to be cross my ds has measles because other parents didn't vaccinate their children

[snickersnack]

He's 11 months old, poor little thing . Fortunately he's going to be ok - he got off quite lightly, I think - but it was scary and he was really poorly for a day or so. Spent 10 hours in A&E yesterday while he had chest x-rays, blood tests, IV fluids etc. Now we're just waiting to see if his sister,who's 2, gets it - she's had one dose of MMR already so fingers crossed she's immune.

We live in an area where immunisation rates are among the lowest in the country. Now I have to go and tell all parents of the other babies he's met recently that their children might be at risk as well...

Nobody would admit it if the MMR has killed anyone. It's hard enough to get a doctor to admit any side effects are due to the MMR. My nephew started fitting four hours after his MMR and it was described as a "coincidence."

There is a vaccine damage fund on the NHS website though.

I agree with the fact that this government needs to do proper investigations and research and proof of there findings to parents, so they can make proper decisions..not brush things under the carpet!
But as i said, doesnt just effect you and your children but the wider population also, i am happy with my decision..i hope no one has to face the nastiness of measles..as my family did..this is probably what makes me so adament about vaccines...i certainly dont mean to offend anyone..its a minefield!

yanbu, if 90% of children were vaccinated these diseases would not be a threat to anyone, obv. some children shouldn't be immunised, but i'm sure 90% could be

I think it's only accused of doing permanent damage to their health and chances of living a normal life. So well worth it given the savings of not having single vaccinee yes?

How about we save even more money by not sterilising operating theatres. There must be loads of savings to be made

if 90% of children were vaccinated these diseases would not be a threat to anyone

[I solemnly swear not to talk about vomit in this post]

I found that the govt pressure on MMR was really unhelpful in terms of getting treatment for DS actually. To summarise Dr refused to test him for measles and said 'let's give him mmr if you're worried'. I said 'no I think he's GOT measles, I want him tested'. Dr said DS couldn't possibly have measles. I said 'look, i know you're paid more if he gets mmr and it's a lot of work for you if he's got a notifiable disease (my dad is a GP hence I know these things!), but I think he's actually got measles'. Dr said no he hasn't, end of. Except it wasn't end of, because I caught measles next. Then four kids in DSs nursery (no, I didn't send him in with spots, kids are at their most contagious BEFORE they have any symptoms). I was diagnosed with measles at the hospital (encephalitis and viral meningitis... fun), much to my GPs annoyance. But I'm sure the resistance was because he didn't want to lose another customer for the MMR.

Autism is hardly as bad as death is it, your child is still alive?
I know its not a good thing and its very hard i know a few people whos children have autism and its very stressful hard life but they just get on with it.
And 1 of the kids were actually diagnosed before having the MMR and another never had the jab..proper research is needed, as so many ways of looking at it and so many other factors involved.

becster, how incredibly frustrating! (and highly unpleasant, obv.)

I think it's absolutely impossible to make a sensible comparison of which is better between 'death' and 'vaccine or disease damaged'. All are horrendous and each situation and coping with it depends on the people involved.

can't believe you're gp becster, shocking.

It was annoying... But if GPs didn't have a financial incentive to push the MMR, and if they were free to refer people for singles where they personally believed it was advisable, I'm sure there'd be a higher take-up rate for vaccines generally. But since GPs don't dare criticise the MMR in case they end up like poor old Andrew Wakefield (who, incidentally, has a good reputation amongst doctors, although few would dare admit it in public), and since they're paid more if they meet MMR targets their advice is always going to be tainted. In my eyes anyway.

Haven't read the whole thread, but would like to point out that as a child I had chicken pox twice, german measles twice, mumps twice, was vaccinated against measles and then caught it, so immunity and vaccination needn't be as simple as we might first think.

And just to reiterate, my Dad is a GP and most of them are fine and lovely. Mines rubbish though, keep meaning to change...

Yes, Bumdiddley, MMR has killed and damages have been paid out for the death £85,000 I think was the sum.

BITCAT very sad about your sister. However the case remains that if the current MMR vaccine is not as safe as it should/can be then something needs to be done about that.

When I was young, teenage girls were screened for rubella immunity. If they were not immune they were given the single vaccine. We do not need MMR to prevent measles deaths or congenital rubella syndrome.

"since GPs don't dare criticise the MMR in case they end up like poor old Andrew Wakefield (who, incidentally, has a good reputation amongst doctors, although few would dare admit it in public)"....umm not any I know and I know quite a lot

BITCAT I'm a bit shocked by your attitude. Autism has been linked to DTP vaccine as well as MMR so the 'my friend's child had it before MMR' does little for the vaccine at any price argument.

Agree with thebecster that whilst GPs have financial incentive for vaccine uptake they cannot be described as impartial.

All vaccines carry some risk of death, rare, but the risk is there none the less.
I agree if it is proven and properly researched, that MMR is not as safe as this government claims, then the only alternative is to bring back single jabs.
I remember my own mother wouldnt allow me to have the whooping cough vaccine because there was something about it causing brain damage or something like that!, and i had whooping cough as a child..in fact i had everything going...measles, mumps, chickenpox, german measles(rubella),whooping cough, scarlett fever, you name it i had it!
Late 70's early 80's, not as many vaccines then..seem to be more and more added every year.

How many children are killed and maimed by measles?

Macdoodle. You're right I only know 3 doctors who had direct contact professionally with Andrew Wakefield, and all sing his praises. I must admit I've heard a few say less kind things about him, but none of them had ever worked with him or referred a patient to him, they'd just read the newspapers! Perhaps you know more than me. But I still feel very sorry for what's happened to him - a GMC tribunal with no patient complaint, where the doctor isn't even practising in this country seems bizarre to me, but I don't pretend to know all about it, it's just my opinion.

well thats the whole point almost none since the vaccine was introduced....there was a link earlier..
and show me PROOF (ie proper medical evidence) that links autism to MMR (NOT wakefields 13 patients, NOT Daily Wail propganda, NOT web sites with not a shred of medical evidence)...
DOI I AM medic and I have had my DD1 vaccs and will have my DD2 (she is only 14 weeks)

thebec - doctors information does NOT come from newspapers NOR from drug companies and meeting someone in person proves nothing (I believe Harold Shipman was very well liked)

Bumdiddley do you mean in the UK?

Last year one child was recorded as dying of measles in the UK. The child was immunosuppresed and suffering from a serious lung condition.

Are you suggesting that the adverse events associated with MMR are somehow worth it compared to the effects of the disease itself?

Bumdiddley, not many now thanks to the vaccine! I think losing 1 of my sisters was bad enough, it could have been worse, i could have died and my other sisters too!
Macdoodle i agree, until i see proper proof, then i will continue to vaccinate my children..all vaccines or any medicine we takes carries a risk, some people more than others..you have to weigh up the risks to the benefits and potential outcomes of both sides..i know which i prefer.

But macdoodle measles deaths (and infectious disease deaths in general) were enormously reduced before the introduction of vaccination. One only has to look at the number of deaths in malnourished children in developing countries to see how crucial sanitiation and nutritional status are to disease outcome.

Why have scarlet fever deaths followed a similar incidence to measles, etc despite there being no vaccination for it?

Still doesn't change the fact that single vaccines exist for measles, mumps and rubella.

hear hear, some parents are also aware that their child is at a much higher risk of an adverse reaction to a vaccine and they should make their own informed decision.