To wonder if my kids have to be vaccinated to go to school?

[Cuddler]

Hi,

My son is due to start school in September this year.Its all sorted,today he went to an induction thing and i got handed a form about which vaccinations he had/hadnt had,and just general health questions.

He hasnt been vaccinated since the ones at 16 weeks,so no mmr.My other 2 children havnt been vaxed at all.Im not asking for opinions on whether this is right as i have made a well informed choice and its something i have thought about for a long time and feel strongly about,I know theres not really a law about kids being vaxed to go to school but i just wondered if anyone knew if the school could "make a fuss" about it,or if anyone has any expereience of this.

Until a couple of months ago were going to home educate so it wasnt an issue,but obviously now hes going so just wanted to ask.

In some countries and states in the USA your child can't start per school without the chicken pox vaccination.

Op...no your dx do note have to vaccinated by law to start school in the uk.

I doubt it will change anyone's mind, but Sussex has 10% of the country's measles cases.

www.theargus.co.uk/news/9800669.Measles_hits_record_high_in_Sussex/

Currently pregnant with DC2 and living in a lentil-weaving woo hotspot - seriously considering avoiding local toddler groups once %232 arrives until they've had their one-year jabs.

One of my colleagues is deaf in one ear thanks to measles .

www.theargus.co.uk/news/9800669.Measles_hits_record_high_in_Sussex/

I am pro-vaccination but i do not think it should be compulsory for education, technically you can not answer the questions on medical form for schools too.

You do not have to be vaccinated for scottish schools or nurseries either

legally there is very little information you actually have to give to anyone, whether this is always wise is a different issue. and general services can not be denied because you do not supply the info, education NHS etc

I am vaccination neutral really, but my DDs aren't vaccinated because I had a fairly serious vaccine reaction as a child which has left me mostly deaf. DD1 then had a seizure after her first set, so there have been no more for my DDs.

There are risks to vaccines, small ones, but serious ones. Much like the illnesses they protect against.

From a quick Google it seems that the risk of a 'serious' vaccine reaction in general is about 1 in 1000 which is comparable to the risk of nervous system problems with measles.

There is a varicella (chicken pox) vaccine.

It's not part of the NHS childhood imms programme but can be obtained and given privately.

There is currently research and debate being undertaken whether to include it in the UK schedule of immunisations, and in what format. One of the proposals is to have an MMRV vaccine (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella).

The Strategic Health Authority did try to pressure the UK government into making vaccination a pre-requisite for entry into school about 3 years ago but thankfully nothing came of it.

Those who disagree would have the option to HE or, if the government didn't interfere with the independent schools as well as state ones parents might choose to leave the state sector. The problem would really come if they trued to make vaccination compulsory in the UK. What would they do with the refuseniks? Hold them down?

It's a shame we can't vaccinate against blind stupidity...

Hiding this thread now.

Or rudeness eh, Ophelia?

Rudeness doesn't kill

Hey I thought you were hiding the thread?

Funnily enough, I'm not dead yet. Neither are my DC or my unvaccinated parents. Sure, my unvaccinated grandparents are, sadly, but none of any disease which could have been vaccinated against.

But you're hiding this thread so you won't be reading this, will you dearie?

But Graham, chances are that the reason you are all ok is because the rest of us HAVE vaccinated....

Surely if it was compulsory then brownies, play groups, swimming pools, etc would also be safe as school is the one catch all that all children (other than HE) have in common. I'm very much pro-vac and both my children have had all theirs. I see my family as part of a wider community and as such think beyond my own front door. Only very recently a documentary showed a grieving family after losing their infant son to whooping cough, caught from child who was not immunised. Herd protection will only work if those that can, do.