What can you do about parents who won't vaccinate

[mirandatempest]

I've discovered that three of my friends have not vaccinated their children. I am normally very live and let live but this has really upset and bothered me. I've challenged them all but very gently as I
am useless at confrontation but can these friendships survive? I feel so angry.

@FlibbertyGiblets

You do nothing. Why are you angry, let it go, be glad that we live in a country where citizens have agency to decline.

Why are you angry? I'm angry on the OP's behalf. Not vaccinating your children is utterly irresponsible, both for the children and society.

With attitudes like that, compulsory vaccination should be brought it.

Oh, right; sorry. When in doubt blame the CIA seems to be a standard fallback, doesn't it.

What a mother chooses for her child is none of your business. People don’t choose not to vaccinate their children because they are irresponsible and careless! They are worried about the potential effects that are actually well documented if you look for them, not just on antivax sites and they weigh up the risks for themselves for the benefit of their own child. They are doing what THEY feel is best for THIER child just like when you choose to vaccinate your child. If you child is vaccinated they are protected against the disease riddled unvaccinated children no?

@jaffacakebox

What a mother chooses for her child is none of your business. People don’t choose not to vaccinate their children because they are irresponsible and careless! They are worried about the potential effects that are actually well documented if you look for them, not just on antivax sites and they weigh up the risks for themselves for the benefit of their own child. They are doing what THEY feel is best for THIER child just like when you choose to vaccinate your child. If you child is vaccinated they are protected against the disease riddled unvaccinated children no?

However, the children and adults who can't get vaccinated for medical reasons, the immune compromised, tiny babies etc, aren't protected from them.

@chocciechocface Exactly. And you can't avoid vulnerable people who can't have vaccines. You can come across them when out and about at work, in schools, in supermarkets, shopping centres, and at pubs/restaurants. It's just so selfish and irresponsible.

They are worried about the potential effects that are actually well documented if you look for them

Which potential effects? Vaccine side effects are listed on the insert leaflet provided with every dose however for the vast majority of people these will be no more serious than an achy arm or a mild fever. The risks associated with vaccines are statistically much lower than the risks associated with contracting the diseases we vaccinate against - see my earlier post about the risk of contracting encephalitis as a side effect of MMR vs the risk of contracting it via catching measles, TLDR; you are far more likely to get encephalitis from measles than you are from the MMR vaccine.

@jaffacakebox

What a mother chooses for her child is none of your business. People don’t choose not to vaccinate their children because they are irresponsible and careless! They are worried about the potential effects that are actually well documented if you look for them, not just on antivax sites and they weigh up the risks for themselves for the benefit of their own child. They are doing what THEY feel is best for THIER child just like when you choose to vaccinate your child. If you child is vaccinated they are protected against the disease riddled unvaccinated children no?

Vaccination is everyone's business. Vaccination only works if we achieve herd immunity. Individuals deciding not to have their children vaccinated are putting their children at risk and also society, especially those who can't be vaccinated due to illness.

Vaccination is incredibly safe, safer than actually contracting the diseases we are vaccinated against.

The well documented risks are available all over the internet. Instead of relying on the internet, try speaking to a health care professional.

Waiting for the lawsuits against parents by children who were damaged for life by diseases they could have been inoculated against.

I understand the risk to those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons (which is a ridiculously small %) but the OP states that her children have been so that’s what I was referring to.

Vaccination is incredibly safe, safer than actually contracting the diseases we are vaccinated against. This isn't exactly true though is it? Statistically the chances of catching some of diseases vaccinated against are stupidly low. For example Polio there hasn’t been any cases in the UK since the 80’s and 73 cases worldwide in 2019. Vaccines aren’t just linked to autism, seizures and neurological damage they are also linked to asthma, inflammatory skin conditions, food intolerances and other life long inflammatory conditions. Of course this can’t be directly linked to vaccines given that no studies have actually been done against unvaccinated children vs vaccinated but considering all are on the rise more so than the diseases some parents just prefer not to take the risk for their own child given that this could be a possible life long side effect. Isn’t it true that pharmaceutical companies have more to gain out of claiming vaccines are safe and effective when anti vacxxers gain absolutely nothing from stating the possible dangers? Vaccine damage is a real thing far from a conspiracy theory. Everyone should have a right to choose what they feel is best for their child and I’m glad we live in a country where you are able to make an informed decision for yourself. Each to their own but don’t criticise another parent for only doing what they feel is in their child’s best interest.

What a mother chooses for her child is none of your business

Yes, it actually is if that parent's action puts others at risk. Because we are all connected (haven't you learnt that in this pandemic???)

Can't believe this insulated selfish "I'm alright Jack" attitude.

Vaccines aren’t just linked to autism, seizures and neurological damage they are also linked to asthma, inflammatory skin conditions, food intolerances and other life long inflammatory conditions. Of course this can’t be directly*

Oh do fuck off with this ridiculous paranoid scare-mongering.

Vaccines aren’t just linked to autism, seizures and neurological damage they are also linked to asthma, inflammatory skin conditions, food intolerances and other life long inflammatory conditions. Of course this can’t be directly

This is paranoid scare-mongering.

Messed up the quoting. But totally agree with @tootiredtothinkofanewname

yikesanotherbooboo I am well aware of the points you make that was not my argument that there should be single vaccinations for all children or an option that some might prefer

I researched throughly after having spent another night in a&e as ds had reacted very badly to the point they are running tests on him

My point was that maybe for some and I believe for ds it would be the better option as the option to have him monitored wasn’t available

Vaccines aren’t just linked to autism, seizures and neurological damage they are also linked to asthma, inflammatory skin conditions, food intolerances and other life long inflammatory conditions.

Ah, so its lies you're pedaling is it @jaffacakebox?

There has been no proven link between vaccines and any of those conditions, there is a wealth of evidence showing credible studies that have looked for links and not a single one found any.

Vaccine damage does exist, in all areas of medicine there will always be occasional patients who react is unusual ways to treatments that are well tolerated by everyone else, however the prevalence of vaccine damage is vastly overstated by anti-vaxxers in order to further push their agenda of fear and disinformation.

Well apparently hep B vaccine has Uveitis linked as a side effect. very very rare but it,s a side effect.

For example Polio there hasn’t been any cases in the UK since the 80’s and 73 cases worldwide in 2019.

(Actually it was 103 before July, during 2019. WHO figures. Where did you get 73 from?)

Now, I wonder why that might be. Prayer and fasting? oh, no, I remember: it's because for the past sixty years almost every child in this country has been routinely vaccinated against polio. What a funny coincidence that a disease which has been eliminated after vaccination against it became a norm.

But we all know vaccination is too dangerous to risk. Don't we. Polio epidemics are so much better for children.

Funnily enough, when there is no polio being caught, the risk from a vaccine may be greater than the risk from a disease nobody has caught. If nobody were vaccinated against polio the statistics would very soon be the other way about.

Have you ever known someone who was not killed by polio, just left crippled for life, and in pain whenever he or she walked anywhere, or later in life sat anywhere? Asking for my father....

. 'If you child is vaccinated they are protected against the disease riddled unvaccinated children no?'

If only a very few children are unvaccinated, that may be true. However, once a large number are unvaccinated, then the disease starts spreading again; and there are always a few people with whom a vaccination does not 'take' and who are still vulnerable to the disease. Besides some vaccinations don't work until a child is a certain age (e.g. the MMR is not maximally effective until a child is a year old, and not effective at all before the child is 6 months old) so unvaccinated children are putting young babies at risk.

Vaccines aren’t just linked to autism, seizures and neurological damage they are also linked to asthma, inflammatory skin conditions, food intolerances and other life long inflammatory conditions.

They are indeed. The thing is, though, that there is precious little evidence for these links: most of them are moonshine, and a few are considerably less likely than being struck by lightning in a dry cellar.

I had my daughter vaccinated.

Ten years later she developed an allergic reaction to dust-mites.

Clearly this condition was caused by the vaccinations! I want to sue someone!

Oh, and my other daughter comes up in a rash if she eats fish. Must be the MMR that caused that.

Two of my children are autistic, they were autistic from birth and because of genetics not vaccines.

I might not mind the anti-vaccinators quite so much if they accepted that non-vaccination means that they have to take extra care about not spreading disease. Unfortunately, people who are strongly anti-vaccination are also often against taking ANY recommended precautions against disease, and go around saying Covid is a hoax; social distancing and face coverings are a plot by governments/ Bill Gates/ George Soros/ all of these/ etc.

I really don’t care to get into a back and forth debate as it’s always met such hostility and strong views which I do get.

If vaccines are effective then YOU have NOTHING to worry about as long as you have vaccinated your child end of discussion.

I really don’t care to get into a back and forth debate

Because you've got no facts to back up your incorrect claims about vaccines...

And what do you propose should be done about people who for medical reasons are immunocompromised or cannot be vaccinated?

Oh, just let them catch polio or diphtheria and die, it's all they deserve....?