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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Measles Outbreak?

1003 replies

MoaningLisa · 27/05/2011 13:56

I am sure you have all heard on the news that there has been an outbreak of measles.

Papers, Schools, Hv, Drs are saying if you or your child haven't had the vaccine(s) now would be a good time to get it done.

I cant help but think though that the parents who haven't and wont get their child vaccinated are putting their children at risk.

Aibu to think that its just bloody selfish and very daring to play with their own childs life?

OP posts:
bubbleymummy · 02/06/2011 08:00

Exotic, what about the selfish people saying the vaccine didn't damage their little darling so what's the big deal? Just vaccinate all children and prevent them from attending school and nursery if they aren't vaccinated.

Also found something interesting about the smallpox vaccination rate and how much it decreased in the early part of the 20th century to less than 50%. despite this, the number of cases continued to decrease so clearly it wasn't all about the vaccine.

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:03

CurlyGirly2: when did you join Mumsnet?

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:09

"you most certainly will not be alone in having a child with an adverse reaction to a vaccination as it is a known but rare side effect."

1 - you don't know how rare it is

2 - although this is not concerning silver - do not forget you completely and utterly deny that there is any link between MMR and autistic disorder. That reaction is not "known but rare", it is absolutely denied. Your sympathy is empty - absolutely empty - all those parents with a child who regressed into autism after MMR can go jump off a cliff as far as you are concerned.

CoteDAzur · 02/06/2011 08:09

"perfectly OK because my little darling didn't suffer"

I'm from a generation that had all childhood diseases. Everyone I know and their families and their friends have had measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox. Yes, we all "suffered" somewhat, but that is the price of lifelong immunity and a properly constituted immune system.

None of us died or had terrible consequences as a result of having "suffered" these diseases, and this was back in 1970s in a developing country. In the year 2011 in the UK, I'm pretty sure that your DC will be OK.

exoticfruits · 02/06/2011 08:09

I will say it one more time -vaccinating all children is for the common good.It means that the DC who is at risk from vaccination still manages to get the benefit from herd immunity. Getting measles mildly benefits only the DC who gets it mildly.

exoticfruits · 02/06/2011 08:10

Meaning when they don't have the vaccine they still get the benefits of most DCs getting it.

exoticfruits · 02/06/2011 08:11

Lucky old you Cote-not so good for the exceptions!

exoticfruits · 02/06/2011 08:13

CurlyGirly2: when did you join Mumsnet?

Does this have any relevance whatsoever? Does someone who joined 2 years ago have a more weighted opinion than someone who joined yesterday?! Or has CurlyGirly missed some 'pearls of wisdom' in the past?

CoteDAzur · 02/06/2011 08:16

Smallpox was less infectious than some other viral diseases we have today. You had to be in close contact with the infected person get it, and it wasn't contagious before spots appeared. So it was relatively easy to protect yourself from smallpox infection, once you knew what to look for.

exoticfruits · 02/06/2011 08:19

I can't believe the rubbish on here! 'Protect yourself from smallpox by looking out for it and avoiding'Hmm
. How stupid of people to die when they could have been careful!

Time for me to duck out again on that particularly stupid note!

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:20

Curly I was gonig to address all your points but they've all been so well addressed and so many of them are not worth it at all.

Moving on. I wish you wouldn't all post so much when I'm at work!

exoticfruits · 02/06/2011 08:22

If you are still reading this PaisleyLeaf-please do a much stronger thread warning next time!

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:23

There we go exotic - there's never much of a gap before the pro-vaxxers start throwing around "stupid".

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:24

I'm always at a loss to know why the fact that smallpox was unpleasant leads irrefutably to the "fact" that there is no link between MMR and autistic disorder. What kind of logical leap is that?

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:27

Not at all, it's whether someone joined for this thread.

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:31

"I will say it one more time -vaccinating all children is for the common good.It means that the DC who is at risk from vaccination still manages to get the benefit from herd immunity. Getting measles mildly benefits only the DC who gets it mildly."

Do never read?

When you accept that damaged children just happen don't you think it would be nice to identify who might be damaged and to compensate them appropriately if they are - rather than pretending they don't exist?

We don't have herd immunity. How many times? Do you never read?

Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:36

"we must have SOME herd immunity"

BalloonSlayer · 02/06/2011 08:38

I'm from a generation that had all childhood diseases. Everyone I know and their families and their friends have had measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox. Yes, we all "suffered" somewhat, but that is the price of lifelong immunity and a properly constituted immune system.

None of us died or had terrible consequences as a result of having "suffered" these diseases, and this was back in 1970s in a developing country. In the year 2011 in the UK, I'm pretty sure that your DC will be OK.

Well I am delighted for you and your friends, of course, Cote. In my own small circle of acquaintances, however, I can list:

  • two children deaf for life from meningitis brought on - I think - by measles
  • a child dead from measles
  • my own sister swollen up so badly from measles she was unable to urinate. The Doctor visited every day - the 1960s equivalent of being in hospital.
  • a child who survived chicken pox literally only just - had to be resuscitated and spent about a month on ITU
  • an adult in intensive care due to chicken pox
  • a child born profoundly disabled due to mother contracting Rubella in pregnancy who lived but a few days
BalloonSlayer · 02/06/2011 08:40
  • oh and my post wasn't intended to be critical of people choosing not to vaccinate, simply to address the claims that these diseases aren't serious.
  • and should read ICU
Gooseberrybushes · 02/06/2011 08:40

Oh I have to go without addressing all the things I want to address. I want to get back to squidy's husband. Anway.

Suffice to say, exotic and curly, your sole claim to an argument seems to be "most people agree with me" and " listen to the doctor".

I mean - seriously?

No wonder you aren't reading. It is truly blind faith.

bubbleymummy · 02/06/2011 08:57

Exotic, are you using the herd immunity argument again? Once again then, we don't have herd immunity in the UK and even in countries with above 95% coverage there are still outbreaks of disease so those who don't have the vaccine clearly aren't protected. Probably to do with the much discussed fact here that vaccine immunity wanes.

bubbleymummy · 02/06/2011 09:08

Actually, getting measles mildly benefits the whole community - they now have lifelong immunity to the disease - where do you think the idea of herd immunity came from?! Good grief.

bubbleymummy · 02/06/2011 09:10

that was in response to this:

' Getting measles mildly benefits only the DC who gets it mildly."

bubbleymummy · 02/06/2011 09:13

'they' refers to the person who caught it - not the whole community :)

MarianH · 02/06/2011 09:13

I feel damned if I do, damned if I don't.

DD was born in 1998 in midst of media storm over MMR - I poignantly remember seeing Richard and Judy interviewing parents of children who had 'become autistic' after MMR. Suffice to say, DD didn't have the jab.

Ironically, she has got autism. She had her MMR jabs before secondary school at 10. So when I had DS, now 2, I spoke to DDs specialist. She does not believe there is a link between the MMR and autism and had compelling evidence, but she knew that I was still concerned (having friends in RL who swear blind MMR was to blame for children's disabilities). It is unnerving. The worry is if DS has tendencies, could it be made worse by MMR? Anyway, we decided (DH is a scientist and pro-vaccines, I'm just worried about everything), as specialist suggested, to wait until he is a touch older in order to vaccinate him so we can be clear about his development. Suggestion was nursery age.

And now, DD has leukaemia. DS is not vaccinated. DD's vaccinations probably killed off by chemotherapy. She is neutropenic. I am very worried.

As I said, I feel damned if I do and damned if I don't. I'm currently waiting for the oncology consultant to ring me back in order to establish whether it is safe for DS to have the vaccine whilst in the home with DD.

Fun times.

We all try to do what is best, and at times information overload and media panics are not very helpful things.

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