Unvaccinated children around newborn

[Foldback]

I don't want to clog the other post here but I wondered what peoples thoughts are.

I'm currently pregnant. My closest friend chooses not to vaccinate her children aged 2 and 6 and has done this since pregnancy, both children attend nursery. Although I wouldn't make the same decision I don't want to debate her reasoning or the pros and cons of vaccination, there has been plenty of that on the other thread.

I have tried to research the possible risks but feel I'm stumbling in the dark on google. AIBU to not allow her / her children to have contact with my DS until he is able to receive his immunisations or am I being PFB?

I don't actually know about the UK, but in the US it's well documented that vaccinations for measles have dropped off. However, they're now climbing back up again - because due to non vaccination record numbers started getting measles.

I also read something about these anti-measles people taking the disease to developing countries, which can be devastating. I remember a real fear of this before the last world cup. Not sure if the alarm was justified but it's a real consideration.

You obviously don't live in North London Peggy. When I had my PFB there admittedly 10 years ago it was a non stop hot topic. I met a passionate anti vaccination mum who lived opposite. She was a cranial osteopath with many ahem interesting views. But she lived opposite and had a baby 3 days after me so I spent a lot of time with her - got a sore tongue in the end from biting it the whole time.

I was in your position OP and had to ask my friend whether she had vaccines her DCs. Turns out she had in the end, but if they had been unvaccinated there is no way I would have let them near my newborn.

Personally, I wouldn't.

My brother almost died as a newborn when our neighbour's let their children meet him. He was born at home and probably contracted whooping cough from them the day after he was born. I'll never forget waking up in the morning and finding a neighbour getting my breakfast for me after baby brother was blue lighted to hospital after he stopped breathing.

Just count yourself lucky that she told you!

I'm not sure I could hold my tongue, I think not vaccinating (usual medical exclusions apply) is reckless, selfish and fucking stupid tbh.

I think it's incredibly selfish to say 'why should I vaccinate my child to protect other people?' We are all part of wider society. We all have responsibilities towards each other.

There are children who genuinely cannot be safely vaccinated. We need more research to allow us to identify these children early and accurately. And then we need to ensure that everyone who can be safely vaccinated is vaccinated - to protect those we can't protect in any other way.

My dd2 had all her vaccinations but she was too old to have the MenB
She died from MenB at 17 months old

Sugar

sugar

Many of the vaccinations babies and young children have these days were not around when I had my oldest children (in their 30s) and some were not around when I had my youngest (teenagers). At what age does it matter whether or not people have been vaccinated?

I don't vaccinate my children and that was my choice. I would respect yours and not bring my children around your newborn. I don't think you're being unreasonable.

Skipton, OK for you to say "vaccinate your kids or they don't get to participate in society". If kids need to be vaccinated for the greater good of society, then society needs to protect the kids who are vaccine damaged. At the moment society doesn't.

Isn't being vaccinated a prerequisite for nursery? .

If it isn't then it should be surely?

I too couldn't be friends with someone I have such an opposing view to.

Not in UK, Hacker. It sure is in USA, France & other countries, though.

No, YANBU in the slightest.

No Hacker, it isn't

Hacker no being vaccinated should not be a pre-requisite for nursery. Why should you give children a medical procedure to go to school?

Where would you stop, why stop at children why not vaccinate adults as well?

We had a discussion at work today about whether health care workers should have mandatory flu jabs; as an obligatory precondition to have their job. I was strongly on the patient autonomy side, but in a minority.

mygrandchildrenrock the MenB vaccination programme only started last year and only babies can have it.
I am boing to the HoC on the 22nd as an involved parent who collected with others 823,000 signatures for a petition about this matter
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2573243-Thank-you-Mumsnet-I-am-overwhelmed-in-memory-of-MNer-Sugars-DD-Daisy
www.meningitisnow.org/support-us/news-centre/news-stories/petitions-committee-starts-debate-process/

Sorry I did a typo

• going

Ok different species but... I'm a vet and advise people not to let their pups have close contact with others till the vax course is complete unless they know the others have been vaccinated and seem healthy. The reason I advise both is that a pup can look absolutely fine one day, be very ill with parvovirus (which is very infectious) the next and dead the day after. With almost any infectious disease you care to mention, animals can be shedding infectious particles before they look sick. We do not let pups come to our socialisation evenings until a week after their first vaccination (ideally would wait till after second vax but window for optimal socialisation is short so this is a compromise)

Thanks sugar I shall have a read of those links.

Maybe your DD is one of those children who needs to be protected by everyone else's children being vaccinated.

And yes, we do need far better care for those children who are damaged by vaccines, because nothing in life is 100% safe.

Ah I'm worried now. Meeting a friend and she didn't vaccinate her son who is 3. My newborn only a few weeks. Shall I just make sure he doesn't touch her at all.

To try and answer a question I see a few have raised, no I wouldn't ask for vaccination status of everyone I come into contact with but as my friend volunteered the information (and imo her bizarre views) I feel it's an unnecessary risk to have her children be in contact with a newborn until some kind of protection is in place.

Hacker I understand the nursery is aware both DC haven't been vaccinated but it doesn't appear to have been an issue for them.

I'm glad to hear that those who have chosen not to vaccinate would respect my decision. I hope my friend has the same view.

Maybe Is your dd allergic to sorbitol?