Parents Who Choose Not to Vaccinate Children Upset with Some in the Medical Community

kcrg ^

[GOPrincess]

"It's not like it's German measles or something ( which I had when my mom was pregnant with my brother back in '63 ) ..."

Without commenting on the vaccination issue, just wanted to mention that actually, similar to German measles, contracting chicken pox while pregnant can be quite dangerous and cause severe fetal abnormalities, especially if it is contracted during the first trimester.

[rogueleader]

List of ingredients in vaccinations.

http://groups.msn.com/ParentsofVaccineDamagedChildren/unknownvaccineingredients.msnw

[TomB]

More than likely your nephew did not get exposed to mercury poisoning from the MMR unless he received it before 1999. I believe this vaccine is now mercury free.

Uh, the MMR vaccine has NEVER contained thimerosal

. And the only study on MMR and autism from GB that I'm aware of is the Wakefield study, and it has been thoroughly repudiated.

[TomB]

Here's a clue to the medical community.

Take out the stupid mercury out of the stupid vaccines.

Here's a clue to rogueleader.

Thimerosal has been out of children's vaccines since 1999.

[bert]

It's hurtful because I’d rather not be judged .......


Well then, quit whining..... Yuo made a decision, accept the consequences.

Negligence kills

[carmody]

FWIW ... My children were 3 & 1 when the chicken pox vaccine first showed up at the pediatrician's office. He had a pamphlet for me to read. The pamphlet, and the doctor, promoted the vaccine as beneficial to working parents who could not afford to stay home from work while their children were in quarantine. He advised that since our children were not in day care or school, the vaccine wasn't necessary. It was only later that the pox vaccine became urgent. I guess when the pharmacy profits were added in to the equation.

[Lee'sGhost]

"Why have we not seen studies that compare the health of non-vaccinated children with vaccinated children? "

You don't need studies when you have history. Comparing vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated today is meaningless because a handful of non-vaccinated children living in an almost totally vaccinated world are protected by default. If you want to compare look at the whole population of non-vaccinated children throughout history and compare the hundreds of thousands of deaths to the minuscule morbidity and mortality rates of today "caused" by vaccine.

People who want to opt out because of the boogieman of bad vaccines are fools.

[SLB]

As a dad of five let me throw in my opinion. (BTW I am a research analyst and work with statistics on a daily basis - I can design a survey to give exactly the results I desire. Never follow polls as they work however they were designed) Our two oldest children attended publik schools and were vaccinated against everything. The youngest three were/are home schooled and were not. Our family physician was consulted in the decision and he advised we have certain ones such as tetanus (I am allergic to tetanus anti-toxin) administered which we did. As far as all the rest such as MMR, we opted out. Our oldest is now almost 30 and catches every little bug that comes around and is severally allergic to a variety of agents. Our youngest two are 16 and 13 and have NEVER been to the doctor for anything other than injuries. Yes we home school, but they attend and teach dance lessons at a local studio 5 days a week for 3 to 4 hours a day, so are exposed to all kinds and types of bugs from hundreds of other children.

What are the chances of my kids catching something at dance they were not vaccinated for? Probably pretty good given the children attending are a realistic representation of the average school age child in this area. I can't roll the numbers into a decent model, one I would feel comfortable with, as I don't have the medical history for each one, but it would not be that difficult to do. Maybe I will have one the kids do it as a home school statistics project.

[TomB]

I guess when the pharmacy profits were added in to the equation.

What is going to make the doctor more money, vaccinating children, or treating numerous cases of chickenpox?

[carmody]

Doctors would make more money on the illness. Pharmaceutical companies make money on the vaccine.

Again, our pediatrician advised the shot was not necessary. I don't know the answer to this, but is the chicken pox vaccine good for a lifetime? And since chicken pox is dangerous for adults, why aren't we vaccinating adults who have never had chicken pox?

I am not against vaccinating for other life threatening diseases. But I question how chicken pox was thrown in to this category.

The pediatric group that was treating my kids, in 1993, did not think the vaccine was critical. In fact, they only recommended it when missing work would be a hardship for mom & dad. Five years later, it's critically important that school children are vaccinated for it. As a side note, the public schools lose money every time a child is absent. Maybe that plays a part in this.

[TomB]

Doctors would make more money on the illness. Pharmaceutical companies make money on the vaccine.

But it is the doctors that recommend and administer the vaccine. You are saying they are either dishonest and in the pocket of vaccine manufacturers or stupid.

[carmody]

The doctors did not recommend the vaccine until the government made the law. I'm saying doctors are law abiding. Most doctors are decent, honest, and highly intelligent. They are busy tending to their patients and not busy making laws.

[carmody]

And physicians can recommend against them if they feel they aren't necessary. As a matter of fact, if they do recommend something they know is dangerous or unnecessary, they are being highly unethical at best, criminal at worst.

In 1993 the doctor said the shot was safe (not dangerous)and was necessary if I thought it was necessary. He said there was no reason for this shot other than to prevent lost work time for parents. Therefore, the doctor is not being unethical or criminal in administering it to his patients.

Since that time, the vaccination is being promoted as extremely important because of the dangers of chicken pox to children. How did we make that jump from being a choice to a strong health recommendation?

With regard to the law, you are right in that it is a requirement that parents can opt out of by making a formal announcement to the schools that they've elected not to vaccinate for personal or religious reasons. If chicken pox is a normal childhood disease, relatively harmless, and doctors put the choice of vaccination in the parents hands, then why are states requiring proof of vaccine, proof of disease, or formal written notification of refusal to vaccinate? It's being "encouraged" for a reason and I don't believe it's for the children.

[TomB]

It's being "encouraged" for a reason and I don't believe it's for the children.

You keep repeating the same thing, and it doesn't get more persuasive the more you write it.

You are alleging a conspiracy here, and I want proof. If physicians are "encouraging" (gee, it was law a few minutes ago) vaccines, and they know, as you do, that they are dangerous, it would seem that you have a pretty good legal option here.

The question comes back to why pediatricians would almost unanimously support vaccines if there was any evidence they were dangerous.

[carmody]

The question comes back to why pediatricians would almost unanimously support vaccines if there was any evidence they were dangerous.

? Tom, I keep repeating Chicken Pox vaccine specifically and you seem to think I'm generalizing all vaccines. In none of my posts did I state that all vaccines are bad or dangerous. Doctors rightly recommend and strongly encourage vaccinations for various deadly and dangerous childhood diseases. Chicken pox is not one of them. I've already admitted that I was wrong about "the law" that children be vaccinated against CHICKEN POX. Since our school sent formal papers home to verify the vaccine (and did not note on the form that it was optional)I wrongly assumed it was a law.

I do not have proof that their is a "conspiracy". But I do know that

a) doctors make medical recommendations regarding the chicken pox vaccine (as my doctor did)and

b) the state government cares enough about the CHICKEN POX vaccination issue to require the schools to document that all children get vaccinated for CHICKEN POX or force the parents to formally declare,IN WRITING, that they are opposed to the CHICKEN POX vaccine. My suspicion (not conspiracy theory) is that the new requirement for proof of CHICKEN POX vaccine is not for the public welfare. I can't prove it. I don't know the reason for it.

[chance33_98]

Ping!

[Dianna]

My son is 11, and he has somehow avoided catching chicken pox even tho he's been exposed to classmates with it over the years.

Chicken pox in children isn't such a big deal. But, as with adults, my pediatrician said teens also are more likely to have complications. I had my son vaccinated at 11. The Dr was adamant that it be done before puberty.

[Dianna]

I also lost a few dogs to Corona & Parvo before vaccinations were available; and saw dogs die of heart worm because owners thought the preventatives were 'too dangerous'. I don't understand why peole who would not even consider not getting their dog or cat vaccinated, won't do the same for their children.

There is a vaccine for parvo? We got our puppy from the animal shelter. Three days later, she was very sick and we found out it was parvo. She got better, obvously a mild case, and no other dogs were infected (they told us). I wonder if she had been vaccinated.