to ask something about anti vaccinators

[cjt110]

I think vaccination is the best way to protect a child, and the people around them from illness. In our family we are all vaccinated, without a seconds thought.

So my question is, if my son, husband and I are vaccinated, why do we need to "worry" about anti vaxxers? Surely as we have taken precautionary measures, then we won't be afflicted with the things we have been vaccinated against? And so if the anti vaxxers fall ill - then on their head be it.

I do understand that the decisions of the parents can fall on a child who then falls prey to the illness. But surely, as a vaccinated person, other than (making this seem a light hearted thing which it most certainly is not) thinking of the misinformed decisions of parents affecting their children, we have nothing to be concerned for? If measles for example became rife and we were vaccinated - we would have no need to be worried? Or could we still catch it?

Sorry if my thread is a bit waffly... finding it hard to explain what I mean.

You can still catch it. Hopefully it'll be more mild than if you weren't vaccinated. But there are people who can't be vaccinated due to various illnesses and not vaccinating when you can puts them at risk.

I see what you're saying but children are not vaccinated at birth against everything so it puts them more at risk during the period before they are vaccinated iyswim.

Why do we worry?

Because they are choosing to put the safety of their child at risk.
Because they are hoping that herd immunity will protect their child, but will tell you it's because they put some sort of potion on their little finger to warn off the measles
Because there are many immuno-compromised people who need herd immunity to be safe. Anti vaxxers put them at risk.
Because there are people with allergies to vaccines so need herd immunity m anti vaxxers put them at risk.

Because the sort of people who believe in anti vax nonsense cannot be persuaded with reason. There's been some research I think looking into why it's almost impossible to reason with conspiracy theorists. No amount of facts or reason will convince them to consider another view because they are so wrapped up in a paranoid world where big pharma is bad and controlling...
But I'm guessing if their child had a fatal but allergy they'd be all over the epi-pen instead of healing crystals and letting the body self heal, I bet they'd want life saving medical treatment Vs clever water with memories.

You also have people who have been vaccinated but it hasn’t worked as well as those ill or with conditions that cannot be vaccinated.
They rely on “herd immunity” which is obviously at risk if you don’t vaccinate.

Perhaps in a very narrow sense you don't need to worry but if your family expands you'll need to worry for your newborn until she is vaccinated, or your DIL who has an egg allergy and can't have some vaccines, or your DS's friend who is going through chemo and is immunosuppressed, etc.

Babies who are too young to be vaccinated; those who are immunocompromised and cannot be vaccinated; those who have allergies to the vaccines; and those who are fully vaccinated but in the small minority where they still catch the disease are most at risk.

Lots of vaccines aren’t 100% forever - eg if you have a Son who and has the mind vaccine, and so has everyone else, it doesn’t matter if his wears off (approx 1in 20 do) as there won’t be any virus in the population. However with low vaccination rates, if his wears off he’ll likely catch it - often at university, risking fertility problems.
Also some kids outside your immediate family can’t be vaccinated due to chemotherapy / illness and we should protect them.

I am quite definitely not an expert but was told that the more unvaccinated people around means the disease gets passed around more. This means it has more chances to mutate to the point that previous vaccinations would be ineffective

We have to consider people whose immunities are compromised, we have to consider the elderly, the vulnerable, the ones who can't be vaccinated for health reasons. We have to consider the pregnant women left vulnerable to Rubella because people say "I won't vaccinate my boys against that because it doesn't do anything to them".

We have to consider everyone around us, most of whom we have no idea about, health-wise. We have to consider that our actions could have life-altering consequences for the babies too young to be vaccinated. I'm a big believer in doing things because they're right and I also strongly believe that education shouldn't be accessible unless a child (unless medically unable) is vaccinated.

Herd immunity to protect those who can’t be vaccinated such as immunosuppressed and babies etc

Herd immunity. You need a certain number of people to be vaccinated (around 90/95% for measles) to protect those that cannot be vaccinated such as babies that aren’t yet old enough or those that have compromised immune systems. Also in rare cases you can still catch a disease e.g. measles that you’ve been vaccinated against, although you typically wouldn’t get it as badly. So herd immunity is again needed to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Vaccinations don’t have 100% success rates so it’s possible you aren’t immune despite vaccination. They also often wear off, at different rates for different individuals so you could be immune now but not in 30 years

Because children are not vaccinated at birth so left vulnerable to the diseases until vaccinated.

Some people / children are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons these people are left vulnerable to diseases.

That an adult is leaving their child vulnerable to the diseases because they have not vaccinated them. Their parenting choice could damage or kill their child if they catch one of the diseases.

Vaccines aren't always 100% effective. With herd immunity that doesn't matter - enough people have immunity that the people who don't have it will still be protected. Anti vaxxers reduce herd immunity.

Some people are unable to have vaccines due to age, allergies, immuno-comprised conditions etc.

Anti vaxxers are selfish, and often vaccinated themselves and therefore enjoyed an illness free childhood, so they're hypocritical too. Why anyone would want to put their children through a preventable disease because of unfounded fears is beyond me.

As others have said: babies who’s parents plan to vaccinate them, but they are too young?
When my DS was about 4 weeks old, we were sat waiting for our Dr appointment and a mum from DD’s preschool came out with 3 of her kids. I said hi, and that I hoped her kid’s weren’t too under the weather....she then proceeded to tell me that the Dr said they had mumps ....as her DS coughed and spluttered all over the waiting room right next to my tiny, unprotected newborn

Because whilst I vaccinated my children it wasn’t until many years later that we found out they hadn’t worked on my eldest. Ten years ago herd immunity had protected her. Nowadays it might not!

Thanks all.I hadn't even thought of newborns or those who can't have vaccinations for medical reasons.

Puts another side to it and helps me understand more.

Thanks for not making this a bun fight over rights or wrongs. I knew I must have been missing something

OMG @ThePolishWombat this would’ve given me the rage/terrified me. Thank goodness your baby was ok. Bloody anti-vaxxers. Why would you want to risk your child’s health over some made-up conspiracy you’ve read on the internet 😡

I vaccinated my dc. I also paid for private chicken pox vaccines. Expensive but worth it. No regrets ( my eldest has autism and grandma thinks it's because of the mmr- I don't)

I worry a lot about my baby who isn’t old enough to be vaccinated yet. My friends baby caught measles before she was old enough to be vaccinated and was very ill. Her mum is quite rightly furious that this has happened.

@HermioneKipper to be fair, the woman in question is a weapons grade dickhead in every sense of the word...so the fact that her kids aren’t vaccinated really wasn’t that much of a surprise to me
They were all taken into care for a ton of other reasons and 2 of the 4 were adopted by order of the courts, so possibly vaccinated now with any luck!

Vaccines are not 100% effective and you or a family member could yet contract a disease you/they have been vaccinated for.

We all rely on herd immunity to an extent, not just the unvaccinated.

The more unvaccinated people there are, the higher the risk to all of us.

Just because you have been vaccinated doesn't mean that you have the antibodies needed my bf has had 4 mmrs in 3 years and still has no immunity. Some people just can't make the antibodies needed, and unless you've had the appropriate blood tests that could be any of us.