Kids not Immunized? Time to Rethink that One...

I'll jump right into the fray -- I think anyone who doesn't vaccinate their children truly needs to rethink their position.

There seems to be 6 prevalent myths that Wired magazine debunks here, but quickly they are:

• They cause autism. The Institute of Medicine looked at all the studies in 2004 and concluded no connection -- and thimerasol use in kids' vaccines was ended in 2001 (it's currently only in a flu shot) -- so why is autism still happening?
• Too many shots overwhelm tiny bodies. Again, no evidence found, but you can always request to have the shots spaced apart.
• They cause diabetes. This was actually a new one to me. But again the evidence is not there to support that vaccines are the culprit -- signs point to the rise in obesity.
• They aren't necessary since the diseases are gone. The diseases are out there, but they don't usually appear because children are immunized. And they aren't innocuous, they can cause great harm and even death.
• There's no consensus in the scientific community. Just a few doctors who get a lot of attention think that vaccines are unsafe. An overwhelming majority of doctors and scientists consider them safe and necessary.
• The aluminum that replaced mercury is just as dangerous. Not true and it allows the shots to be more effective, therefore fewer shots.

A very thoroughly researched article in Wired examined not only these myths, but the fallout of parents' decisions not to immunize and how it endangers us all. (The article is lengthy, but a very informative read.)

Because you see, sometimes a vaccine doesn't "take," but you don't know it. This usually isn't a problem since everyone else around you is vaccinated, so the virus doesn't thrive in your community. Problem is, if there are more than a few who don't get vaccinated, the virus can then be out there, and you will think you're safe from catching it...

And we're not talking about being stuck in bed a little uncomfortable while Alice the housekeeper brings you your lunch on a bed tray. Mumps and H. influenzae type b cause meningitis, which can lead to deafness, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment. Measles can lead to encephalitis, blindness, and death. 

Whooping cough can also be fatal, which is especially of concern since newborns can't receive the vaccine, and are very vulnerable. In fact, it seems that the vaccines do not last into adulthood, so adults -- new parents especially -- are being advised to consider getting a booster. The article points out that in 2004-2005, 66 babies under age 1 died from whooping cough, including 56 who were under 3 months old.

As for the fear of autism -- there has been new research that seems to link exposure to toxins in utero as the possible cause. You would be better off staying away from make-up, hairspray, and plastics with BPA while you're pregnant than not immunizing your baby or toddler.

I think I can understand the thought process by parents who decide not to immunize. They hear about the very rare cases (so few they can't be undoubtedly linked to the shots themselves) of negative effects from vaccines, and they weigh them against the more likely possibility of catching the disease and having a serious condition arise from it.

I think they look at it this way -- do I knowingly have something injected into my child, and therefore it would be something I willingly brought upon them -- or do I want to just take the chance that my child probably won't come across any of the diseases, and if they do they probably will be ok?

What I don't think they consider is just how contagious some of these diseases can be. All you have to do to get the measles is to inhabit the airspace of a contagious person within two hours of them being there -- and that person might not even have the rash yet, thinking they only have the flu.

The other thing to consider, is that maybe your child will be the one walking around, not knowing they are infectious. Heaven forbid they should come across someone whose vaccine didn't take or whose effectiveness has waned, and that person catches it from your child, and then it is passed on exponentially. And what if your child -- or the people they have come into contact with -- give it to someone with a compromised immune system?

Are you ok letting your children walk around being a danger to not only those newborn infants, but the elderly, cancer patients, AIDS patients, etc etc...? 

If you believe you have thought this over and reached the conclusion not to immunize -- you have to know that there is always new info out there, and that you have to accept the responsibility that this decision needs to be revisited. It should never be -- well, I made up my mind and that's it.

Your children's lives -- and the lives of those around them -- are at stake.

Comments

[Julie]

You are stating what is common CDC propaganda. When your children have been immunized, did your pediatrician give you the immunization risk sheet? I bet not. Did you know they MUST by law, but still, they did not? There is a fund set up by the U.S. government for people injured by immunizations?

When my first child was a toddler, a friend suggested taking him to the health department for his shots, as this could disconnect the fear of the doctor's office. I thought it was a smart idea. Because we went to the health department, they DID follow the law and handed me all of the risk sheets and I read them. It was then, before I knew *anyone* else who refused immunizations, that I started doing research on immunizing children.

Do NOT mimimize the RISK of immunizations, just because an article propagated by conventional (and flawed) medicine says it's true.

Understand that American children are given immunizations series in a manner that NO OTHER COUNTRY WILL ALLOW. Is it because their health departments are misinformed, or is it because their research otherwise reveals dangers that the CDC refuses to acknowledge.

Challenge yourself...get the risk sheets, do more research. Your immunized child has put my chid at risk, too.

[Tamara]

I got (and thoroughly read) the risk sheets from my pediatrician (I still have them all on file) and my kids have been immunized safely. It's a terrible shame that immunizations don't work for everybody, but the propaganda does cut both ways... often at the misfortune of people who deserved protection.

[Megan]

I remember going through my church's cemetery as a teen and noticing how many children there were from the turn of the 20th century. Thank God for vaccinations!

[Thomas Paine]

Please do your research. Wired magazine is not a reliable source. FACTS and MATH must be ignored to make us all feel better about vaccinating our kids. Far more children die from vaccine reactions than from the diseases they are supposed to protect them from. 1 in 1750 children have a serious reaction(including death)from the whooping cough vaccine. And the Study by the Institute of medicine is 6 years old! Also Thimerisol has been "reduced" on most childhood vaccines except for two. Those two and flu shots still contain thimerison. Thimerisol is 50% mercury by weight. Mercury is a neurotoxin and the most dangerous non-radiactive substance known to the human body. We must deny all this to continue the vaccination mandate. Denial is a strong human characteristic. Lastly, research Hep A and Rubella vaccines. An example of true "evil in action" is that these vaccines are made in human fetal tissue. That's right, murdered babies........

[Colette Moran]

You have to do better than that, Mr. Paine. You have to give me a link to whatever study you are citing, esp'ly re: more children dying.

There may be trace amounts of mercury in some vaccines, but that cannot compare to the amounts found in the fish we eat. *That* is more of a true concern. (AND the supposed reactions to the mercury in vaccines do not match the symptoms of those who have documented cases of mercury poisoning.)

As for the fetal tissue -- my understanding is that they are made from a cell line that came from two fetuses aborted in the '60s. Regrettable, sure, but it's not like they are continually creating new embryos and destroying them.

Colette

[Carole Sanek]

As a mother of 4 chidren who were immunized appropriately I do not feel I had the right to not keep them from harm I would never be able to forgive myself should they catch a disease that could have been prevented. I have a friend who suffers with the ravages of polio and can't lead a normal active life - I myself did not have German measles as a child I got the shot after my children were born because as an RN I have seen the blindness and encephalitis cases. The 9th baby died this month in California of Whooping Cough - I do not know one person who has been harmed by a vaccination - ever seen someone die from meningitis? I have - go ahead send your kids to college unvaccinated and defenseless