AIBU to avoid unvaccinated child?

[SundayGirlB]

Currently pregnant with first child so may be over anxious, but worried about introducing our new baby to children in the family who are not vaccinated.

I think it's irrational and irresponsible not to vaccinate. WIBU to avoid until mine is vaccinated? It defo won't go down well but oh well.

So I'm a twat then @Craft1905 because my family have not had the MMR vaccine?! My uncle developed severe epilepsy from having the MMR vaccine, and since then the DOCTORS advised that for obvious reasons that nobody else in the family have the vaccination.
There are valid reasons why some people don't have certain vaccines!! Maybe if you spent the day with my uncle, you would understand why the doctors advised us not to have anybody else in the family vaccinated!!!! Think twice before calling people names.

OP I hope you’ve had your boosters? Otherwise you in yourself are unvaccinated. The immunity they supposedly offer is not for very long. Maybe consider that before ostracising family members.

Also you’ll be coming into contact with unvaccinated children and adults constantly. My children are unvaxxed and no one knows because they don’t need to know my children’s medical business. But they’re happily around at schools, local events, shops etc as I’m sure many unvaxxed children are. You can’t spread something you don’t have.

Most adults you meet on a daily basis haven't been vaccinated to the degree that children are now. I know that I certainly wasn't. Do you have a problem with your child coming into contact with them?

RockingAroundTheChristmasTree1: it’s the stock responce on mn

Most parents that refuse some/all vaccinations actually have researched and know far more about it all than people that blindly follow the rules but don’t even know what their child is having.

I’m sorry someone in your family has been vaccine damaged

My uncle developed severe epilepsy from having the MMR vaccine, and since then the DOCTORS advised that for obvious reasons that nobody else in the family have the vaccination.

Is this just a generic "doctors" or have you have specific advice about contraindications from your children's GP? Cos that sounds like a bit of a tall tale tbh.

OP: I'd probably avoid until after the first MMR jab if there are cases of measles in your area.

Well I was not informed that my SIl had not vaccinated her against anything and they visited us over and over when DC was born
Still pissed about that one

Then again she took them both on a plane for a holiday when they both had active CPox so...

The unvaccinated child will have herd immunity (we hope) and they're not ill. You won't need to avoid.
Apparently, when I was pregnant with DC2, my MMR childhood vaccine had worn off. In other words, I was no longer immune. I had to wait until after delivery to get myself vaccinated. And I worked in a doctors' surgery, around quite a number of antivax patients. I was also exposed to a baby (under 1) who'd developed measles and had to be seen by the GP several times. I was as careful as could be. Anyway, nothing untoward happened and DC2 is a happy, healthy, vaccinated (!!!) 8 year old.

I understand your concerns. You don't have to totally avoid. But you're not unreasonable to be concerned. The rise in measles and the evidence that people are not vaccinating is worrying.

Ynbu
I have this on my list of questions whilst looking for a nursery. I just wouldn't risk it

We’ve had this situation arise in our family. BIL and SIL no longer talk to us as we raised objections/concerns about their son (3months older than our own DS) who has had no vaccinations at all. We are also ttc #2.
I was told I was selfish for excluding her child.

Yes it is difficult to avoid people who are unvaccinated. However if I knew I was going to be exposing a newborn baby to a group of people I would prefer that they weren’t going to be at an increased risk of carrying a preventable infectious disease that could cause my baby serious damage. I would avoid them if I knew. Not vaccinating your child is neglect.

If you want to avoid risk to your child, just be aware that he is at least 3,200 more likely to be killed by a car than by preventable measles caused by not being vaccinated. You might want to stay away from motor vehicles.

OP YADNBU

Knowingly keeping your child away from an unvaccinated child is a solid parenting decision and one that I would also make, regardless of what the fallout would be. If a child was unable to have vaccinations due to medical reasons then that's a different kettle of fish because they would also want to avoid being around unvaccinated people.

No we can't avoid all risk but we can mitigate known potential risk. Especially amongst close friends and family members who are likely to spend more time with you baby. I avoided unvaccinated people until my baby had her 3 sets of jabs. That mild but persistent cough in an unvacinnated teenager could be whooping cough that could kill a baby. Our unvaccinated family member lives in an area that has already measles outbreaks and is in the prime age group for it spreading. The risk may be low but the consequences are too high.

For people saying a child can't pass on measles if they don't have it. Please remember that you are actively infectious for around 4 days prior to showing signs of illness. That child may indeed have measles.

Apologies it is 4 days before the rash develops. It some the first symptoms may be quite mild and seen as normal for this time of year. Hence why it spreads so easily.

If you want to avoid risk to your child, just be aware that he is at least 3,200 more likely to be killed by a car than by preventable measles caused by not being vaccinated.

If that stat is even true, which I doubt, then it's only true because......THERE'S FAR PEOPLE TO CATCH MEASLES FROM..... DUE TO VACCINES!!!!!

"My uncle developed severe epilepsy from having the MMR vaccine, and since then the DOCTORS advised that for obvious reasons that nobody else in the family have the vaccination."

They have now proven that the Vaccine may trigger Epilepsy, but not cause it. It would have developed, anyway.

As for the comments about, third World Countries, most people that I know from such countries, fully embrace our healthcare/advice etc as soon as they can, because they've experienced/seen enough death.

OP, this stance does mean that you'll have to plan any holidays and days out, very carefully.

The Baby does have a level of protection from you and BF. Make sure your boosters are up to date.

Thank you @cocodemoll x

Smallyappy, and do you know what that risk was? 1 in 100 or maybe 1 in 1000000?

My uncle developed severe epilepsy from having the MMR vaccine, and since then the DOCTORS advised that for obvious reasons that nobody else in the family have the vaccination.

They have since discovered that this type of epilepsy is caused by an underlying genetic factor. A mutation on the scn1a channel
Any fever can trigger it . My ds had a mild version of gefs+ and had over 20 febrile convulsions up to the age of 13. The more severe cases are dravets disease where the epilepsy causes brain damage as well. There is no difference in severity and outcome whether the fever come from natural disease or vaccine
My ds never had a febrile seizure due to his vaccines but had numerous febrile convulsion caused by natural disease as did my DM , DSIS,DGM. My Dd also had 4 FS. The recommendations are to have vaccines not avoid them

There haven't been any deaths from acute measles since 1992 (until 2016...but I can't find any more recent data).

Prior to 2006, the last death from acute measles was in 1992. In 2006, there was 1 measles death in a 13-year-old male who had an underlying lung condition and was taking immunosuppressive drugs. Another death in 2008 was also due to acute measles in an unvaccinated child with a congenital immunodeficiency, whose condition did not require treatment with immunoglobulin. In 2013, 1 death was reported in a 25-year-old man following acute pneumonia as a complication of measles. In 2016, one death was reported in a 10-month-old infant who suffered complications due to a secondary infection.
All other measles deaths since 1992 shown above are in older individuals and were caused by the late effects of measles. These infections were acquired during the 1980s or earlier, when epidemics of measles occurred.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-deaths-by-age-group-from-1980-to-2013-ons-data/measles-deaths-by-age-group-from-1980-to-2013-ons-data

www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-deaths-by-age-group-from-1980-to-2013-ons-data/measles-notifications-and-deaths-in-england-and-wales-1940-to-2013

You don't just drop dead from measles. More people per year die from chicken pox, but there isn't such a big fear of it because it isn't a vaccine that is on the current schedule.
www.bmj.com/content/323/7321/1091

Auntiepatricia, I don't know and I don't really care, but I am still not going to expose my baby to an unimmunised child from an outbreak area. One thing that is certain is that the risk of exposure and illness will increase if more people choose not to vaccinate.

BrazenFoxed - it is indeed very good that measles death has recently been rare in the UK. That is all thanks to vaccination programmes. If my child caught measles probability suggests that she will recover fine, but I am not going to take the risk that she is one of the ones that dies or suffers serious side effects when we have a perfectly good preventative vaccine. I am well aware that chickenpox can kill, even a normal case can be uncomfortable, I had the sores in my mouth and was nearly hospitalised as I refused to eat and drink. My brother on the other hand only had 2 spots! Luckily we are in a position to pay for the vaccination and will be getting it when she is old enough.

You'd have to avoid all other babies then as they won't yet be vaccinated????

More people per year die from chicken pox, but there isn't such a big fear of it because it isn't a vaccine that is on the current schedule.

That is because measles vaccination is doing a decent job of protecting the population.

In the US, prior to vaccination, in the 1960s, about 500 people per annum died from measles. Before chicken pox vaccine was introduced the death rate was about 100 per annum. The ratios of hospitalisation are similar, ie measles is about 5 times as likely to result in death or hospital admission compared to CP. (Those are CDC figures and I've used the US as an example because it's easy to find data).

As recently as the 1980s more than a million people worldwide died of measles every year.

My dc had measles and it was unpleasant, but tbh the chicken pox was worse.
Dd also had an MMR booster just previous and the joint pain from the rubella element was far worse than
Measles and landed her in hospital, barely able to move. It’s not an exact science.
Vaccines can cause illness and that’s s fact- you just have to weigh up the risks of both decisions and make an informed choice.
OP I think a baby with
Measles is vv different to an older child so can completely understand your concerns