Why are some parents/families anti vax?

[Sistersis]

Just read an article about the UK no longer being measles free. Just trying to understand what are the reasons that some people are against vaccination.

Not being cheeky here, geniuenly interested. Sorry if this has been done already.

According to government figures there were 4,754,614 reported cases of measles in the UK between 1957 and 1967.

From 1967 to 2017 the total number of reported cases was 2,724,936.

I don't understand the anti-vax mentality. If you dislike MMR, get the injections individually, but I just cannot understand why anyone would choose not to vaccinate.

Saying that though, I am currently pregnant and at my booking appointment the midwife mentioned the whooping cough vaccine. She then kept saying that it is my decision and before I decide I need to research it and be absolutely sure. All the research seems to say it is safe in pregnancy, but from the way she keep going on I was really expecting to find something, so I can understand why a nervous mum on hearing that may think there is something wrong and decide against vaccinating.

lyralalala - good for you. I admire your courage.

I don’t think they will be getting pregnant at 3 and 2.

Obviously immunity will be checked when they are in their teens. If they aren’t immune then we can look into the vaccination.

I hope you are immune and/or don't get pregnant.

It's a childhood disease that can affect siblings of children who get the disease or transmit it. Or cousins, or friend's babies.

And what if when she gets pregnant she can't develop immunity from the vaccine but catches it from a random child?

Cos they are selfish , inconsiderate twat badgers of the highest order and what they want trumps everyone else. No other explanation required.

There’s no point at all giving them vaccinations for illnesses that aren’t harmful to them. To that end I did refuse the MMR, although would have a single measles vaccine.

Just because they are girls doesn't mean that they can't become ill and have you considered your children may like children of their own?

Also do you know the rubella status of all their friend's mothers? Teachers? Nursery workers? Children he ages of yours often mix with women who are pregnant.

Mishappening Thank you.

I still feel a bit guilty about it all. There had to be a short delay between the single vax and the MMR. I hate the fact they were in more danger than necessary

Now though I’m quite vocal at local groups and with our HV (I have 5 kids now so I know her well!) about how damaging it is to just yell “don’t be stupid!” at people.

I was young. All my “family support” were yelling about risks and dangers, and none of the professionals I was involved with (which were plentiful as my family history meant there was a bit of interest when I had the girls) said anything other than talk to me like I was stupid. That just gets people’s backs up and when you are just being yelled at you don’t know left from right.

I firmly believe you definitely catch more flies with honey.

F

Lweji I checked my rubella immunity before I got pregnant.
As an adult woman, it was my responsibility to do that. It isn’t on my babies to take a risk for me or for any other woman.

@HulksPurplePanties clearly you don't know anyone from a developing country including educated middle class people who have emigrated here.

I do and have had conversations with a few about the diseases they saw growing up and side effects. As a result I rush to get every standard vaccine possible for myself or child, and tell people off for not taking precautions where they can against diseases there is no vaccination for.

how likely it is the child would catch the disease in the first place

THIS IS LITERALLY THE WHOLE POINT OF HERD VACCINATION!!!

Herd immunity = Everyone who can vaccinates their kids. And in doing so, make the likelihood of someone who can’t be vaccinated catching the disease very small, as all the other potential hosts are immune to it!
Not really a difficult concept to get your head around

I almost lost my youngest child to viral encephalitis - encephalitis is also a complication of mumps and measles - you never want to see your child like that

I vaccinated all mine being fully informed (vie the NHS website) of all the known risks and complication of vaccines - and of the illnesses - it's a no brainer

Actually I agree with septemberdread. I also don't care if her DDs miss big chunks of school with perfectly perventable illnesses or have babies that are stillborn or suffer birth defects...because as septemberdread says...we all only have to look out for our own, right?

Meanwhile back in the real world, I actually have a vast care for the most vulnerable children in society even when I didn't give birth to them myself.

My DD is vaccinated to protect those who can't be.

Lweji I checked my rubella immunity before I got pregnant

What if you never got immune, even after vaccination? Would you have had a baby?

Also, what added risks do you think there are for girls getting a rubella vaccine at 2 rather than 12?

I have no idea Lweji

Tossing ever more improbable scenarios out gets a bit daft. It’s really simple.

Vaccines carry a risk.

As an adult woman, I will take that risk before having a child.

I will not ask my daughters to do so for me or any other woman and if I had sons, I wouldn’t ask them to at all.

Re the vaccine being more or less dangerous at 12 - I hope to be honest they will be immune by the time they are in their teens. But if they are not then that becomes a necessary vaccine - like the others they have had. I am not anti vaccine. I am just anti vaccines they don’t need.

I hope to be honest they will be immune by the time they are in their teens

So you are gambling that they’ll come in contact with these illnesses, but not enough to make them seriously ill?

I hope to be honest they will be immune by the time they are in their teens.

How? By having the disease? Having contact with sick people?

But then, if the disease is in circulation enough for them to catch it, then fertile women who, for any reason, don't or can't get immune are at risk.
These may be your children.

The most unlikely scenario is that they will get immune to rubella within a vaccinated population or without vaccination.

Lyra do you know about rubella? I am not being rude - I didn’t either. I assumed that if it was on the NHS vaccination schedule it must be a nasty disease that could kill or cause permanent damage.

Then I found out about the reality. It’s a nothing illness. A lot of people don’t even know they had it.

It’s only dangerous to a foetus if caught by a pregnant woman.

So some people reckon that it’s a social responsibility for everyone to be vaccinated so pregnant women aren’t at risk. I disagree with this. I think that testing girls of child bearing age for immunity and vaccinating those who need it would ultimately be far more sensible and far more moral.

Again Lweji

Pregnant women need to be vaccinated.

Not babies to prevent pregnant women being infected.

I’m not changing my mind on this, regardless of how far fetched the scenarios get.

The Decline of Deference is a phenomenon that begins when the men come home from the Somme and is reinforced over the years by events big and small, from the Great Depression to Gummer shoving a 'safe' beefburger in his kid's mouth.

With vaccines, there was the fuss over young Leo Blair and the question of his vaccination. After her nightie trauma, Cherie was by now well pissed off with media intrusion and with her QC hat on thought it was no effing business of the tabloids what her children's medical records said.

This led the tory tabs onto one of the battier conspiracy theories: Tony Blair wants to kill your kids. He knows the MMR isn't safe, won't have it for his own kid but wants your kid to have it because he wants your children to die.

Do you think the risk for the rubella vaccine is higher than catching rubella as a child anyway?

If catching it as a child or developing some form or natural immunity was enough, or vaccinating at 12 was enough to protect pregnant women (who may be the children as older women, or their female partners), why do you think the vaccine is given to children? Why the added cost? For sport?

Oh dear @septemberdread. Its a shame you can't vaccinate against stupidity!

You really are making some questionable decisions, both morally and as a parent.

I think the vaccine is given to all children because of cost.

It is cheaper from the governments point of view to vaccinate all. And if it was risk-free I wouldn’t have an issue with it. As it stands, it isn’t, so I do.