As Diseases Make Comeback, Why Aren't All Kids Vaccinated?

Popular Mechanics ^ | August 2008 | Glenn Harlan Reynolds

[wintertime]

Keeping a society functioning requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work by people who don’t usually get a lot of attention—sanitation engineers, utility linemen, public health nurses, farmers, agricultural chemists and so on.
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Gee! I thought government teachers were the most important people in children's lives. ( sarc)

[Dr. Sivana]

Having had chickenpox is not necessarily protection against having it again (shingles) as an adult.

I am sorry that you had to endure shingles. You're right, as you know. Interestingly, (according to Wikipedia)

"In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, population-based immunization is not practiced. The rationale is that until the entire population could be immunized, adults who have previously contracted VZV would derive benefit from occasional exposure to VZV (from children), which serves as a booster to their immunity to the virus and may reduce the risk of shingles later on in life"

So, you're right, there is no guarantee. It still is reasonable to allow some exposure.

[Clemenza]

Because vaccinations cause AUTISM! That Kennedy kid told me, so it must be so! /Sarcasm

[Dr. Sivana]

Lyme disease, while a pain in the joints, is not as horrible as german measles.

Actually, Lyme Disease, untreated, can be a LOT worse than just a pain in the joints (severe chronic fatigue, permanent heart damage). I had it, and was fortunately diagnosed quickly.

The nice thing about Lyme, is that in most people it CAN be treated very easily ($10 worth of anti-biotics for three weeks) if caught early. Unfortunately, MANY doctors are reluctant to diagnose it and there is no fool-proof test for it.

[Gabz]

You just can’t resist, can you?

[arthurus]

I just don’t get flu like those all around me, except those two times after the flu shots; actually I hardly ever get sick at all. The shots are not for me. Doc says I have reached the age- I think he means I’m OLD- when it is doubly important to get the shot. I think he is trying to kill me off prematurely.
Anyway, I don’t intend to deliberately give myself a nasty case of flu every year. My wife gets the shots and they seem to have no effect at all. She always gets whatever is going around. Being a schoolteacher doesn’t help.

[Citizen Blade]

It’s called monomania.

[Citizen Blade]

II will say I am a MENSA member, MIT and Texas A&M graduate, and successful businessman, extreme conservative, and after much study and review came to the conclusion that anyone who does not vaccinate their children is an idiot

Agree 100%. Vaccination is one of the greatest achievements of Western culture. It's sad and frustrating that some people are endangering their children's lives over foolish superstition and junk science.

We've had it too good for too long- we've forgetten just how dangerous life was before vaccinations.

[Gabz]

good call.

[MeanWestTexan]

Yes, we have.

The stupidity of the non-vaccine people is only matched by the “raw foods” people who refuse to cook anything, including meat. Humans have been cooking since before we lived in caves — it releases all sorts of nutrients in otherwise low-quality foods that could not be digested -— not to mention killing nasty parasites and the like.

The Raw Foods people get away with it because our foods system is so darn good.

Similarly, the no-vaccine people get away with it because of herd immunity and good follow up care.