Immunizations
Not everyone may realize it, but there is quite a bit of controversy over immunizing children: which ones to give, when, and how often. I am about to start my periodic foray into researching changes/updates in immunizations and was curious what other people think, know, and/or do.
For example, I did not get my children the chicken pox vaccine because I think it is ridiculous. Three of my four children have had chicken pox (all within a two week period
), but I have cousin who immunized her children against chicken pox at her doctor's urging but against her own (better) judgment.
What do you think? And what do you know?
For example, I did not get my children the chicken pox vaccine because I think it is ridiculous. Three of my four children have had chicken pox (all within a two week period
), but I have cousin who immunized her children against chicken pox at her doctor's urging but against her own (better) judgment.What do you think? And what do you know?
Comments
Originally posted by BRussell
Unfortunately there's a lot of nonscientific information out there about this. I think it's best to follow standard medical guidelines.
Ah, but in my "research" I have found that what is "standard medical guidelines" in the U.S. are not the same "standard medical guidelines" in Europe. Furthermore, the occurence of many diseases (such as polio and pertusis) declined in both the U.S. and Europe ov er the same period of time, even though Europe did NOT vaccinate as widely or "heavily" as the U.S.
It is my understanding that in Europe, children are not vaccinated until after their first birthday, whereas in the U.S., vaccinations begin almost at birth. There is significant controversy in the health care community about the wisdom of bombarding the immature immune system with vaccines. And there are studies linking early vaccination with SIDS. (I will grant that you could probably find a study linking just about anything to SIDS.)
But the other issue, at least for me, is the willingness of the "health care community" to continue recommending the OPV (aka live Polio vaccine) for years even though 1) the vaccine carries the risk of infecting the "patient" with polio and 2) the only cases of Polio in the U.S. for like the past 20 years were from the vaccine. So you go to the doctor and your child goes from NO risk of polio so a small but NEEDLESS risk of polio. Only recently has the use of IPV (dead Polio vaccine) become the norm.
So pardon my doubts, but I will continue to do my research and make my own decisions regarding my children's immunizations.
Originally posted by Fangorn
Ah, but in my "research" I have found that what is "standard medical guidelines" in the U.S. are not the same "standard medical guidelines" in Europe. Furthermore, the occurence of many diseases (such as polio and pertusis) declined in both the U.S. and Europe ov er the same period of time, even though Europe did NOT vaccinate as widely or "heavily" as the U.S.
It is my understanding that in Europe, children are not vaccinated until after their first birthday, whereas in the U.S., vaccinations begin almost at birth. There is significant controversy in the health care community about the wisdom of bombarding the immature immune system with vaccines. And there are studies linking early vaccination with SIDS. (I will grant that you could probably find a study linking just about anything to SIDS.)
But the other issue, at least for me, is the willingness of the "health care community" to continue recommending the OPV (aka live Polio vaccine) for years even though 1) the vaccine carries the risk of infecting the "patient" with polio and 2) the only cases of Polio in the U.S. for like the past 20 years were from the vaccine. So you go to the doctor and your child goes from NO risk of polio so a small but NEEDLESS risk of polio. Only recently has the use of IPV (dead Polio vaccine) become the norm.
So pardon my doubts, but I will continue to do my research and make my own decisions regarding my children's immunizations.
Many questions here , i will try to answer even it's not my specialized field.
Concerning the age. Vaccination is not usefull at the age of one month except in the case of a mother who have B hepatitis, and tuberculosis if a member of the family have got it.
In France the vaccination start at the age of two months, an age where child are starting to go in collectivity (when the women is coming back to work).
The polio vaccination is harmless if it's not the alive vaccine. In France IPV has been used for years ( i recieve it 36 years ago). Since vaccination polio has disappeared nearly from the face of the world.
Small pox represant the first great victory of vaccination : the eradication of an illness. I will not vaccinate my childs with it. It's only usefull in war, if such an opponement will use it as a bacteriological weapon.
The vaccination scheme is different from one countrie to another, because the epidemiologic data are different. Have you ever heard of the hepatitis E ? it's only occur in asia. Same apply for yellow fiever.
Tuberculosis vaccination, even if not working at 100 % is usefull ; it protect from the complications : bones tuberculosis ...Since that many people are not anymore vaccinated, there is more and more cases now. I vaccinate my childs undoubtely.
The hepatite B vaccination is totally harmless in practice and even theoritically for childs under six. Because under 6 there neural systeme is immature and don't have myelina : they can't have scleral neurosis. Some people said that scleral neurosis may occur for adults after such vaccination. It has never been proven. in fact the contrary has been demonstrated with the studies of millions of patients. In reverse this vaccination do not protect you from this neural illness. One of my doctor friend said one day, that she was supposed to vaccinate a patient. But the day of the vaccination the patient suffer some illness : he delayed the vaccination. Luckyly because the patient developped the neural sclerosis. If the patient have been vaccinate, he will have said that the vaccination was in fault.
Vaccination can bring troubles like any medication. The official guidelines, studies the ratio of advantages vs disavantages. No health minister will ever suggest to make a vaccination if the vaccination give more troubles than it solve it.
Originally posted by Fangorn
Ah, but in my "research" I have found that what is "standard medical guidelines" in the U.S. are not the same "standard medical guidelines" in Europe. Furthermore, the occurence of many diseases (such as polio and pertusis) declined in both the U.S. and Europe ov er the same period of time, even though Europe did NOT vaccinate as widely or "heavily" as the U.S.
It is my understanding that in Europe, children are not vaccinated until after their first birthday, whereas in the U.S., vaccinations begin almost at birth. There is significant controversy in the health care community about the wisdom of bombarding the immature immune system with vaccines. And there are studies linking early vaccination with SIDS. (I will grant that you could probably find a study linking just about anything to SIDS.)
But the other issue, at least for me, is the willingness of the "health care community" to continue recommending the OPV (aka live Polio vaccine) for years even though 1) the vaccine carries the risk of infecting the "patient" with polio and 2) the only cases of Polio in the U.S. for like the past 20 years were from the vaccine. So you go to the doctor and your child goes from NO risk of polio so a small but NEEDLESS risk of polio. Only recently has the use of IPV (dead Polio vaccine) become the norm.
So pardon my doubts, but I will continue to do my research and make my own decisions regarding my children's immunizations.
1) The declines in polio/pertussis were in unison in the US and Europe thanks largely to herd immunity, not a difference in the way these vaccines were administered to each popuation.
2) There are no confirmed empirical studies authoratatively linking SIDS with early vaccination.
3) There is little controversy in the health care system regarding vaccinating children less than one year of age. Vaccines such as HBV are given at birth to prevent transmission from mother to daughter. Vaccines such as the pneumococcal vaccine are given because the child's immune system cannot protect against any bacteria with a polysaccharide coat. This includes bacterial meningitis, bacteremia, and pneumonia.
4) You're right - the US now uses the inactivated polio vaccine, but parts of Europe still uses the live vaccine. There is, as you mentioned, an extremely miniscule chance of contracting polio from the live vaccine, but many experts feel the benefits of the live vaccine outweigh this risk. Personally, I agree. If not for an excitable public and the extremely bad pr associated with the live vaccine, it would still be used in the US.
The wave of vaccinations given to our children is a bit intimidating - especially with a news media that likes to blow any problems encountered with these vaccines way out of proportion. But these vaccines routinely save millions of lives, and have changed the health care landscape in the developed world. The contemporary travesty is not the handful of children in developed countries who have a bad reaction to a given vaccine, but the MILLIONS of children who die every year in developing countries but they do not have access or the finances to complete the vaccination regime.
Chicken pox is a judgement call. Obviously chicken pox is rarely fatal, and not terribly traumatic, so if you don't mind your kid going through it, fine. The only danger is if the child is in close proximity to elderly relatives. The elderly have usually lost their immunity to chicken pox, and shingles (the "adult" disease caused by the chicken pox virus) can be life-threatening for old folks. So if the child lives with a relative who is immunocompromised or elderly, you may want to consider vaccination for the relative's sake.
Powerdoc: I think you got chicken pox and smallpox confused. Something probably gets lost in the translation.
Originally posted by Scott
There was a good article in the ... must have been the Chicago Trib ... about a year ago about the dumb ass mother ****ers that don't get their kids vaccinated. Let your children suffer and die for you pseudo-scientific neo-hippy anti-corporate bullshit. See if I care.
Originally posted by Scott
There was a good article in the ... must have been the Chicago Trib ... about a year ago about the dumb ass mother ****ers that don't get their kids vaccinated. Let your children suffer and die for you pseudo-scientific neo-hippy anti-corporate bullshit. See if I care.
you're generalizing....but she is a hippy
Originally posted by Scott
There was a good article in the ... must have been the Chicago Trib ... about a year ago about the dumb ass mother ****ers that don't get their kids vaccinated. Let your children suffer and die for you pseudo-scientific neo-hippy anti-corporate bullshit. See if I care.
Wow . . . I thought for sure the Conservies on this site were all gonna come out lookin at immunizations as a libby-commie plot . . . .?!
Originally posted by Scott
Oh wait got it wrong. It was the father that broke his ribs. The baby was just in the hospital.
Have we come up with a vaccination against child abuse?
--my goodness, what will they think of next?
although he said it with a little more flair, and a bit less grace.
Chickenpox? Quite frankly it's better to get exposed and have a life-long immunity than bet the house that you don't get it in adulthood.
Hep-B is a venereal disease. I'm not quite sure WHY
I think that is the thrust of her post.
(but she's still a hippy)
Originally posted by ena
I understand---but if you guys would put down the flame throwers---I think you would find that she is saying that she doesn't give EVERY vaccination that is hyped by pop-aleopathy.
Chickenpox? Quite frankly it's better to get exposed and have a life-long immunity than bet the house that you don't get it in adulthood.
Hep-B is a venereal disease. I'm not quite sure WHY
I think that is the thrust of her post.
(but she's still a hippy)
The child is exposed to HBV during birth, which is why the child gets the vaccine (along with preformed Ab) soon after birth (can't wait a year, as she suggests - it'll be too late!).
Where is the bigger danger? Pop-aleopathy or an inflamed, and often misinformed lay press? I'll listen to my doc before Women's Journal....
Originally posted by Scott
There was a good article in the ... must have been the Chicago Trib ... about a year ago about the dumb ass mother ****ers that don't get their kids vaccinated. Let your children suffer and die for you pseudo-scientific neo-hippy anti-corporate bullshit. See if I care.
i am among those mother-fsckers? i refused to get vaccines. so after i was 10, the only ones i have got were those i could not get around for getting in and around south america and europe. so among my few school memories there was the nurse trying to convince me to get those damned vaccines and my mother freaking out because she believed everything they said.