To Vaccinate or not...
I am curious about what some of you do or think about this subject. You can leave an anonymous response if you want to because I know that this is a very touchy subject. But, I wonder if you are choosing not to vaccinate because of Autism or other reasons. I have been doing some research on the web and through books and have my own thoughts on vaccinations. I am curious not only as a parent but as a teacher of little ones also.
Please let me know or if you have some good websites one way or the other!
2 months ago
7 comments:
I've never thought about not doing it until recently. You should read Jenny McCarthy's book, Mother Warriors. It was very interesting and a great book. I think I'm too scared not to vaccinate, but I do think there are some problems with some children. I wish that I wouldn't have had Slade get the chicken pox one-I think he should have just gotten the chicken pox like us. And I will not be giving Finley the new Gardisil one that they give older girls-scary! But I do think that some diseases are showing up again for the lack of vaccinating these days. Let me know what you find-it has been on my mind lately,too. Knowledge is Power.
I haven't read Mother Warriors, but I read Louder Than Words in one day after seeing Jenny McCarthy on a few of the talk shows talking about it. Something she said on The View made a lot of sense to me - she said that she didn't think that vaccinations cause autism in general but that it can set off autism in kids that have other factors that would make them more prone to autism. In the book, she said she knew there was something not quite right about her son when he was 5-months-old because he didn't smile.
With that said, I cannot imagine not vaccinating my child if everything else about him seems normal. If I already noticed that something was "off" about him, I may reconsider. But even then, I honestly believe that I would rather my child have autism than a life threatening disease.
Hey, it is a tough decision. I do the what if, what if she gets mmr or some other thing and didn't get over it. Knowing I could have prevented it would be a horrible feeling. I have just put it in God's hands and make the best decisions I can. Also, with my "dr" degree, ha ha, I think that those with problems were there before and came out in most cases as just bad timing. Or maybe I just say that to make myself feel better. Any who, hope all is well and have a great week!
Jenny McCarthys book is a B grade Hollywood thriller! Vaccines are one of mankind's greatest scientific achievements. This year alone, vaccines prevented 14 million infections, $40 billion in medical costs, and most importantly, 33,000 deaths.
McCarthy told Oprah that her son was a normal toddler, until he received his Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine (at 15 months of age). Soon after-boom-the soul's gone from his eyes. Yet, she contradicts herself in her book: "My friends' babies all cracked a smile way before Evan did...he was almost five months old." Which is it? Was he normal until his MMR vaccine or were some of the signs missed before he got that shot?
McCarthy also contends that mercury in vaccines caused damage to her son's gut and immune system, leading to autism. Yet the mercury preservative McCarthy assails was removed from the childhood vaccination series in 2001. Her son, Evan, was born in 2002.
It's hard to trust McCarthy's medical degree from the University of Google-she comments about the Hepatitis C vaccine that wreaked havoc on a friend's child. An inconvenient truth: there is no Hepatitis C vaccine.
Here is a story from an actual Doctor on the chicken pox
itchy skin lesions. Tonight, she had taken a turn for the worse. Her fever shot up to 106 and she became confused, lethargic . . . she was unresponsive and limp in her mother's arms.
The ER doctors suspected that her open sores allowed Strep bacteria to get under her skin and rage through her bloodstream. And now, she was in "multiple system organ failure"- every square inch of her body was shutting down all at once.
IV's were placed into her veins to start fluids, antibiotics, and medications to stabilize her heart and blood pressure. She was placed on a ventilator machine to breathe. Then she was brought to the Intensive Care Unit.
By the time I met my patient, she had tubes coming out of every opening and weeping skin lesions all over her body. I was used to blood and gore, but it was hard to look at her and not cry. Imagine how her parents felt when they saw their once beautiful little girl in this grotesque state, struggling to survive.
My attending physician told me to grab dinner. This child would need me for the rest of the night.
I returned to the ICU to find that my patient had gone into cardiac arrest and died.
I watched, helplessly, as the nurses placed the little girl into a body bag...
Fast forward five months: the first chickenpox vaccine was approved. That day, I vowed never to let a child on my watch suffer from a disease that was preventable by vaccination.
-After reading this do you still wish you had not gotten the chicken pox vaccine.
-Erin Hill
I would highly reccomend Dr. Sear's Vaccine Book. He is pro-vaccine, but at a much different schedule than what is forced upon us often. There is some concern to the high doses of aluminum that can be in the combo shots given to little babies. Also, we have decided to not use those vaccines that are derived from aborted fetuses (including the chicken pox vaccine).
Wow, I didn't know that stating my opinion about a book or a chicken pox immunization would offend other readers. My children are up to date on all of their shots. I am pro-vaccine. But I do think that it is my duty as a parent to explore all options for my children's well-being. If I didn't ask questions about the safety of immunizations, then I wouldn't be doing my job as a parent. I read books and articles on both sides of the immunization debate. Obviously some people are very passionate about their opinion. No, I would never let my child go without an MMR vaccination. But, yes, I've honestly worried about the chicken pox vaccine. Is it so bad to question? I think that ultimately everyone wants their child to be as healthy as possible. If that means asking lots of questions, so be it. If that means reading lots of different books, then I will. I now see firsthand on how touchy this subject can be.
Mine are vaxed & on schedule!!! I'm too scared not to. Being an historian...I've read what Polio and other diseases have done to kiddos and adults in the past...and I want to do my part in keeping that from hapening again! Good question!!
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