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Ya I got my kids their shots, although some were a little later than "the schedule" but that's OK.
I had most of the vaccines that were given out in the 50's when I was born, except for smallpox (the one that left a scar on everyones upper arm). I had weird skin allergies and the vaccine was live, which the Dr's felt was too big of a risk. They didn't give it to my younger brother either just to keep me safe. They don't give that vaccine to people anymore.
There has always been reasons to/not to give particular vaccines.
I'm know sure what I'll do in regards to vaccines when I do have kids beyond the fact that I do not want my kids getting more than one at a time. If something goes wrong when more than one was given, it becomes very difficult to figure out the cause. Some vaccines I know I will not give. I see nothing wrong with getting the chicken pox or the flu as a kid. One that will for sure be given is polio. I have not known anyone in real life who had it, but we did have pictures of the iron lung wards in one of my history books. Also, the show "American Dreams" has a main character who had polio and had to wear a brace because of it. If you watch all three seasons of the show, it really shows a lot about polio and issues surrounding it.
Approximately 1 in 2000 children may develop more serious complications from chickenpox, which account for 1900 children a year requiring hospitalization. These complications include:
Pneumonia
Bacterial infection of the rash, and rarely "flesh eating disease"
Brain inflammation or encephalitis
Balance problems related to infection of a specific part of the brain(cerebellitis)
Death (very rare)
While the flu is *usually* not a big problem, my little neighbor had the H1N1 virus and ended up with a collapsed lung. She had no health risks at the time. On Oct 1, 2009, she was admitted to the Children's Hospital. When she came in, she had a slightly low oxygen level and a fever of 104, but was expected to be in and out in about one day. Less than 12 hours later, she had severe pneumonia, staph infection, she had been sedated, intubated, put on 2 different ventilators, had a heart attack and as a last resort placed on an ECMO machine. Her family was afraid that she would die. A year later she is doing well and she was officially kicked out of PT this month because she is doing so well. She still walks on her toes a bit, but unless you are looking for it, you really wouldn't notice much of a gait impairment. She had extensive (and permanent) lung damage on her left lung and moderate lung damage on her right. She has to wear a pulmonary vest twice a day to break up congestion in her airways. She will have lifelong complications. She is just 8 years old.
Stories from families who dealt with the regular flu:
There are also philosophical or "personal belief" exemptions so being against vaccinations is considered a legitimate reason for exemption in many states.
Not in my state. The most progressive state in the country. Because aside from kooky religious excuse *I hate christian scientists anyway*, only the medical reason is a valid reason not too protect your children.
Not in my state. The most progressive state in the country. Because aside from kooky religious excuse *I hate christian scientists anyway*, only the medical reason is a valid reason not too protect your children.
You are in California right?
Quote:
A majority of states have enacted into law some kind of exemption from mandatory childhood vaccinations, based either upon personal or religious belief or for medical reasons. In California, state law provides for mandatory vaccinations for diphtheria, hepatitis, influenza, measles, mumps, pertussis, poliomyelitis, rubella and tetanus, and any other diseases designated by the Department of Health Services in consultation with the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. This requirement is waived if the person "files with the governing authority a letter or affidavit stating that the immunization is contrary to his or her beliefs." If the exemption is exercised, the student may be temporarily excluded from school if "there is good cause to believe that the person has been exposed" to one of the enumerated diseases "until the local health officer is satisfied that the person is no longer at risk of developing the disease." (California Health and Safety Code Section 120365). This is the "personal beliefs" exemption in California law.
The exemption is fairly easy to exercise. Each student in California is required to submit a "California School Immunization Record" to be admitted to school (California Health and Safety Code Section 12-375).
I have yet to meet one parent who got that exemption. I have had 5 friends try to go for the personal beliefs and were denied because "living in California" made them at risk for being exposed according to the USD. The school district did not accept the children into Kindergarten. This is in 3 different districts in both the north and south part of the state. Perhaps if you are a lawyer you can get it. But regardless of what the code says, the school districts can block you.
Eventually 2 of them claimed religious beliefs which got them what they wanted. One was able to get medical exemption for allergies. Two parents ended up getting the minimum vaccines.
Approximately 1 in 2000 children may develop more serious complications from chickenpox, which account for 1900 children a year requiring hospitalization. These complications include:
Pneumonia
Bacterial infection of the rash, and rarely "flesh eating disease"
Brain inflammation or encephalitis
Balance problems related to infection of a specific part of the brain(cerebellitis)
Death (very rare)
While the flu is *usually* not a big problem, my little neighbor had the H1N1 virus and ended up with a collapsed lung. She had no health risks at the time. On Oct 1, 2009, she was admitted to the Children's Hospital. When she came in, she had a slightly low oxygen level and a fever of 104, but was expected to be in and out in about one day. Less than 12 hours later, she had severe pneumonia, staph infection, she had been sedated, intubated, put on 2 different ventilators, had a heart attack and as a last resort placed on an ECMO machine. Her family was afraid that she would die. A year later she is doing well and she was officially kicked out of PT this month because she is doing so well. She still walks on her toes a bit, but unless you are looking for it, you really wouldn't notice much of a gait impairment. She had extensive (and permanent) lung damage on her left lung and moderate lung damage on her right. She has to wear a pulmonary vest twice a day to break up congestion in her airways. She will have lifelong complications. She is just 8 years old.
Stories from families who dealt with the regular flu:
Chances are that your kid is not going to develop serious conditions from the chickenpox or the flu. 1900 children a year out of the entire population of the US is not a huge number. H1N1 is also different from the normal flu. Truth be told, I should have gotten the vaccine as I have asthma. My getting the flu always goes badly, but I didn't get H1N1. I was lucky. However, the vaccine is not needed under normal circumstances in my opinion.
Vaccines not only protect the vaccinated but also the health of others. Some at particular risk are infants too young to vaccinate, the elderly and those whose fragile health makes certain vaccinations contraindicated. I do believe it is the responsibility of those who can be vaccinated to be vaccinated. In the case of vaccinations, shouldn't we listen to medical recommendations?
I get vaccinated (singularly) against illnesses that are life threatening or debilitating for anyone with a normally functioning iummune system and where the vaccine has a strong record of preventing that illness.
I also get vaccinations for potentially dangerous illnesses that are a high risk for our lifestyle (tetanus, for example).
I do not get combo-shots, and do not get shots for illnesses that a normally-functioning immune system should be able to fight on it's own or that are not proven to be risks in our lifestyles. I also avoid vaccines that do not have a strong and clear record of preventing the illness they are intended for, or have serious potential side-effects that make them a higher risk than the disease.
Some of these are subjective judgement calls, and am aware that many people do not agree with me. I personally believe that we're over-vaccinating as a culture, and that many of the vaccines we are administering do not have a clearly understood or adequate affect on the contagion (i.e. they may be completely ineffective, and any successes are down to placebo effect). Vaccines rarely give you the same level of immunity against the current and future/similar, non-lethal/low-risk strains as actually contracting it and letting your immune system fight it naturally. Between over-vaccination and over-sanitization, I think we may actually be weakening our immune systems; making us more prone to contract illnesses and less able to fight them naturally which leads to fatalities that could have been prevented by getting a little sick and dirty along the way. Nature will have her way, for every vaccine or medication we create, a more virulent strain will emerge or something else we have no treatment for will fill the void... it is possible that we may actually be accelerating this process.
So, not all vaccines are bad, but not all of them necessary, and some may have unintended negative ramifications that we don't yet understand. I support some of them, and don't support others... for my own reasons.
Some of these are subjective judgement calls, and am aware that many people do not agree with me. I personally believe that we're over-vaccinating as a culture, and that many of the vaccines we are administering do not have a clearly understood or adequate affect on the contagion (i.e. they may be completely ineffective, and any successes are down to placebo effect). Vaccines rarely give you the same level of immunity against the current and future/similar, non-lethal/low-risk strains as actually contracting it and letting your immune system fight it naturally. Between over-vaccination and over-sanitization, I think we may actually be weakening our immune systems; making us more prone to contract illnesses and less able to fight them naturally which leads to fatalities that could have been prevented by getting a little sick and dirty along the way. Nature will have her way, for every vaccine or medication we create, a more virulent strain will emerge or something else we have no treatment for will fill the void... it is possible that we may actually be accelerating this process.
Cite?
What exactly is so bad about preventing Hib, measles, mumps, Hep B, polio or cervical cancer? What's so bad about about a quick shot rather than broken ribs, encephalitis or hearing loss?
Vaccine provided immunity is no different than natural immunity. Vaccine provided immunity is actually much more benevolent as the risks and suffering involved are far less.
Sickness is not good for the body. Fighting an illness in pain is not pleasant. Pain is inherently risky to the human body. People in pain are often more depressed than the healthy. Fighting off polio or measles or mumps does not leave you stronger. It often leaves you paralyzed, scared or even infertile.
I'm sorry but I think you're indulging in idle speculation that is not grounded in scientific fact. It's not a question of agreeing or disagreeing. It's a question of fact vs. falsity. The danger lies in undervaccination rather than overvaccination.
You are perfectly within your rights to believe your position to be a fact, and not another opinion (albeit a widely accepted opinion). I do not necessarily agree that it is a fact. You don't have to justify your opinions/facts to me, and I don't have to justify my opinions/facts to you. I'm not trying to win over converts or tell anyone else what they should do with their life and their family. These are just my beliefs and opinions based on my personal experiences and research.
I've worked in the medical field, taken several health, medicine and biology courses in addition to my own personal research... based on all that, I formulate my own beliefs, choices and course of action based on my interpretation of the scientific and anecdotal evidence.
I'm not arguing for or against anyone else's position, this is just mine.
Getting into a citing war just results in a downward spiral, with neither side accomplishing anything other than attempting to refute and discredit the other person's sources or beliefs. The only people to be swayed by such arguments are those who are on the fence, which most of us aren't.
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