Like many other parents of children who are now teenagers (or thereabouts) we didn't have our DC's immunised with MMR as youngsters. With the current outbreak of measles in Wales, and also now they are older, we have reconsidered and decided to ask for the vax for them both. I phoned my GP surgery this morning to make an appt. for them. Receptionists initial response was ...
"Oh, I think it's too late now" 
- then after I said that I knew lots of teenagers were having the vax she said she'd get the nurse to phone me back. Lovely practice nurse did this shortly afterwards and I now have an appt. for them to have it in about a week's time.
Was a little shocked though by the receptionist's initial poorly informed and frankly somewhat judgemental response to my request.
This has also made me think of the pictures on the news of the long queues of parents and children in Wales now coming forward to have their vaccinations. The long queues make me wonder if the clinics couldn't perhaps be better resourced to cut down on these waiting times (which might put some people off coming forwards)?
If a catch-up programme had been initiated when outbreak began to develop in the autumn, and with perhaps more pro-active and better resourced programmes in clinics and even schools across the country would we have more chance of beating this outbreak before it spreads outside the Swansea and South Wales area ?
Is judgement of the decisions made by parents at the height of the MMR controversy holding practitioners and policy makers back from acting quickly and effectively in the best interests of children's health ?
I know that posting this in AIBU is a risky thing to do as some will surely say I am being unreasonable for not letting my DC's have the vax as young children, but I think the important thing is really looking at what we can all do now, especially to halt this recent measles outbreak.
All I will say in my OP in defence of my past actions is that I have only really understood about herd immunity and protecting the most vulnerable from reading threads on MN. And don't forget one of my recent actions - this morning - is to book them an appointment. 
AIBU?
To think the response to the measles outbreak in Wales has been too slow ?
JugglingFromHereToThere · 24/04/2013 10:55
I think what is even more worrying is that no one has said - whether people like myself who think we were vaccinated, are still immune to it?
And what to do about vulnerable little tiny babies.
Right then. So you have 'every right to change your mind' based on the current outbreak. So whilst the rest of us took our children along for their MMR, in order to protect them and in the hope of preventing such a situation, you didn't. Which contributed to the current situation, did it not? And now you have realised that shock horror, my children might get measles! you want them protected, yes? 
Have I summed up the situation well enough there?
As an aside I met up with a friend with MS today. She is unsure of her measles immunisation status as her mum can't find her records. If she gets measles she will be very very ill. If she gets the MMR now she has been warned that she may not be able to walk for a few days. Talk about rock and hard place! This is the situation that she has found herself in because of the loss of local herd immunity 
.
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