THE DEADLY TOLL OF VACCINE HYSTERIA

New York Post ^ | 16 feb 09 | SCOTT GOTTLIEB

[rellimpank]

THE idea that a preservative once used in vaccines is to blame for rising autism rates has just been authoritatively debunked - again. Indeed, some of the key early "evidence" now stands exposed as fake.

Sadly, none of this will kill this myth - because it was never based on good science.

[MeanWestTexan]

“If your goal is to save children from bad parental choices, why stop there?”

No, it’s to save my children from your bad parental choices.

[AnAmericanMother]

Actually there is plenty of literature on the subject, mostly having to do with a genetic predisposition and also some environmental factors. But you have to go looking for it because it's hard to find amidst all the media uproar about vaccine conspiracies.

And I'm not dismissing your grandson's condition, but it wasn't classic autism because it got better. There are all sorts of developmental disorders that are not autism but involve late speech, withdrawal, and gait abnormalities. In fact, if you leave out the gait abnormalities you could be describing my second child. He got better too.

It is a waste of time and money for us to keep beating our heads against the wall over an exploded theory.

[Question_Assumptions]

No, it's to save my children from your bad parental choices.

Then vaccinate YOUR CHILDREN. Would you accept me telling your children that they can't drive because they pose a risk of killing my children in a car accident? Somehow I doubt it.

Why not just mandate that the government take everyone's children away from their parents since parents obviously make so many mistakes. The government could raise them right in group homes. I'm sure you can find plenty of people on Democratic Underground that would think that's a great idea. Clearly you have no use for the liberty of others if you think it poses any threat to you or your children, even a threat smaller than being hit by lightning.

[MeanWestTexan]

Vaccinations only work if the overwhelming majority of the population is vaccinated. It’s called “herd immunity.”

[jalisco555]

Then vaccinate YOUR CHILDREN. Would you accept me telling your children that they can't drive because they pose a risk of killing my children in a car accident? Somehow I doubt it.

No vaccine is 100% successful. A small number of vaccinated people will fail to develop immunity, which is why mass vaccination is so important to provide herd immunity.

[WVNan]

You and I probably agree dalereed, that childhood diseases gave us strong immune systems and contribued to a long illness-free life. People can’t believe how healthy I am. I stay as far away from doctors as I possibly can. Those guys will make you sick.

[mysterio]

The arm soreness is certainly because of the vaccine. The flu-like symptoms are almost certainly not. The most extreme symptoms you can expect (assuming you are not allergic to albumen) are a sore arm and perhaps feeling a bit tired or chilly the same day.

I don't mean to be preachy about this, but I know dozens of people who are flat out convinced that they can get the flu from the shot. So they don't get the shot, and they spread the false information, preventing others from getting the shot. And eventually, some of those people are going to catch the real flu and die from it.

[jalisco555]

You and I probably agree dalereed, that childhood diseases gave us strong immune systems and contribued to a long illness-free life.

Not true of your peers who died young or were crippled by polio.

[ladyjane]

The arm soreness is certainly because of the vaccine. The flu-like symptoms are almost certainly not.

Wrong. It is possible to get systemic reactions to a flu shot.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

This thread has taught me nothing. It’s been a total waste of time. It’s as though the condition does not exist but I know it does.

[WVNan]

At 75, I should worry about dying? I’m gonna die. I believe that is a given. There are many ways to die and nobody gets out of this world alive. I believe in God. I have no fear of death for my self. I pray for my younger children and my grandchildren to have a long and healthy life, as I have.

[ContraryMary]

Current research has debunked the vaccine-autism urban legend. However, if an unvaccinated pregnant woman catches measles or certain other viral illnesses, the baby can be born severely mentally retarded.

The chicken pox vaccine was introduced when my daughter was a pre-schooler. Not knowing the long-term efficacy of the vaccine I opted for not having her vaccinated. So she got chicken pox when she was seven -- and probably better immunity as well. People thought I was nuts for allowing her to get chicken pox.

[jalisco555]

At 75, I should worry about dying? I’m gonna die. I believe that is a given.

Of course. But if a shot in the arm is the difference between, say, dying at 96 vs. 76 then why not go for it?

[WVNan]

Sure, Polio was a dreaded fear back then. I was grateful for the polio vaccine by the time I had children of my own. There are some vaccines that have been a good thing, but I wonder about what will happen in later life for kids who have multiple baccines. Will the protection last a lifetime? Will elderly people start turning up with measles, mumps, whooping cough just when the government is planning on refusing medical care to those old codgers?

[dangerdoc]

18 months is an age when children start to become exposed to many new things.

It could be related to any of those exposures or may be related to none. 18 months may simply be the time the disease typically presents just like migraines usually starts in late adolesence and schizophrenia usually starts in early adulthood.

There is a lot of angst for something that may be bad luck. I think it is unfair to saddle parents with the belief they may have been able to stop the condition when there was nothing they could have done.

[jalisco555]

Will elderly people start turning up with measles, mumps, whooping cough just when the government is planning on refusing medical care to those old codgers?

I doubt it but I guess we'll find out. Not the refusal part, that is a given of socialized medicine.

[BluH2o]

... but I know dozens of people who are flat out convinced that they can get the flu from the shot.

I'm kind of spotty about getting flu shots. A few years back, after not getting one for a few years, I dutifully went to my doctors office to get one. Within 24 hours I felt like crap, achy, soar muscles, etc.. It went away in a couple of days and I assumed I'd just had a mild reaction to the flu vaccine ... sort of a mini case of flu that would serve to bolster my immune system against an all out flu attack later in the flu season. This past November I went for my flu shot (I'm getting more consistent) and told the nurse about my reaction. She said any symptoms I may have displayed after my previous shot weren't due to the vaccine ... I probably had contacted something not related. Could have fooled the he** out of me as I rarely feel under the weather, and even manage to avoid most colds going around. Anyway, I'm convinced that I had a mild reaction to the flu shot ...

[AnAmericanMother]

I don't think you're reading accurately.

Nobody has said "this condition" doesn't exist.

There is disagreement about causes, and also about the standards for diagnosis, on a poorly defined syndrome that has a wide range of symptoms of varying severity.

If your mind is already made up, though, I guarantee "taught me nothing" will be a frequent occurrence.

[dangerdoc]

I have no problems with vaccination, I’ve recieved almost every vaccine ever invented thanks to the USN and USMC and extensive travel.

That said, I haven’t had my daughter vaccinated yet. It is rather selfish of me, but I don’t use products until they have been on the market for a couple of years. This pertains mostly to new medicines but I decided to extend it to vaccines. Yes, my wife and I will get her vaccinated soon.

So in a word, no, I don’t think that is unreasonable. But, even if she is the best girl in the world, I would get her vaccinated at some point. I don’t think that pre-puberty, post-puberty represents a big change in risk (other than she needs vaccinated before being exposed to HPV).

[ContraryMary]

The Chicken Pox vaccine is relatively new and nobody ever thought it was bad to get as a child. The reason why it was mandated was not to save lives or medical expenses. It was so that parents wouldn't have to spend a week at home out of work with their sick kids. As for Shingles, the reason why people get Shingles during times of stress is that you never get rid of the disease and that's what gives people perpetual immunity to it. Their immune system is always fighting it off. That's also why mothers pass the immunity on to their newborns. But the vaccine doesn't give perpetual immunity and sometimes it doesn't work at all because it's a weaker form of the disease that your body can fight off. So what happens if a person who relied on the vaccine gets exposed to chicken pox in their 30s, 40s, or 50s and their immunity has worn off because, like most adults, they've never bothered to keep up with boosters? We're likely going to find out the hard way.

That's why I didn't get my daughter vaccinated. Yes, it was difficult for my husband and me to arrange time off from work when she came down with the disease. But I think we made the right decision.