Vaccinations

[katz]

Inspired by the flu shot thread.

OK. Explain to me kid shots. I don't know what they're expected to have, or what is questionable to have, what should be avoided. I never really gave much thought to NOT vaccinating.. but I always see the commercials on tv, or in magazines etc.. to vaccinate before age 2 blah blah blah..

-puts on my learning about babies hat and waits-

[Rose Bud]

The only one I am leaning on the fence of refusing, and lots of parents question, is the varicella/chicken pox vaccine. I have heard that thanks to that vaccine, children are getting it much later in childhood and are getting far worse cases. And also, that it doesn't always work. My child is not in daycare (his grandmother watches him, and all of us have had the chicken pox) so I'm thinking that for right now, this vaccine is not necessary for us. I'd rather he just catches them when he's school aged, than push it back with the vaccine and him never get them until he's an adult, and for an adult the chicken pox can be very dangerous.

[supernova]

Kids get vaccines for hepatitis B, DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), polio, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), varicella/chicken pox, pneumococcal, haemophilus influenzae type b. My kid's only 16 months so I could be leaving out things for older children--am I missing any?

I find it interesting to compare this with my German colleague, who has a 8 month old baby. They are choosing not to have all of the vaccines because they are not required in Europe, and they know they will be moving back there in a year. I wonder why the U.S. has so many more recommended or required vaccines?

[vegaenglit]

right now we are slow- and no-poking. i need to read more up on it but jeremy and i are rather anti-medication on things.

[FaerieDreamer]

I think that's all of them supernova.

We were hesitant to get the chicken pox vaccine, but went ahead with it anyway. I can't quite remember our reasoning at the moment.

And in CA, kids must have all of their vaccinations before being allowed in school. I know that for a fact because I was almost not allowed to go to high school because my mom had misplaced my vaccination record. I had to get a copy from the clinic AND get a booster just in case.

[Clementine]

that was my concern, faeriedreamer. i knew that since he HAD to have them to go to school, i wanted to get them over with before he really knew what was up, you know?
i'm going to call, thanks to rosebud's info, and ask my ped about the content of their vaccines.

[RedHead]

has anyone here heard about certain vaccines (not sure which) putting kids at risk or causing autism? I read somewhere that some parents weren't doing some vacines because of this risk. anyone?

[Clementine]

has anyone here heard about certain vaccines (not sure which) putting kids at risk or causing autism? I read somewhere that some parents weren't doing some vacines because of this risk. anyone?
this is an ongoing cotroversy/concern, and it's one of the main reasons people are postponing or refusing to vaccinate all together.

the mercury content used as a preservative in many vaccines is seen to be hazzardous by many parents and even health professionals. it's one of the most toxic and lethal substances in the world, and so logically, people question why on earth it would be administered to children in vaccines.

there are more threads on the parent's pad about this if you do a search for autism.

[Clementine]

here ya go. i'll save you the hassle.

http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=235387&highlight=autism
http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=161621&highlight=autism
http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=191259&highlight=autism
http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=218737&highlight=autism
http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=226269&highlight=autism
http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=233148&highlight=autism

[glittergirl816]

I wonder why the U.S. has so many more recommended or required vaccines?
IMO it's because of the money it make for the drug companies. Just like the flu shot=cash cow for the vax manufacturers.


i knew that since he HAD to have them to go to school
I don't know what state you live in, but I know in Ohio this is not the case. All I have to do is sign a waiver saying that the school is not liable if my child catches something they could have been vax'ed against. If the vast majority of the kids are vax'ed then aren't they protected? it should be a non-issue.

We don't vax because i think the risks outweigh the benefits. A lot of the vaxes are made from animal matter, and as weird as it might seem, it goes against my beliefs. Besides, just because you are vaxed doesn't guarantee immunity.

emily

[Rose Bud]

When I found out that the mercury was used as a preservative, I was boggled too. Where I used to work was a company that manufactured silicon wafer testing/measuring equipment. Due to scientific properties I never quite understood, mercury was used in testing the silicon wafers, because it was the most accurate and reliable medium. We had someone who went through rigourous training with handling and packing mercury, and everyone else who worked there (myself included) had to get training on spotting the effects of mercury exposure and inhalation. It was some nasty stuff. Everyone got SUPER careful with the mercury handling when I was pregnant at work. Makes me think, why were they putting a mercurial compound in vaccines as a preservative? There HAD to be others that weren't as dangerous.

Though through reading, I've found that through urging from the FDA most manufacturers who make the routine childhood vaccines removed the thimerosal from vaccines in 1999.

[Ramba]

none of mine have been vaccinated for anything other than the occasional tetanus (fatal, but incredibly rare). my kids are now 11, 14, and almost 16. you can get your children into any school in the u.s. w/ a waiver. it's a federal thing. my mom was a medical transcriptionist for a hospital for 20+ years. she typed a lot of charts of children coming in with convulsions/comas. guess what the first question is that the dr. asks? recent vaccinations?

none of the diseases that we vaccinate for are fatal to the child other than tetanus, and possibly polio. however polio is extinct. the only way you can get polio now, is from the vaccine. it's a personal choice..and sometimes i wonder..but my children know they're not vaccinated, and they know if they plan any world travel in the future, it would be wise to look into it..but my kids are great. they're strong, healthy, and only get sick about once a yr. i think i made the right choice.