Measles vaccination.

Exactly. I was born 1969. I had a measles vaccine when I was too young to remember (only knew about it because it left a grey dot on my shoulder that I asked my mum about) and the rubella one when I was 13. No mumps vaccine given.

And, at the age I am, I have also known or met various people of a similar age who didn't get the new vaccination and have lasting effects such as deafness in one ear, thanks to measles. I also knew someone more recently whose dd couldn't be vaccinated and died from the long term effects of measles encephalopathy.

Why traumatic?
mine were both fine, I explained beforehand what would happen, a needle into each arm for just a second, which would probably hurt a little, and the medicine would prevent them getting diseases that would be much worse than the injections.

both sat on my knee, the nurses laid out all the stickers on the seat of the chair in front so the child could concentrate on choosing which one they wanted, a quick 3,2,1 countdown, both jabs done at the same time.

they didn’t even cry. And they both remember it.

it was probably worse for the children of friends who were lied to about where they were going, or were told that it definitely wouldn’t hurt.

In the mid 70’s the whooping cough vaccine had issues. I remember my DM not getting my younger DSis done. Then spent the next 10 years panicking whenever anyone coughed. She took my DSis back to GP and was vaccinated.
There were no scare stories about when I was a baby so I had everything.
My DF best friend as a baby caught Polio and he believes in every vaccine saves lives.

Forgot to add, my DHs eyes are permanently scarred as a result of the measles.

I am old enough to remember people walking around with leg irons from polio. I had whooping cough as a toddler, and my husband and I both had measles. My DH also caught chicken pox as an adult in his forties and was seriously ill, the doctors thought it might go into his brain. People have forgotten the dreadful results of these diseases. In some countries children are not allowed to start school without being vaccinated, and I wish we would do the same here, unless there is a real reason why not.

My parents were also worried about the (not MMR but) single measles vaccine that was around in the 80s. They had a GP friend whose child had developed autism / regressed around the time he had had the vaccine, and the GP believed his child was vaccine damaged. Back then the GP friend called it "mental retardation caused by the measles vaccine".

A lot of us who either were single vaccinated or not vaccinated at all (I was also withdrawn from the rubella vaccine offered at age 11) can catch up on our vaccines as adults by contacting the GP's surgery. It's free, relatively painless and I had no side effects at all.

It's so sad but people are trusting vaccines less and less, especially since covid. Both of my children have had there's but I do wonder how many people are not immune even though they've had their vaccines. I found out I wasn't immune when I received my blood work back after my blood tests I got when I was 12 weeks pregnant. I went on to have the vaccines again after I give birth then 3 years later I found out I wasn't immune again with my blood tests from my second pregnancy. I got the MMRs again after my second child but now I have had them 6 times. I would have never known I wasn't immune if it wasn't for my pregnancies.

All I know is if my children were to catch it and I didn't get them the vaccines I would never forgive myself.

Yes this was a huge fear of mine when DD was too young to have had the vaccine yet. You are totally at the mercy of hoping that everyone else you come into contact with has been vaccinated. Sorry you went through this it sounds truly terrifying.

Lived experience.

I am in my late 50s. I'm the eldest of 4. I couldn't have the measles vaccine back in the late 1960s as an infant due to a severe allergy to albumin, an element of the carrier fluid, according to my parents.

All my younger siblings were vaccinated.
Measles was still rife throughout the population at that point.

In the summer of 1975 I contracted measles. I spent 8 weeks in bed at home. I was very, very ill, but not quite ill enough for hospitalisation, thankfully. I was too weak to return to school in the autumn and didn't really recover until the next year. Luckily I have no long term problems.

It was just horrible.

None of my vaccinated siblings contracted measles, despite being in close contact to me throughout the time I was contagious.

No it wasn't all individual vaccines before 88 although measles was. In the 70s they had a triple of whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus. Because my son couldn't have the whooping cough he couldn't have the triple. I assume it was the same until 88 but it didn't apply to mine so I can't say for sure

This. Also, it’s the parents choice not to vaccinate but the child has no say whether they get longterm side effects from these diseases. Or worse.

I presume you would have listened to the conspiracy programme on radio 4 this morning when that crazy anti Vax COVID denier nurse persuaded her adult daughter to reject cancer treatment for a type of cancer which was potentially curable and persuaded her to have coffee enemas (do you have milk and sugar with them) several times a day instead. Sadly the daughter is now dead.

YANBU

It boggles my mind that some people don’t get their children vaccinated. Yes, the side effects of the vaccine can be unpleasant but that’s temporary.

My gran told me about children she grew up with who died of things like TB, measles, polio… she was so shocked and upset that some people don’t vaccinate. One of her children had brain damage due to a birth injury- total accident no one’s fault. To have people risk their kids being left that way due to measles or similar must have been hard to take. Back when she was still alive it seemed to mainly be the MMR that was the bone of contention but now there’s some that don’t take their children for any vaccines at all.

The problem is though that by not vaccinating a child they are then putting younger children not yet eligible for the vaccination at risk, especially when their is an outbreak. So whilst people believe it is personal choice, it is also pretty selfish.

There was a big scare in the 70s particularly about the whooping cough vaccine. My doctor wouldn't give it to my son as he had eczema and that was rumoured to be a link. My doctor wanted to wait until more was known but in the meantime son got whooping cough.

Agreed - some people believe in the tooth fairy and father Christmas but grow out of it. Others believe these is a link between mmr and autism and think they are intelligent adults.
Every time my DC's were due their vaccinations I worried whether I should take them even though as an hcp I knew it was the right and sensible thing to do. It is natural to worry about these things.

When the mmr came out is irrelevant to my original point that my sister was vaccinated and my Mum believed (and still does) that it caused her autism which is why I and my other siblings (born in the 80s) were not vaccinated. The biggest problem we have is social media these days spreading around mis information from so called influencers. Just look at the shite they spread around about sun cream causing cancer.

MMR was 1988 - DC1 was born in 1985 and had single measles in 1986 when DC2 was a year old in 1988 the clinic vaccinated both of them with MMR (could do that then)

I think the problem is that so many people haven't seen these effects - thanks to bloody vaccines! They think measles and other diseases are not serious because they no longer have to hear about people's children dying or being otherwise affected by measles, polio etc., either forgetting or ignoring the fact that this is precisely because of vaccines. Had they grown up with the side effects like you and me, and other kids in my street (only 18 houses but twin boys made infertile from mumps around the time measles ruined my eyesight), I don't think they would feel the same way.

In discussion many years ago with a friend who has not vaccinated, their argument was. We all had it as children in the 60s and we are fine, it's no big deal
Following on with a discussion about how many children die from measles, are left deaf, dumb or both or are brain damaged. It became clear as an intelligent person she was not fully informed about the risk it now posed.

I still find parents who have not vaccinated and our SEND school for profound and complex needs children has more unvaccinated children than vaccinated. Again because parents still underestimate the consequences.
When a child has a disease or a siblings comes down with one we have to go into Covid mode to isolate every child and staff member having contact with that child.

Still think it is down to an underestimation of the impact of these diseases.

I think some of it is down to delusion arrogance and willful ignorance of some parents thinking they actually know better than many many many experts or that they're somehow beating the system if they don't adhere to vaccination programs. Many aren't willing to educate themselves or listen to experts but you tend to find these sorts of people pick and chose to believe what they think is exciting and sensational. Even to the extent they put their own children at risk. Underneath it all there's usually a lot of immaturity and plain stupidity.

I had mumps and German measles as a child. My mum had an issue with German measles and caught it 4 times, never built immunity, one of those led to her having one of first ever legal abortions in the country. She taught the whole family how important vaccinations were once they became available. Both of mine are fully vaccinated.

It should be everyones personal choice. Some people believe the autism link or have other reasons that they believe what they believe.

FWIW I had measles as a baby and have endured a life of agonising pain! Whenever we fly it's like im being stabbed in the head, and for several hours afterwards too. Driving up hills (most recently in Yorkshire!), people's ears pop, i am stabbed in the head repeatedly until we get back low down and things settle again. If I get a simple cold, days before the other symptoms start, the pain in my ears start. And on top of this I have permanent tinnitus and acute hearing loss. My kids were 1st in line to get their vaccines as I didn't want to risk them suffering anything like this.....or worse!

There is more formaldehyde in a pear than there is in any vaccine.

better stop eating pears

The amount of TikTok’s (I get bored and don’t have the energy for anything more intelligent after toddler bedtimes 🤣) of parents smugly stating “things I do as a parent others don’t agree with” .

First up is usually “no vaccinations because why would I poison my child?”

Usually followed by something like “they can have whatever sweets they want for breakfast” etc etc

A more creative person than me needs to think of different ways to get through and educate people because unintelligent people are influencing other unintelligent people and it’ll become it’s own pandemic.

Poor mite at Alder Hey 😢