Gezza

Maybe I should not be but I am, very alarmed at the number of injections that my children are forced to receive at the hands of the Prince of Peace Primary school in Dallas. Today my 3 daughters are getting their 3rd injection in 5 months! This is clearly going way over the top! In the UK they each received their 1st MMR at 18 month. The 1st stage MMR, according to the Texas Health Department published data, has been proven to be 98% effective. The Hepatitis B inoculation is not practiced in schools in England at all, as far as I know.

My wife and I have difficulty understanding why a Roman Catholic School, in contrast to any state schools in the area, would consider their children to be more (!) at risk of contracting Hepatitis B? According to the wikipedia this disease is very uncommon in the US and known only to affect intravenous drug users or be transmitted sexually (!)

Has anyone heard of any rise in these diseases across the US or otherwise justifying extra caution in this matter?

According to information published at www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize it appears that we are acting within the Texas state law which allows exemptions from “any or all required vaccinations”. To satisfy the necessary requirements we got the notarized affidavits from the Texas Department of State Health Services. But alas, this school has taken the line of removing the parent’s freedom of choice on this issue.

The highest authority there appears to be not the vicar but a nun whose consent "must be sought in all affairs". The only response to my pleas I have received from her office was "When do you intend to take your children from our school,then?" To me this is quite disturbing for any office to be so insensitive.

Has anyone had similar experiences in US? Is this “industrial scale inoculation” common in US?

Gezza

nethead

I think most school districts require children to have had the Hep B vax but most states offer some form of exemption. However, if it is a private Catholic school, I expect they can mandate what thy like.

ETA: I have no idea why they would enforce it so strictly though.

jumping doris

Our schools require the Hep B vaccine but we had had it anyway as part of our GC process.

To the OP ...I didn't want my youngest to have the second MMR. When she was very small there was a chance that she had autism and it was all around the time that the MMR vaccine was linked to it etc.
My UK doctor and health visitor agreed that it wouldn't be wise for her to have the vaccine and there it ended until we moved here.
The school district were in agreement that she didn't need to have it but then we hit a brick wall at GC time and she had to have it.

We are still on the fence about the cervical cancer vaccine because we have friends who work in that area and they have doubts about it. Our pediatricians office were stunned when I didn't allow them to automatically give it to my daughters. They don't seem to understand the concept of discussion amd informed choice.

Gezza

"They don't seem to understand the concept of discussion and informed choice."

...Shame really. My eldest who is 10 year old was taken aside and told off last week for giving her friend a hug, due to "policy of no physical contact".

One would think, after all these injections the risk of passing any infection
was negligible.. ?

CarrotCruncher

I experienced the same. Even having to duplicate identical vaccines because my son had had been administered them in the UK, more than 1 month before the earliest date he should have had it in the US (according to Iowa public health guidelines). All three of my children had to have an additional Hep B 'booster' because the UK guidelines were different. Another TB Test, and blood Lead test. It was costly and frustrating. My son also has to have a dental examination as part of his admission into school. I still can't see what his teeth have to do with his ability to learn.

Mummy in the foothills

I selectively vaxed the kids. Not sure about Texas but we can opt out all together. or as you want by signing off on the big blue vaccinations form the keep in the childs school file.
Heres the info for Texas http://www.vaccineinfo.net/exemptions/index.shtml

We didn't do the chicken pox one or Hep B, or flu, or pneumonia and I forget what else. I waited on some till they got older and it seemed more appropriate.
Dd will not be getting the Guardisil one, there are over 100 different herpes virus strains, this is supposed to protect against only 4 or was it 5? Anyways now they are having girls with outbreaks of genital warts after it too, that with the deaths and other nasty side effects it won't be on our list of haves.
I stuck to Polio, diphtheria, tetanus, Measles, mumps, rubella,
Kids get way too many shots before they are school age here for my liking.

Ozzidoc

Herpes? I think that you mean human papilloma virus

The strains that are vaccinated against are those which cause approx 95% of cervical cancers. Warts are caused by different versions of the HPV virus.

dbj1000

That's right - it's a Catholic school. Only the priests are allowed to touch the children!

USAGypsies

We took our new baby for her 2 month vaccinations and was told that on top of the usual shots she would also be getting 'Rota Virus' drops. I felt like I was on the spot to just accept it but I had never heard of it before and certainly hadn't been told about it prior to the appointment to decide whether I wanted it for my baby or not. The poor baby gagged it down (apparently it tastes foul). I've since learnt for myself that it is to prevent an intestinal infection that can cause diarrhea but what I was unhappy to learn is that the vaccine that had previously been used and has since been pulled off the market as it had nasty side effects. I haven't come across any data that says the rotavirus drops have any side effects fortunately. I would have put it off at the appointment but was told the first dose HAD to be administered right then because there is a specific dose schedule.
The nurse just seemed irritated by my questions, like it was none of my business to question what the Dr.,the state or the country orders.

scrubbedexpat097

You should have been given some form of literature on the vaccinations (shots or drops) and been given time to read it, question the doctor and nurse on anything you did not understand and if you agreed to it then you should have signed a consent form. Did this happen?

nethead

Yes I'm with you on that one, my daughter is 13 and I haven't decided either.

Gezza

Now, now!

Mummy in the foothills

Sorry I meant HPV Typing fast and talking online at the same time

Mummy in the foothills

I hate when they try and rush you and get all pissy when you refuse, or at least try to read the papers they shove at you while heading towards your child with a needle in hand. I think they should give the info on the visit before the shots are due, so you can read them yourself and do some research.

Gezza

This I find will not do any good. They will put it right on the line for you at the same time doing any research will only do your head in. After reading Russell Blaylock or David Icke articles on school injections I became really worried. And just thinking if any adverse effects do come up a few years from now what would a school do to help me?!