extremely low mortality and morbidity rate for children with healthy immune systems. Every year normal healthy babies and children die from vaccine reactions. I'm not even counting the risks like autism or ADD. I'm talking about the babies and kids who are admitted to the hospital with life threatening reactions or who die. I work in a hospital and have seen it personally. Our health system sacrifices the lives of a small percentage of kids to eliminate these diseases that were common childhood illnesses.
At the same time If you have your baby in daycare, or live in a highly populated city where the likelihood of exposure in the first year is higher, then the vaccines may be a good idea. Also if you have an immunocompromised child as with cancer or HIV. In these cases the benefit of the vaccines may outweigh the risks.
For me, I stay home with my daughter and we live out in the country so her risk of exposure was low. I got her the Hib shots because that is a disease that kills babies in our country. I will get her the rubella series when she is older because it's a risk to pregnancy. I may consider the HPV shot if they can improve it by the time she's a teen, but I would certainly not get it in its current form.
All I ask is that parents carefully consider and research the choices they make about their children's health care. Don't do things simply because a doctor tells you that you should. Educate yourself. Read information from people who are both for and against things like vaccines. Look at what other countries are doing. In France they stopped giving the Hep B vaccine to babies because too many babies died. In the end of the day you have to do what you think is best for your children. Don't take these decisions lightly.
I received all of my vaccinations as a baby on schedule.
I am always am very sick during the school year. I catch everything that goes around. My mother thinks that the vaccines are just a waste of money and do not do any good, as I have had some of the things that I was vaccinated for.
Now, I only get the ones required for school and nothing else.
We follow a delayed schedule so our son isn't exposed to so much aluminum all at once. I don't know if that is really beneficial or not, but I sleep better at night. We said no to Hep B, will probably opt out of the chicken pox vaccine and most definitely delay the MMR. I have heard of the recent measles outbreaks. I know that the diseases we vaccinate for have killed people (and I'm thankful for vaccines), but personally I don't think getting the measles is that huge of a deal. When my parents were kids measles were considered a normal childhood disease. I know there are exceptions, but a child with a healthy immune system and proper medical care should be able to survive the measles and escape unharmed.
I'll be giving birth to my first within the week, and I've decided that I would like to skip the Hep B vaccine for now and wait to give it to my son when Hep B is actually a risk for him (around the teenage years). Other than that, I'll try to space the shots out so that he doesn't get so many at one time.
We allowed Junior to receive the vaccinations. We did not get the chicken pox vaccine because it was still very new at the time and they weren't giving to infants. He caught the chicken pox before he was old enough for the vaccines.
As a parent to a child with Classic Autism, I have read many of the reports (the ones written in laymen's terms) and the arguments for against vaccines. I have always sat on the fence, wanting more information. The government's claims are not scientific, even by a middle school science class standards so I am reluctant to believe everything they tell me. Using a law of averages and phone polls counting the number of vaccinated non-autists compared against the number of vaccinated autistis just isn't good enough. The FDA would never permit a new drug today based on that kind of science yet they are telling parents that those "studies" are fine for vaccines just stinks of "CYA" and fear of self incrimination.
At the same time, I am not ready to blame vaccines lock, stock, and barrel for my son's Autism. I have long felt that the condition must be a combination of genetics and environment (toxins, vaccines, food allergies, etc but definately not parenting) or a recessive recessive gene issue where both parents must be carriers.
So taking both my own thoughts and feelings as well as those of my husband's into consideration...we decided if we were to ever have more children, we would vaccinate on a delayed scheduled. Of course, we would reconsider if the FDA and CDC would go back and do actual scientific studies and consider testing babies for mitochondrial problems before vaccinating. (It was recently admitted that a mitochondrial gene defect combined with vaccines did in fact cause at least one child's Autism)
We vaccinate. We are delaying the MMR until his 18 month appointment, although that wasn't entirely intentional. He was sick with a sore throat and fever at his 15 month appointment.
I think when it comes to your children and their health, including vaccinations, it's so important to find a doctor who shares your personality. I was very fortunate to go to a great pedi as a child and he was young enough that he know cares for my son. He reminds me greatly of Dr. Sears from the popular attachment parenting books. He's very selective about what types of vaccines he uses and does a great deal of research. My son did not receive the RSV vaccine because my pedi didn't believe it was good enough yet. Same goes for gardasil...he's not a fan of it yet. Too many problems.
So we vaccinate, mostly on schedule, on our wonderful pedi's recommendations.
I do all of the vaccinations as scheduled...EXCEPT I held off until the last minute on the Hep B shots because I had a reaction to the shot in high school. My whole immune system shut down for over a year. I'm fine now but I wasn't about to risk that with my kids. I also don't do the flu shots with the kids.
We delayed vaccinations for the baby until 15 months (last month)... she has had one round of shots and had a severe reaction so we will NOT be doing anymore. DD#1 is vaccinated. DD#2 was vaccinated until 8 months. DD#3 has had one round but will not be getting anymore.
@Amyld@xanga - may I ask what her reaction was? Did you decide to delay her until 15 months for any particular reason?
I'm still in the research phase. A friend whom I love dearly once said it was laughable that we still did all these vaccines because when's the last time you heard of X-illness breaking out? Well, I guess the measles have made that point...somethings are only contained so well because of these awful, awful shots. I've never done the flu shots myself, either.
My first daughter is partially vaccinated, my son has had no vaccinations whatsoever and my new baby daughter has not either yet. I still haven't decided whether she will have shots or not.
I fully believe with all my heart that my son is predisposed to autism and if he were to have been vaccinated, he would be considered on the autism spectrum. I feel very comfortable with my decision not to vaccinate him.
My baby daughter on the other hand - I'm extrememly undecided about....
My mom had me vaccinated for everything I was supposed to as a baby. However, I didn't get the chicken pox vaccine; I went the "natural" way (she let me play with my cousins who had it...). As far as I know, I'm fine from the vaccines.
Yes. I agree with the benefits outweigh the risks.
I had both of my kids vaccinated on schedule; however, we did not get the chicken pox vaccine. Mine also received the meningitis vaccine (oldest was required for him to dorm in college). We never do flu shots. I believe the benefits outweigh the risks.
@filtered_sunlight - That's kind of what I always wonder. Most of these diseases are still prevelant all over the world, and if we would all stop vaccinating, what would stop them from coming back to the USA? I don't really know the answer too all of that, but I do think about it often.
My children, ages 13 and 12, have had all their shots. My 13 year old daughter has also had the Gardisil shot. We've had no problems at all.
I wasn't going to get my daughter vaccinated, but being that we are at an army base, I decided to go ahead and get it done, just because of all the things soldiers get exposed to and could bring back.
Buit as soon as I have my next baby, 2 months from now, I am just not going to let anyone touch her, and then we are moving back to Oregon as my husband will be deploying. I plan on getting her vaccinated at about 6 months, and then folowing the basic reginint. I DO want her vaccinated since we will be headed back to the army base, but all the "research" that is done on these vaccines is done on aduly humans, NOT babies, and so I want to give her a few months to just get stronger, and mature her body a little bit until she gets exposed to all these foreign germs. Until then I just won't be letting her be helb by anyone!
My daughter is 9 months old and hasn't had any vaccinations yet. I'm skeptical of them (not a downright hater though) so we're definitely going to wait until she's past her toddler stage (early elementary maybe?) if we do them at all.
RE the measles thing: if you read the reports closely, you'll realize that at least half the kids/adults who got the measles HAD already been vaccinated. Unfortunately no one realizes that the efficacy of the vaccine wears out over the years and most vaccines don't last longer than 8 years. So if you're a true believer in vaccines, you need to get completely re-immunized every 8 years or so. Some vaccines (like tetanus I think) only last 3 years.
My biggest pet peeve is the media telling us that our children CANNOT attend school without the required vaccinations. That's pure bull. It's not hard at ALL to get the exemption forms from the state...I think all of the 50 states have some kind of vaccine exemption for medical, philosophical, or religious reasons. LOOK into it!
I no longer vax my children. Our two oldest had some shots when they were much younger and I didnt know any better, but our two youngest are completely vax free. After much research I found there to be no benefit at all to vaccinating. The human body is an amazing thing and has an awesome immune system when uncomprimised by toxins and live viruses. I prefer to let my children develop as nature intended. Plus with todays medical technology there isnt anything they make a vaccination for that isnt easily treatable. I'd much rather treat the measles for a week, and know my child would have a natural immunity to it then treat possible vaccine damage.
I also found it interesting when I had bloodwork done, during my 3rd pregnancy, that several of the vaccinations I had as a child had worn off. Which means that if I vaccinated my children with one of those live viruses I would be exposed to the disease myself - and could contract it even though I had once been vaccinated against it. I firmly believe THIS is how these diseases are continually spread, through the live virus in the vaccine itself. NOT through healthy unvaccinated children.
Also, my chiropractor gave me the necessary forms from my state to say I decline vaccinations and the schools have always accepted them and never given me a problem.
I've had all my vaccines, including an MMR booster last year when I started volunteering at a hospital. I've also had the Gardasil series and the Hep B. That's not including any travel vaccines for various vacations (Hep A, typhoid, etc). The only one I haven't had is the chicken pox vaccine b/c it hadn't been invented when I was little and I got the chicken pox in kindergarten.
I didn't have a single adverse reaction to any vaccine I've ever had, with the exception of my flu shot last year.
If and when I have children, they will be fully vaccinated. I prefer the lesser risk of the vaccine to the greater risk of the disease.
@hatcherbee@xanga - Amen! I couldn't have said all of that better myself!
Both my children are up to date with their vaccines, and they will continue to be. The reason all the diseases died down in the US was because people were being vaccinated against them, with more and more people not vaccinating their children, I feel the diseases will make a come back.
I don't think that vaccines cause autism, there's no definate link concluding it does. I think the rising cases in autism are results of hyperawareness.