What do you do about immunizations?

Question

I have studied facts about both vaccines and diseases that are supposed to be prevented by vaccines. Vaccines still don't represent immunity nor they are 100% safe. On the other hand having the disease brings permanent immunity. So.. why the hassle and why putting preservatives and germs and viruses in my baby's bloodstream if he could still get the disease whether is mild or not.
Why doctors suggests you blindly follow the vaccine schedule?
Is there a better way to protect your child and stay away from vaccines that are not 100% safe?
Is this a battle of interests?

Answer 1

You have 3 choices. Either go with the current medical recommendations, refuse all vaccinations, or agree to a modified schedule. In the last case, you could refuse the vaccinations for the more minor illnesses and/or delay some or all of them. Many countries in Europe, for instance don't vaccinate before 6 months old, and, in this case, some of the vaccines may not be necessary. (Whooping cough, for instance, is a *huge* nuisance of a disease for older babies, toddlers, children, and adults, but only life-threatening for very young babies--up to 6 months old.) Also, take into account that breastfeeding gives your baby immunity to anything you are immune to (although not necessarily *full* immunity; a breastfed baby can get chicken pox, but usually it's a mild case that *doesn't* confer life-long immunity).

Unfortunately, *nothing* in life is 100% safe. Vaccinating isn't, nor is not vaccinating. Only you can decide which risks you feel are better for your child and go with it. One of the things you are never ready for as a parent is that you *never* will know if you made the right decision, but you can only do your best at the time.

Good luck!!

Answer 2

You may consider this a biased opinion, but please read it:

"Vaccines still don't represent immunity nor they are 100% safe"
True, vaccines do not always generate immunity. But they do over 99% of the time. As for safety, vaccines have a long history of success. Most of the claims that people read about have been debunked. The reasearcher who initially published the link between autism and the MMR vaccine even lost his research license for falsifying the data in his study. Also, even though studies do NOT definitively link and major health concerns, many of the vaccines have been changed anyway. We now use DTaP instead of the old DTP (which never was definitively linked to encephalopathies), and thimerosal is almost non-existent in vaccines (which was the ingredient which was never definitively linked to autism).

"having the disease brings permanent immunity"
Only true in some diseases, particularly viruses like Chicken Pox, Polio, Measels, etc. If your child gets polio, he would be immune to it, but might also be paralyzed from it. If he got measels he would be immune to it, but might be neurologically compromised from encehalitis). And other diseases like Hib meningitis and pneumococcal sepsis can kill you and not produce immunity if you do recover. We immunize because the risk of severe complications from an illness far outweigh the risk of sideffects from the vaccine.

"Why doctors suggests you blindly follow the vaccine schedule"
Because we are in the business of preventing disease as well as curing it. Believe me if all I wanted to do was make a bunch of money I'd tell all my patients NOT to get vaccines. Then I'd eventually be putting large numbers of kids in the hospital and seeing way more sick kids, which would mean more money in my pocket. And I can promise it would be a heck of a lot more that how much we get for administering vaccines (which some insurances try to make parents pay for, in which case we end up giving the free and eating the cost).

"Is there a better way to protect your child and stay away from vaccines that are not 100% safe?"
No, unless you want to put your child at risk for these dangerous illnesses.

"Is this a battle of interests?"
I think it is on the part of the anti-vaccine community. Think about it: If we stopped giving vaccines, I would make lots more money having yo hospitalize kids and treat all these ilnesses. But of course I would never advocate that. But by continuing to give vaccines, it gives the anti-vaccine people something to do - otherwise they'd have to find another way to make a living.

There is a reason that in this country such a high percentage of children make it into adulthood, and it is because of vaccines. If we stopped giving them we would be one sick and diseased country. The real question I think is: Why do these anti vaccine groups feel justified in trying to convince people to make decisions that might kill their children, or leave them permanently disabled because the got Measles, Meningitis, or Polio?

Answer 3

A good doctor won't suggest that you blindly follow the vaccination schedule. They will give you ample information on the vaccinations they suggest and that information will help you to make a decision on whether or not you will vaccinate your children.

It is a difficult decision to make to vaccinate because it's hard to decipher whether or not the information you are reading is factual from any source, not just a doctor. After thoroughly researching out the pros and cons you have to make a conscious decision and hope for the best. Sometimes there isn't just right and wrong, it's based on the individual.

Unfortunately nothing is 100% safe.

Answer 4

Have you personally witnessed yourself all the debilitating diseases that vaccines protect against? Vaccinating your child is the best chance you get at protecting their health. We are lucky to have them in our country. You are fearing the vaccines more than the underlying diseases that millions of children have died from. This is a battle between stubborn, uneducated people that read bad gossip. Vaccines are safe, I would rather immunize my children from deadly diseases than not. Of course there are risks in everything. The viruses in vaccinations are not live and there are no germs.
Why do you think there is no Polio cases in the U.S.? It is because vaccinations wiped it out. Babies immune systems aren't strong enough to fight off harmful, deadly diseases.
It is also important to point out that chicken pox is not always a mild illness. Of the 3 to 4 million U.S. children who come down with it every year, one in 1,000 will develop complications such as severe pneumonia or a brain infection called encephalitis, and about 50 will die.

Children with chicken pox are also more susceptible to "flesh-eating" streptococcus infections, although those infections are quite rare. For these reasons, more and more states are requiring this vaccine as a prerequisite for admission to schools and daycare facilities, based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Answer 5

The only way to protect your child is through vaccines. The polio epidemic started by people who did not want to get vaccinated and thus a lot of people ended up crippled for life. The good outweighs the bad in this, but if your child has a reaction to the first set of vaccines you get a paper stating that they cannot have the rest of the set. I had my 19 year old son vaccinated for chiken pox because of the deadly reaction he could have at that age. But, on the other hand my older son had a violent reaction to the MMP and tetanus vaccines and cannot have any more.

Answer 6

Obviously you haven't really looked at the consequences of some of the diseases vaccines can prevent otherwise you would have no question about immunizations. Do you want your child to die, go deaf, blind, be crippled or brain damaged from some common diseases of childhood?? Sure, let the kid naturally get immunity, won't do your baby any good if it dies in the process.

Answer 7

I had the same dilemna and after research came to the conclusion
that there is no 100% comfortable answer.
My sons's had all the major immunizations and we skipped the hep vaccine, as it's sexually transmitted I decided to wait till he's a teen.
We also forgo the new ones (I thought I'd heard of one for ear infections, for example) and make sure to ask for the Thimerisol(sp?) free versions of flu shots.
I'm not entirely unconvinced there's no link to autism, and it was an agonizing decision to make. I wish I had a more definitive answer for you, but of the mothers I found online when I researched this question, no one sounded entirely confident in their choice on either side of the issue.

Answer 8

I didn't start vaccinating my kids till they were 6 months old. I was breast feeding which usually provides ample immunity. I also refuse certain vaccines which were cultured with "human diploid cells" which I understand to be aborted fetal tissue. I have family members and friends who do not vaccinate at all and the doctors give them a hard time about it. I love my pediatrician. It is a hard decision and you have to do what's best for you and your family.

Answer 9

sufficient that, like sarcasm, I quite have stopped utilising it with any even with the undeniable fact that the nearest acquaintances. Even there i stumble upon that it is not valuable. common sense and adventure that they could relate to works a lot more suitable desirable, until eventually i'm searching for a strive against.

Answer 10

id whole lot rather my babies have their shot s than not,they could get really sick and get something that if they got it would be too late to cure.