Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
People who do not vaccinate are not welcome in my life. We once interviewed someone who was a strong contender for a job. When doing our due diligence to find her digital footprint, we found that she blogged very publicly about how she didn't vax her kids. Immediately out of consideration. We have too many medically fragile children and immuno-compromised adults (myself included) to have close contact with someone like that.
That extends to friends getting vaccinated as well. My BFF didn't tell me she missed her flu shot this year. She died of flu-related complications in January. I was the one who found her. You better believe that I will NEVER let that happen to another friend again.
I got chicken pox as a kid, that's how I got my immunity. I remember my dad had to stay in a hotel until my brothers and I were over it because both his parents were dead and nobody in his family could remember if he had ever had it. I remember when the chickenpox vaccine first came out and started being given to kids I thought "what's the big deal, chicken pox isn't so bad, and kids who get it have lifelong immunity that's probably better than that the vaccine gives them." Of course, now that I have had chickenpox, I'm at risk of getting shingles when I get older, which I hear is much worse. Almost wish the chickenpox vaccine was around when I was a kid, but definitely getting the shingles vaccine when I get into the risky age group.
I got shingles in the middle of chemo and still have no feeling in a big part of my leg. Another friend got shingles on her face and has permanent nerve damage around her eyes that limit her sight. We were both decades away from being able to get a shingles vaccine as we were in our 20s.
I would much rather have had a chicken pox vaccine. That was the only one I was on the fence about, though I was too old to get it. My experience with shingles is absolutely why the children in my extended family have all gotten the chicken pox vax.
They work and should be given to all except those with medical contraindications (for example...a specific allergy or a history of a severe adverse reaction). My highly educated opinion (degree in cell and molecular biology as well as a doctorate). I am not, however, in favor of mandatory vaccination. You can make your choice but schools and other institutions should be able to deny access to unvaccinated persons (unless there is a true medical exemption)
I'm going to come in a little differently here. I don't think vaccines are harmless. I do think there is some risk if injury, just like there is for every, other medication. I also think the number of vaccines has increased largely to increase profits for pharma. I think it's odd that I, born in 1972, am considered fully vaccinated but I've had less than half the shots that my kids have had. For the record, both of my kids were fully vaccinated on schedule.
That said, I think there is no question that the benefits of vaccines FAR outweigh any risks. I also think the medical community's failure to really admit that someone MAY have a SMALL chance of a bad reaction makes it look like they are covering something up, so people become suspicious and turn to groups who make outrageous claims about vaccines.
Vaccines DO NOT cause autism. They just don't. Do I think there is an environmental factor that is responsible for the huge upswing in autism? Absolutely. But I don't think it's vaccines. That link has been studied ad nauseum and no connection has been found. We'd be better served to move on and find what IS causing it (and also the upswing in allergies). It could be pesticides, it could be plastics, it could be hundreds of things. But it's not vaccines.
Is there a small risk of bad reactions with vaccines? Of course. Same as with antibiotics or even ibuprofen. But there is a much, much bigger risk to NOT vaccinating.
People who do not vaccinate are not welcome in my life. We once interviewed someone who was a strong contender for a job. When doing our due diligence to find her digital footprint, we found that she blogged very publicly about how she didn't vax her kids. Immediately out of consideration. We have too many medically fragile children and immuno-compromised adults (myself included) to have close contact with someone like that.
That extends to friends getting vaccinated as well. My BFF didn't tell me she missed her flu shot this year. She died of flu-related complications in January. I was the one who found her. You better believe that I will NEVER let that happen to another friend again.
It is exactly this type of post that leads me to be very weary of vaccines. Someone in favor of vaccines should have no problem whatsoever with those that don't vaccinate. If the vaccines really work, the vaccinated have nothing to worry about.
Your reasoning on the flu vaccine is faulty as well. But I am sorry about your friend.
My kids got vaccinated on the schedule suggested by their doctors. Until they started vaccinations, I kept them away from most people and didn't bring them to lots of public places. I assume anyone against vaccines is working for big polio.
I find the debate on vaccines interesting and indicative of the general difficulty in discussing important scientific questions with a non-technical and often anti-technical audience. Unfortunately much of the debate on vaccines isn't reflective of how good scientific debates should be done--even on the side that agrees with scientists. It's mostly appeal to authority on both sides. Great if you know which authority to trust, but confusing if you don't or a deeply distrustful of either the government or big corporations (the side that in this case is right).
The problem is that scientific questions are really difficult to answer conclusively. Scientists have to be skeptical. If you really approach the vaccine problem--or really any problem--from a truly skeptical perspective, it takes a lot of work to make the right decision. No one has time for that (at least for every question). So we have to trust outside sources. And so scientific debates become debates about what authorities we trust.
It is exactly this type of post that leads me to be very weary of vaccines. Someone in favor of vaccines should have no problem whatsoever with those that don't vaccinate. If the vaccines really work, the vaccinated have nothing to worry about.
Your reasoning on the flu vaccine is faulty as well. But I am sorry about your friend.
You don't know enough to be wary of vaccines, based on this post.
Infants are vulnerable before they are old enough to get vaccines. Immunocompromised kids (and adults) are vulnerable even if they've been vaccinated. I had to be revaxed for many things following chemo, for instance, and in that period of time until my immunity was built back up through recovery and vaccines, I was at an extreme risk. There are people who cannot have vaccines for valid medical reasons. There are also people for whom vaccines just don't work. That is why we rely on herd immunity to protect everyone.
With false perceptions about "big pharma" and autism, herd immunity is breaking down.
It is exactly this type of post that leads me to be very weary of vaccines. Someone in favor of vaccines should have no problem whatsoever with those that don't vaccinate. If the vaccines really work, the vaccinated have nothing to worry about.
Your reasoning on the flu vaccine is faulty as well. But I am sorry about your friend.
Except if they're in favor of vaccines in principle but have a specific medical reason they (or someone they love) can't be vaccinated.
If you don't wear a seat belt in my car, I'm going to ask you to get out. In part because I don't want you to die if we're in an accident, but also because I don't what your corpse to kill me when it's flung around the car at high speed. You may take this as me being unreasonable about seat belts, but you'd be wrong.
You don't know enough to be wary of vaccines, based on this post.
Infants are vulnerable before they are old enough to get vaccines. Immunocompromised kids (and adults) are vulnerable even if they've been vaccinated. I had to be revaxed for many things following chemo, for instance, and in that period of time until my immunity was built back up through recovery and vaccines, I was at an extreme risk. There are people who cannot have vaccines for valid medical reasons. There are also people for whom vaccines just don't work. That is why we rely on herd immunity to protect everyone.
With false perceptions about "big pharma" and autism, herd immunity is breaking down.
In other words you are admitting that the vaccines don't work as advertised. Regardless of your stance on vaccines, this alone should give anyone pause. I also find it alarming that hospitals won't administer the vaccines until the patient or parent signs a hold harmless agreement first.
Probably the most concerning thing to me is how anyone in the medical field that publicly opposes vaccines is threatened with loss of their medical license.
I highly suggest that anyone curious about this subject reads up on former medical professionals that have been censored, had their licenses suspected, or otherwise threatened due to their professional opinions against vaccines.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
