To immunise or not?
Jan 30th 2008, 2:50 am
#46
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Posts: 4,547
Re: To immunise or not?
Very wise words. I find it astonishing that people actually choose not to have their children immunised against potentially fatal diseases.
I actually used to work with a lady who had 3 kids and she was very vocal in her opposition to vaccinations. She was convinced that vaccination posed an unacceptable risk to her children, completely ignoring the benefits. When I pressed her on the evidence for her position and why she had come to think this way, it turned out that womens magazines and daytime tv were her source of info. Very worrying.
I actually used to work with a lady who had 3 kids and she was very vocal in her opposition to vaccinations. She was convinced that vaccination posed an unacceptable risk to her children, completely ignoring the benefits. When I pressed her on the evidence for her position and why she had come to think this way, it turned out that womens magazines and daytime tv were her source of info. Very worrying.
The problem with the internet these days is with a little looking anyone can find information to support their side of the arguement. The real problem is that not everyone knows how to weed out the good stuff that is actually based on fact and a scientif method of researching.
Jan 30th 2008, 3:10 am
#47
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Re: To immunise or not?
Rubella is generally fairly mild in children and adults. The main concern is to unborn babies where the effect is devastating. So I'm not surprised you were fine. I don't believe that is a reason to not vaccinate though.
I'm really not out for a debate but in my opinion the effects of the disease far outweigh any risks of vaccinating. My only exception might be chicken pox because I don't think that's as big a deal. But I truly haven't done the research on that one yet.
We may not live in the 3rd world but the world has become a very small place with airline travel the way it is. It would be very simple for someone to travel to a developed country while they appear to be healthy. With more people chosing not to vaccinate the risk gets greater that small outbreaks might occur. And it does happen. While I was pregnant with my second I discovered that I wasn't protected against rubella (despite being vaccinated when I was young). I did some research and discovered that although rare outbreaks do occur in developed countries.
That's I'll I'm going to say on the matter. If you've done the research and are happy with your decisions then that's great. I just think more and more people are deciding not to vaccinate without really looking into it.
I'm really not out for a debate but in my opinion the effects of the disease far outweigh any risks of vaccinating. My only exception might be chicken pox because I don't think that's as big a deal. But I truly haven't done the research on that one yet.
We may not live in the 3rd world but the world has become a very small place with airline travel the way it is. It would be very simple for someone to travel to a developed country while they appear to be healthy. With more people chosing not to vaccinate the risk gets greater that small outbreaks might occur. And it does happen. While I was pregnant with my second I discovered that I wasn't protected against rubella (despite being vaccinated when I was young). I did some research and discovered that although rare outbreaks do occur in developed countries.
That's I'll I'm going to say on the matter. If you've done the research and are happy with your decisions then that's great. I just think more and more people are deciding not to vaccinate without really looking into it.
it can go to the brain and causes also sorts of nasties. including swelling of the brain children have died from contacting chicken pox
my son caught c.p when he was 2 he was covered from head to toe he had them on his eye lids, up his nose ,in his ears ,in his mouth there was not one part of his nappy area that was not covered with huge spots and as he was not dry this caused my son great pain when he urinated as he had them on the end of his willie
the midwifes who were coming everyday to see me ( i had just had a baby 2 days be4 son came out with the spots) said they had never seen a child with so many sores.
they contacted my gp who came to see son and she stated that she had never seen a child so covered in spots.
my son screamed in pain all the time and no amount of pain killers or anti histamins worked for his for 5 days solid he did not sleep as he was so much pain.
if i have the chance of immunise my daughter so that she does not have to go through what her brother did then i will do
Jan 30th 2008, 3:18 am
#48
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Joined: May 2006
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 4,547
Re: To immunise or not?
why does everyone think that chicken pox is not a big deal children have died from contracting this illness
it can go to the brain and causes also sorts of nasties. including swelling of the brain children have died from contacting chicken pox
my son caught c.p when he was 2 he was covered from head to toe he had them on his eye lids, up his nose ,in his ears ,in his mouth there was not one part of his nappy area that was not covered with huge spots and as he was not dry this caused my son great pain when he urinated as he had them on the end of his willie
the midwifes who were coming everyday to see me ( i had just had a baby 2 days be4 son came out with the spots) said they had never seen a child with so many sores.
they contacted my gp who came to see son and she stated that she had never seen a child so covered in spots.
my son screamed in pain all the time and no amount of pain killers or anti histamins worked for his for 5 days solid he did not sleep as he was so much pain.
if i have the chance of immunise my daughter so that she does not have to go through what her brother did then i will do
it can go to the brain and causes also sorts of nasties. including swelling of the brain children have died from contacting chicken pox
my son caught c.p when he was 2 he was covered from head to toe he had them on his eye lids, up his nose ,in his ears ,in his mouth there was not one part of his nappy area that was not covered with huge spots and as he was not dry this caused my son great pain when he urinated as he had them on the end of his willie
the midwifes who were coming everyday to see me ( i had just had a baby 2 days be4 son came out with the spots) said they had never seen a child with so many sores.
they contacted my gp who came to see son and she stated that she had never seen a child so covered in spots.
my son screamed in pain all the time and no amount of pain killers or anti histamins worked for his for 5 days solid he did not sleep as he was so much pain.
if i have the chance of immunise my daughter so that she does not have to go through what her brother did then i will do
For the record both my kids have had the vaccine because I do know there are risks involved. My point though was that I wouldn't put chicken pox on the same scale as measles or polio which can kill a lot of people if there is an outbreak.
I also had chickenpox and it was not fun, although not nearly as severly as your son. For that reason and the possible risks I got my kids vaccinated.
Make no mistake... I'm clearly pro vaccination. I was basically saying that chicken pox was the only one that I would even consider not doing but that I haven't done a lot of research into that.
Jan 30th 2008, 3:27 am
#49
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Location: Sydney beachside
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Re: To immunise or not?
Very wise words. I find it astonishing that people actually choose not to have their children immunised against potentially fatal diseases.
I actually used to work with a lady who had 3 kids and she was very vocal in her opposition to vaccinations. She was convinced that vaccination posed an unacceptable risk to her children, completely ignoring the benefits. When I pressed her on the evidence for her position and why she had come to think this way, it turned out that womens magazines and daytime tv were her source of info. Very worrying.
I actually used to work with a lady who had 3 kids and she was very vocal in her opposition to vaccinations. She was convinced that vaccination posed an unacceptable risk to her children, completely ignoring the benefits. When I pressed her on the evidence for her position and why she had come to think this way, it turned out that womens magazines and daytime tv were her source of info. Very worrying.
I knew a daft mother once who refused to immunise her baby against whooping cough. She was one of a pack of similarly daft mothers who'd been whipped up into anti-immunisation crusade by some news story at the time. So what happened? There was a whooping cough epidemic in the area which naturally her baby caught. Went on for months and was the most heart-breaking thing to have to listen to.
Don't these people realise that their kids are only relatively safe from these diseases now because MOST parents do the right thing and immunise? The more parents that jump on the anti-immunisation bandwagon the more vulnerable their children will be.
Jan 30th 2008, 5:50 am
#50
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Re: To immunise or not?
What comet555 said and
It is very annoying to people going on about how they won't immunise their kids because "no one gets measles any more". It's all very well to take advantage of the herd immunity but it is their kids who will be most at risk if a chink in that defence ever appears.
It is very annoying to people going on about how they won't immunise their kids because "no one gets measles any more". It's all very well to take advantage of the herd immunity but it is their kids who will be most at risk if a chink in that defence ever appears.
Jan 30th 2008, 6:10 am
#51
Ok this isn't so bad
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Location: Dundee (Scotland) now Bayside Brisbane
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Re: To immunise or not?
There has been an increase within the UK (and other developed countries) of measels because children are not being vaccinated against these diseases. In one of the presentations I gave I sourced the evidence (from the WHO site) which suggested that "Chickenpox may be life threatening in immuno-suppressed patients, neonates, and normal adults, especially smokers-for whom the risk of varicella pneumonia is high". So whilst it may be unpleasant for someone to contract it for another it can be fatal. Some of the complications of such a disease can include, pneumonia, walking difficulties, encephalitis (brain infection), meningitis.
Whilst it is not without risks itself having a vaccination can save lives, even from chickenpox and measles.
Ginny
Whilst it is not without risks itself having a vaccination can save lives, even from chickenpox and measles.
Ginny
Jan 30th 2008, 6:32 am
#52
Canuck/Aussie
Joined: May 2006
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 4,547
Re: To immunise or not?
Agreed. Like I said I haven't looked into chicken pox too much, so now I know 
It's funny.... when I read the thread title I just figured it would only be a matter of time before it became a debate, it's always a hot topic. I remember a particularly brutal one on a parenting board that ended up with name calling and people getting banned, etc.
It's funny.... when I read the thread title I just figured it would only be a matter of time before it became a debate, it's always a hot topic. I remember a particularly brutal one on a parenting board that ended up with name calling and people getting banned, etc.
Jan 30th 2008, 6:48 am
#53
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Re: To immunise or not?
i think it will always be debated however name calling etc is not on
and is soooooooooooo very wrong.
my thoughts on this subject is this i want to protect my kids as much as i can if that means given them shots that might / will stop them getting ill or even worst dying from something then its my duty as their mom to give them to them
i would rather cause my kids a few moments of discomfort if it helped them become immune to something that is far far worst and could cause them to be permently disabled or even cause them to die.
maybe i am wrong in my views ,maybe those parents who choose not to immunise their kids are right
i dont know and thats why it will always be hotly debated
and is soooooooooooo very wrong.
my thoughts on this subject is this i want to protect my kids as much as i can if that means given them shots that might / will stop them getting ill or even worst dying from something then its my duty as their mom to give them to them
i would rather cause my kids a few moments of discomfort if it helped them become immune to something that is far far worst and could cause them to be permently disabled or even cause them to die.
maybe i am wrong in my views ,maybe those parents who choose not to immunise their kids are right
i dont know and thats why it will always be hotly debated
Jan 30th 2008, 6:51 am
#54
Ok this isn't so bad
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Dundee (Scotland) now Bayside Brisbane
Posts: 4,824
Re: To immunise or not?
It's one of the hardest decisions I've had to ever make. The thought that I could harm my kids by giving them the vaccine and harm them if I didn't....
Cheers
Ginny
Cheers
Ginny
Jan 30th 2008, 6:54 am
#55
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Location: Brisbane
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Re: To immunise or not?
The reality is, that not only are they exposing their children to unnecessary risk, but they are encouraging others to do the same. Young children could actually come to harm as a result of this.
Jan 30th 2008, 9:08 am
#56
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Re: To immunise or not?
[QUOTE=NickyC;5857235]Totally agree.
I knew a daft mother once who refused to immunise her baby against whooping cough. She was one of a pack of similarly daft mothers who'd been whipped up into anti-immunisation crusade by some news story at the time. So what happened? There was a whooping cough epidemic in the area which naturally her baby caught. Went on for months and was the most heart-breaking thing to have to listen to.
So, if all the other babies were immunised, how come there was an epidemic? A child I know, who was too young to be immunised at the time, actually caught whooping cough from a recently immunised child who had developed a very bad case as a result of the vaccine. The unimmunised child had a very strong, uncompromised immune sysytem and breezed though his bout of coughing within a couple of weeks. He now has a natural immunity and no lasting damage. The vaccinated child was sick for months and spent a lot of time in hospital.
So, daft doesn't really come into it. We all make decisions for our children based on the amount of information we have and our interpretation of that information.
I knew a daft mother once who refused to immunise her baby against whooping cough. She was one of a pack of similarly daft mothers who'd been whipped up into anti-immunisation crusade by some news story at the time. So what happened? There was a whooping cough epidemic in the area which naturally her baby caught. Went on for months and was the most heart-breaking thing to have to listen to.
So, if all the other babies were immunised, how come there was an epidemic? A child I know, who was too young to be immunised at the time, actually caught whooping cough from a recently immunised child who had developed a very bad case as a result of the vaccine. The unimmunised child had a very strong, uncompromised immune sysytem and breezed though his bout of coughing within a couple of weeks. He now has a natural immunity and no lasting damage. The vaccinated child was sick for months and spent a lot of time in hospital.
So, daft doesn't really come into it. We all make decisions for our children based on the amount of information we have and our interpretation of that information.
Jan 30th 2008, 10:07 am
#57
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Location: Brisbane
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Re: To immunise or not?
A child I know, who was too young to be immunised at the time, actually caught whooping cough from a recently immunised child who had developed a very bad case as a result of the vaccine. The unimmunised child had a very strong, uncompromised immune sysytem and breezed though his bout of coughing within a couple of weeks. He now has a natural immunity and no lasting damage. The vaccinated child was sick for months and spent a lot of time in hospital.
The only information that you need to interpret, is that whooping cough vaccines save the lives of many thousands of infant children each year, whilst hundreds of thousands of un-vaccinated children die because of whooping cough each year.
There will be no practising doctor in the UK who would say "yes, I think immunising against whooping cough is a bad idea" - so why do some mothers think this way, when they have no medical qualifications ?!!!
I would urge any mother who is thinking about not bothering with immunisations - STOP right there. Go and see your GP, and ask what he/she thinks.
regards
Last edited by asprilla; Jan 30th 2008 at 10:09 am. Reason: I said "in the UK" but surely it should read "in the world".
Jan 30th 2008, 10:31 am
#58
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Re: To immunise or not?
Outbreaks can still occur because no vaccine is 100% effective, although they can get close. All the more reason to be vaccinated to try and protect yourself from any isolated outbreaks that might occur.
Jan 30th 2008, 10:34 am
#59
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Re: To immunise or not?
[QUOTE=Tuxtrip;5858044]
How do you know that ALL the babies were immunized? Maybe the infected group consisted of a large number of peole that weren't vaccinated, enabling the epidemic.
Jan 30th 2008, 10:37 am
#60
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Re: To immunise or not?
