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Children's health

Vaccinations: Should you vaccinate your children?

40 replies

hannah2210 · 17/10/2017 18:41

Hi everyone,

For one of my A-levels (Welsh Baccalaureate), I completing a project on the arguments for and against the vaccination of children. I am wanting to know what your thoughts are about this subject or any information on this subject. I will be using this information as primary research for my project and I won't use any of your information (i.e. username or anything from your profile).

OP posts:
IrnBruTortie · 17/10/2017 18:42

Yes, of course.

dantdmistedious · 17/10/2017 18:42

I don't think this will go well! You might be better off writing a survey and put it in the survey section I'm sure here is one.

Twickerhun · 17/10/2017 18:44

It should be a legal requirement to vaccinate your children before you send them to school or any public place.

welshweasel · 17/10/2017 18:50

Yes, without a doubt. Medical exclusions excepted. It should be mandatory to access state funded nursery sessions and school. I'd actually go further and make it mandatory until child reaches age of consent but don't think that has legs.

MollyHuaCha · 17/10/2017 18:52

For:

Herd immunity offers protection to those with already compromised immunity due to chronic illness.

Some ‘common’ illnesses are actually killers - measles, chicken pox. Vaccination, where given, stops the person getting a disease which could lead to their early death.

Many awful diseases have been eradicated through successful vaccination programmes, saving millions of lives. We are grateful!

Against:

By not allowing natural deaths from these illnesses we are weakening the gene pool.

Unknown side effects from vaccines. They are tested singly, but humans receive a whole cocktail of them.

Companies producing vaccines may have profit as their primary interest, safety second.

LynetteScavo · 17/10/2017 18:54

Yes, you should vaccinate your children, unless there is a reason not to or no reason to.

In the US children are vaccinated for chickenpox.

DS2 was offered the TB vaccination. DS1 and DD weren't. None of them were vaccinated for TB until high school age.

I want DD to have the HPV vaccine. I don't think she needs it aged 12/13 and worry she won't have protection when she may need it in her late 20s. But We will be going along with the government schedule. I think the differences between countries can cause concern about what is best.

Ttbb · 17/10/2017 18:56

Yes, unless their is a medical reason not to. For healthy children there is no reasonable argument against vaccination.

Mantegnaria · 17/10/2017 18:59

There is no sensible argument against ordinary vaccinations. Most of these are mandated by governments health programmes and have been successfully given to billions of people over the last ninety years and more.

Taylor22 · 17/10/2017 19:00

While irritating I'm very fond of my children. As a result I don't want them to die and have to bury them.
So yes I vaccinate.

LadyWire · 17/10/2017 19:01

Yes you should. The end.

hiyasminitsme · 17/10/2017 19:02

Against - kids are expensive to bring up so it's cheaper if they die young. Can't think of anything else. Choose a different project, this one is ridiculously one sided.

LynetteScavo · 17/10/2017 19:24

Choose a different project, this one is ridiculously one sided.

But it's not.

My DC have not been offered the flu vaccine...should I pay for the to have it privately? There is a small chance they could die from flu. Their school news letter advises I get them
Vaccinated so they don't miss school.

Should I?

Should people who are on a low income try to find the money to pay for the flu vaccine for their DC?

user1489434024 · 17/10/2017 19:54

I firmly believe that every parent should thoroughly research the pros and cons and ingredients of vaccines before deciding on letting their children have them.

Personally I've only vaccinated against some of the schedule and not others after thoroughly researching.

However, if I have given a vaccine and my child is then injured by that vaccine then that is like I've intentionally hurt my child. If my child catches a wild strain of a disease then that is innocent and natural. And actually will give them a better immune response.

Mine are breastfed and fed home made wholesome foods. Get plenty of vitamin D etc. So I am reluctant to continue to vaccinate.

I'm really on the pro/anti fence.

desperatelyseekingcaffeine · 17/10/2017 19:56

They won't have a better immune response if the innocent and natural measles kills them.

hiyasminitsme · 17/10/2017 20:05

userif your child dies of a vaccine preventable illness and you didn't vaccinate its squarely your fault. You made an active decision not to vaccinate.

SimultaneousEquation · 17/10/2017 20:08

This isn’t one of those finely balanced issues where there are legitimate arguments both ways. This is analogous to a debate about whether oranges are round, looking for arguments for and against their roundness. Hint: they’re round.

SpuriouserAndSpuriouser · 17/10/2017 20:08

If my child catches a wild strain of a disease then that is innocent and natural. And actually will give them a better immune response. What an absolute crock of shit. There is nothing "innocent and natural" about dying or being permanently disabled by a preventable disease.

NotTheDuchessOfCambridge · 17/10/2017 20:13

Nah, fuck it, why bother listening to people who know what their doing when Google can give you all the info you need Hmm
It’s a conspiracy I tell you, now pass me my tin foil hat!

JassyRadlett · 17/10/2017 20:16

However, if I have given a vaccine and my child is then injured by that vaccine then that is like I've intentionally hurt my child. If my child catches a wild strain of a disease then that is innocent and natural.

No, you would be complicit as you have made an active choice not to vaccinate against that disease, having evaluated the risks. It would be no less a result of your choice than the small risk of vaccine injury. I get that it’s more comfortable to think otherwise, but not really supportable.

And actually will give them a better immune response.

Unless, of course, they are dead. And while they could suffer permanent or lasting effects and still have a better immune response, I’d take the slightly weaker immune response, personally.

user1489434024 · 17/10/2017 20:19

Well I expected that response. Yes I must be stupid (as it's implied) because I dare say I question vaccinations.

Yawn.

Although hiyasmin raises a great point. Thank you.

SpuriouserAndSpuriouser · 17/10/2017 20:23

Yes I must be stupid (as it's implied) because I dare say I question vaccinations.

Well, you said it...

user1489434024 · 17/10/2017 20:25

Why are people so offensive in the face of adversity and differing of opinion on this website. It's frightening. And sad.

It's ok to oppose my thoughts and challenge them, but it isn't ok to swear and insinuate I have a lack of intellect.

Will try very hard not to come back to this thread. Good luck with your research OP X

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Notlostjustexploring · 17/10/2017 20:32

For: giving my children a better than 1 in 3 chance of making to their fifth birthday.

Against: um, an ouchy arm?

Anyone who doesn't vaccinate (except for genuine medical concerns) are idiots. I can't even think of a of an example of being more stupid than not protecting your child.

And if the reams of medical evidence aren't compelling enough, surely the economic grounds are convincing? The NHS aren't going to be forking out for an expensive vaccination programme for nothing.

lettuceWrap · 17/10/2017 20:33

User, my mother and her siblings born before widespread vaccination programs began. They all caught measles - 3 recovered one died of complications of measles at the age of 9, a number of months after contracting it.
On my fathers side, my grandfather had long term problems after polio, and my fathers sibling had encephalitis and was left with complete deafness in one ear after measles (I know a woman in the same small village who was left completely deaf after catching measles only a couple of weeks before, in the same outbreak.
These were people living a healthy, active rural life with good food and plenty of sunshine. They still, unsurprisingly, caught easily transmissible diseases off their friends and relatives, because transmissible diseases are transmissible!

People who don't vaccinate are benefiting from herd immunity to reduce the chances of their kids getting these diseases while at the same time increasing the risk of outbreaks. No vaccine will give 100% protection to everyone but if you are unvaccinated then you have no protection.
Go and look at the graveyard from pre about 1950 and look at the number of babies, children and young adults listed on family headstone. Many of them died of vaccine preventable diseases. THAT is why you should vaccinate.

I remember my grandmother saying she was first in the queue to get her surviving children vaccinations when they were made available. People queued, she said, because every parent knew of family members, friends, neighbours, who's children had died of these conditions, sometimes several in one house. And it wasn't just the deaths, far more children were left with life altering damage (for each death, many damaged). Brain damage, irreversible heart damage, lots of deafness, crippled limbs (all at a time when there wasn't much you could do about any of that).

Gizmo79 · 17/10/2017 20:34

Herd immunity. Google it. Anyone who does not vaccinate their children puts the very young and elderly and immune compromised at huge risk.
Ideally we as a nation should follow the USA’s approach and make it so you have to be vaccinated to access childcare and school.
If there are still doubts then actually look at the health implications of the diseases that are being vaccinated against.
I would also like to see chickenpox being vaccinated against in the UK.
It is not a ‘harmless’ illness. It can and does maim and kill, even in the UK.

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