not to challenge this antivaxxer mum at playgroup?

[CaptainWarbeck]

Chatting to a nice mum this morning about child health nurses, she says she's really struggled to find a 'good' one because they've made the decision not to vaccinate their youngest child.

Cue a bit of a monologue from her about how their oldest suffered a 'vaccine injury' (not sure what this was, he seems a regular kid) and it's really much better to vaccinate later, if at all, and her doctor has been very pushy and they've annoyingly had to switch practices because of it.

Argh. I diplomatically made sympathetic noises and did say we were big vaccination fans but each to their own and you've got to do what you think is right for your child yada yada.

Now I'm feeling like I maybe should have challenged her a bit more, rather than just being supportive of what I perfectly honestly think is mad anti-vaxxer nonsense. AIBU?

At the very least it will make it even less socially acceptable to not vax.

It's crazy, you all vaccinate to stop you getting these infections, you put the virus into your children. Then blame the unvaccinated child when they get sick!

If vaccines were so good you wouldn't be so scared of the unvaccinated child.

You have absolutely no right to question this parents choice! What is worrying is the fact you actually believe that vaccine injuries do not exist

It's not about debunking your experiences wapper it's about getting the right information out there and correcting myths and assumptions.

"No offense, but you really think people are going to put your wellbeing ahead of their own kids?"
Well, offence, obviously but that's not the point. Would you give your kid a gun to defend themselves in what is clearly a troubled world? What if that gun killed my kid? It's about doing the right thing by the society you live in when the risk to your kid is so unlikely and the risk to me is so likely.
I accept that there are a tiny number of children who can't have the vaccine. They are protected by herd immunity. As am I?
Should I stop paying my taxes when the government spends money on things I don't agree with?

I'm not scared of the unvaccinated child. I'm scared of the unvaccinated herd.

Radishal

What is the connection to guns? That's an entirely different debate. People can like guns and be pro civil liberties (yes, that doesn't apply to the UK) but still vaccinate their children.

Guns don't kill people. The measles do... What kind of a comparison is that?

Not I'm not sure I agree with that/that this will be the effect. But time will tell, I suppose.

A child with a gun is like a herd with no immunity. What's not to understand!

Rad
I used to shoot when I was a child. It was a great family activity. Nobody was harmed, nobody got sick... There's no comparison at all.

Plus, I imagine you feel the same way about an unvaccinated adult, right?
And an adult infecting people with measles (for example) is not the same as an armed adult.

Guns have a purpose. Measles however?

A child wandering around the streets armed with a gun is not a threat? Odd idea. I'm not talking about guns used for sport in a controlled environment. The analogy with some carrying measles (because herd immunity is lost) and then putting me at risk if I have contact with them works for me. An out of control kid with a gun can kill me as well as measles.

Checking back in on this thread and am staggered at some of the things I am reading:

It's crazy, you all vaccinate to stop you getting these infections, you put the virus into your children. Then blame the unvaccinated child when they get sick! If vaccines were so good you wouldn't be so scared of the unvaccinated child.

Vaccines work by making us produce antibodies to fight disease without actually infecting us with the disease. Parents of children that have been vaccinated are not concerned about unvaccinated children spreading diseases to their children. Those children are not at risk. The concern is for babies who are too young to be vaccinated (like the 4 week old baby upthread who caught whooping cough from an unvaccinated older child), those who genuinely cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and pregnant women whose childhood immunity may have worn off.

As I pointed out upthread, diseases such as mumps, measles and rubella are most contagious up to a week before symptoms appear. A seemingly-healthy unvaccinated child could be spreading infectious diseases amongst the immuno-compromised without knowing it. The mother in question in the OP seems to have a valid reason for wanting to wait to vaccinate, but she shouldn't be taking her child into a place where she knows there are newborns or other vulnerable people.

Sadly i do know of a child that died of measles growing up. The other children were quickly vaccinated after her death. My dad and i both react to injections but this reaction can be controlled. There is no way dd will not be vaccinated even if i paid for each injection one by one! Its about managing risks