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AIBU?

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Original poster

Measles vaccination.

112 replies

Slimagain · 13/07/2025 17:17

Just heard the tragic news from Alder Hay children’s hospital . This post is not about this specific heartbreaking case as none of us no the reason for none vaccination. There are very specific circumstances where it is not advised or should be delayed .. (immunosuppressant, thrombocytopenia, allergy to Gelatine etc) .. but given the fact that MOST children do not fall into that category. What on earth reason can parents be thinking if not vaccinating against this serious, life threatening disease .. ? I worked in a developing country in the 90s with MSF.. administering this life saving vaccine. Each camp we worked in had a 100% take up from those children clinically advised to have it. Do we really need to see hundreds of kids suffer deafness, brain damage and death before parents stop believing nonsense on SM ..

Our average uptake is at a three year low for first dose . 88.9%. Way below the WHO target of 95%. The worst area is London at 82%. why ?

AIBU - I don’t want my child vaccinated
YANBU - Of course I do./Have

OP posts:
suki1964 · 13/07/2025 22:24

This generation of parents have never seen the devastating effects of not immunising , which, I feel makes them complacent

Covid, if it taught us nothing, taught us we need herd immunity. For Measles that's 95%, so that 5 % who can not be immunised are protected

SharpLily · 13/07/2025 22:22

Genevieva · 13/07/2025 22:19

A variety of reasons. Complacency among the settled population caused by the successes of a century of 85 years of public health vaccine programmes. The difficulty of reaching some non-English speaking immigrant communities. Then with MMR there was fear spreading among some parents c.20+ years ago, but I think that’s largely gone, as the MMR has been used for nearly 30 years now. Possibly the issues with the covid vaccine have increased vaccine reluctance more generally.

A quick glance at any social media platform will show you the MMR scandal has had lasting effects and is still used as a reason not to vaccinate, with Covid only building on that. Wakefield has a lot to answer for.

Genevieva · 13/07/2025 22:19

A variety of reasons. Complacency among the settled population caused by the successes of a century of 85 years of public health vaccine programmes. The difficulty of reaching some non-English speaking immigrant communities. Then with MMR there was fear spreading among some parents c.20+ years ago, but I think that’s largely gone, as the MMR has been used for nearly 30 years now. Possibly the issues with the covid vaccine have increased vaccine reluctance more generally.

ButterCrackers · 13/07/2025 22:12

Many people are stupid and don’t think about protecting their child from life threatening avoidable illnesses. I bet that the parents have been vaccinated. In America there was an outbreak that saw the anti vaccination idiots rush to get their kids vaccinated. This is what it takes - these people need someone to die that they know and then they rush to get the vaccine. It’s better to get the vaccine before the death, and even avoid the death, but these idiots can’t work that one out. It’s a shame that those who can’t get vaccinated are put at risk by the lack of herd immunity.

Dramatic · 13/07/2025 22:08

That poor child 😢 whether they weren't vaccinated through parental choice or due to illness it's absolutely tragic. If it's the latter I can't imagine how resentful I'd be towards parents who choose not to vaccinate and have destroyed herd immunity

SharpLily · 13/07/2025 22:04

Parents these days don't believe it's serious or deadly. Thanks to vaccination many haven't seen the effects of the illness, but they have heard crap on social media about vaccination danger.

I'm old enough to have had measles as a child and have suffered the side effects my whole life. People are very surprised, almost disbelieving when I tell them measles was the cause. Some still have the cheek to tell their antivax views. It doesn't land well.

Original poster
Slimagain · 13/07/2025 21:59

I’m sure the reason the take up in the camps I worked in during the 90s had such a high take up for 2 huge reasons ..

  1. The parents had actually seen the result of measles .. that would be enough for me to..
  2. No ridiculous social media ..especially from non medical professionals.
OP posts:
Takemybrainaway · 13/07/2025 18:35

Yanbu
Need some TikToks or instagram or whatever is used by parents from people that have been affected by measles.
I’m sure when I was growing up there were appeals for charities to vaccinate abroad. I suppose that kept parents getting complacent when we had herd immunity and didn’t see cases here.

nocoolnamesleft · 13/07/2025 18:27

It's tragic. Any child death is tragic, but a preventable one so much more so. And the news content mentioned other medical conditions, so it is quite plausible that this poor child could not be vaccinated. I pray that some good may come of this horrific loss, and that it encourages parents to protect their own children, and also vulnerable and too young children. Oh, and Wakefield can burn in the darkest pit of the deepest hell. There is blood on his hands.

Original poster
Slimagain · 13/07/2025 18:23

Absolutely @MaggieBsBoatcomplete idiocy. People hear the word ‘side effects’ and instead of actually looking at the medical evidence choose to trust their child’s health and life to bloody tictok etc .. also @StresHed agree . I think there is a lot of that sort of weird thinking . I’m also a little bit concerned that as London is one of the places that has the lowest uptake .. that it may be a degree of undocumented residents that are scared to put their heads above the parapet.. thinking that Govt is so joined up .. that they will risk being ‘found’ … I just want to say - as a civil servant .. the chances of getting ANY information from one Govt department from another .. is beyond painful .. even when you are looking at Organised Crime (my area ) .. so the idea that the NHS would part with info Willy-nilly is just fanciful .. just get your child vaccinated !!

OP posts:
StresHed · 13/07/2025 17:22

I always wonder if parents tend to think it will never happen to their child, and the (possible misinformed) risk of the vaccines outweigh the possibility of catching the illness.

This is what herd immunity does, so those who are unvaccinated are usually protected by those who are - but as vaccinated children numbers drop lower, the herd immunity becomes less of a protection. You can’t rely on that for measles anymore in the UK. The only way is to get vaccinated.

My DC are vaccinated and I have never thought that the vaccines were a higher risk compared to the disease. I assume people do think this though

MaggieBsBoat · 13/07/2025 17:19

YANBU. It’s literally the triumph of foolishness over common sense to not get your children vaccinated against measles.