To be worried about polio?

[maisieandvicks]

I understand that it is out of our control, but the news about polio returning since 2003, I’m worried for my children.

They’ve had all of their shots bar my pre-schooler who is getting hers next month.

I’m still concerned for my children and furthermore, I’m equally as concerned for children nationwide.

AIBU to be concerned about the arrival of polio?

I agree with poster upthread that (some) people have become complacent, feeling that because certain diseases are now very rare, vaccination is unnecessary, missing the point that they are rare because of vaccines.

I think I read that in the Metro yesterday morning on my way to work! Lol. I thought it was a bit of a wild concept but hey, who knows.

Will reply to as many posters as I can, please bear with me. Didn’t realise the thread would get so many replies.

Thank you for understanding where I am coming from.

@Wickywickyyow Are you drinking sewage water? Because that's where it was found. It's excreted in people's poo so no, not your tap water.

No, I am not drinking sewage water. Thank you so much for your informative response.

@AquaticSewingMachine They are fully vaccinated by the time they've had the preschool booster.
The vaccine schedule is also available on Google.

Thank you for this information.

My children are not terrified. I’m a mother. Therefore, it is my job to keep my worries and anxieties to myself. Thanks for the reminder on how not to project your own insecurities and anxieties onto innocent little children. Very much appreciated 👍

I totally hear what you’re saying. Thank you for your input.

Lol okay cool, thanks for this confirmation

Great, informative response. Thank you very much 💐

If you could point out where I stated that I was hysterical in my OP, I would really appreciate it.

Nevertheless, thank you for your input.

Thank you for your extremely informative response and for putting my mind at rest to some degree. I appreciate it. 💐

@picklemewalnuts It's spreading. It's not just vaccine detritus, it's developing BECAUSE it is spreading. Between people. You know, like a virus does.

This 😔

@maisieandvicks that sounds so dramatic when you take it on its own! I was shouting because people were being a bit dismissive and reading what they wanted to hear.

Reality is it's not a big problem- we've caught it early, and even one injection has a big protective effect. The chances of your child being exposed And getting a serious dose, are slim to non existent.

She'll soon have had her last vaccine and will be fully protected instead of almost fully protected!

It's an issue for health authorities, not individuals.

www.newscientist.com/article/2325891-polio-should-we-be-worried-about-virus-found-in-london-sewage/ This is quite interesting. You can have asymptomatic cases so wouldn't know it was being spread

It is a concern for the babies and young children who cannot make the decision to get themselves vaccinated.
Hopefully public health campaigns will encourage their parents to make the sensible choice and get their children protected.

Thanks for this link @FloorWipes lol and love the name 😄

So far, yes. Just waiting for my youngest to be vaccinated next month. Thank you for your reply

here is the information from the CDC on the effectiveness of 2 (90%) and 3 doses (99-100%) of the vaccine. Even just one dose gives some protection.

www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/hcp/effectiveness-duration-protection.html

@chesirecat99 thank you for this information, very much appreciated

@Abra1d1 Anyone who had seen my father’s deformed knee joints would not hesitate to give their children the polio vaccination. Anyone who had seen him lose the ability to walk in old age as a result of polio more than half a century earlier would do the same.

Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear about your father. This is awful and must have been extremely painful and heartbreaking for you to witness. Sending love to you and your father 💐

Lol no worries, you don’t have to explain! It’s the type of subject that can tend to get people riled and adapt a kind of tunnel vision attitude towards the situation on a whole.

Thank you for your reassurance 💐

Hmm interesting. Thank you for the link

@Bergamotte It is a concern for the babies and young children who cannot make the decision to get themselves vaccinated.

Agreed

How worried were you before 2004?

That's when we stopped using oral vaccine in this country.

It sheds, so before the changeover there would have been far more in the sewers from the faeces of the newly immunised and probably their household contacts. not just limited areas from those immunised overseas who returned whilst still shedding, plus their contacts.

What's worrying is that vaccination rates in parts of London are so low - according to the Evening Standard quoting UKHSA the nadir borough with just 35% of teens being boosted in Hillingdon. So even with much less shedding going on than pre-2004, there's a greater chance of someone unimmunised coming across a shedder

I wasn’t worried before 2004 because I didn’t have any children before 2004 and I myself was fully vaccinated before 2004.

Thank you for the information provided in the latter part of your post though. Much appreciated.