to be bl**dy furious that my DD has measles because other parents won't vaccinate?

[elportodelgato]

poor DD is only 11 mo and has horrid measles all over her, full of cold, streaming eyes, diarrhea, very unhappy and sleepy and limp. I am so so for her, but more I am absolutely bloody with idiot parents who won't have the MMR!

The doctor actually told me this morning that the reason it is so prevalent in our area is because of stupid people refusing to vaccinate their children and compromising the immunity of the whole group. So now my LO, who is only 2 months off having the vaccination herself, is really really sick because of other people's stupidity. It's making my blood boil! Do people not realise how dangerous it can be in little babies? And does anyone still seriously believe the so called "research" which claimed a link between MMR and autism? It has been so completely discredited in recent years you would think people would have got over it by now and started vaccinating again

Arrgh!!

Yanbu at all.

Hope she is better very soon.

YANBU Abit annoying that some people take the advantage of the benefits of others vaccinating their kids (ie less diseases) but don't 'risk' their child having it. I was 'scared' of all mine having their jabs in case they got bad side effects etc. But I still gave them it as the same docs who advised it were the ones I had trusted when my kids were ill etc and saved me DS when he was in NICU.

I have a degree in molecular immunology and wouldnt give my children MMR. I have however had them all done singly, initials and boosters i.e 6 injections at considerable cost (£100 per jab) - there is a middle way imo (for those who can afford it). If the government advisors were so concerned with children's health they would admit that the public has lost confidence in the MMR, for whatever reason right or wrong, abandon it and fully licence and offer singles (or a different combination). Instead, they are forced to persist with the MMR and berate concerned and educated parents for not using it as they are tied in for many years with financial penalties to the drug manufacturers.

Hope your lo recovers soon.

Well, it depends where you get your information from. The quacks are out in force on this one. Immunisation is safe. A lot safer than actually getting the disease. Particularly German Measles which is a huge threat to unborn babies. The doses are minute and rarely show any side affects. My DD got mumps only months after her 4 in one booster and we are having to roll out an immunisation programme in our secondary schools because mumps have returned. Polio too was almost irradicated worldwide until someone spread the rumour (in Northern Nigeria, I think) that the vaccine would make the children sterile and now it's on the rise again....... spare us from the gullible

YANBU at all at all. I quite agree with you, my v close pal doesn't want to vaccinate her kids and they have had every nasty bug going poor little ones (although could be co-incidence of course)

Can I ask something that may sound dumb? You know how when you breastfeed you pass on your immunities?
If the mother had been vaccinated with an anti-measles vaccine in her childhood is she passing on her vaccination to her baby in her milk? Therefore would baby have some immunity???

This isn't some anti-single jabs rant - I havered for ages about MMR - but I think to suggest that there are financial reasons for pushing MMR is bollocks. After all, private clinics make a fortune from scared parents paying for single jabs, and no-one seems to castigate them.

If you're worried about MMR then what are you going to do with the preschool boosters which give MMR, polio, diptheria, tetanus and at least one other (can't remember what) all on the same day?

As far as I'm concerned these are killer diseases and if the government withdrew vaccination for them we'd all be up in arms. When my DS's were vaccinated I went on one of those charity sites and donated vaccinations for children, from countries without the opportunity, in gratitude for our wonderful healthcare system.

The government pays lip service to being 'concerned' about the low MMR uptake. Frankly if they are so concerned about it then they should offer single vax on the NHS for those that want them.

And mine all had MMR so I'm not banging that particular drum - I just think that parents who have real concerns about MMR should be offered an alternative.

Hope your dd feels better soon novicemama.

I actually think that if anyone is to blame it is Andrew Wakefield for his shoddy "research" that wasted a hell of a lot of money that should have been put into proper research to reassure parents that the MMR is safe.

I don't want to know what the whole debacle cost, both financially for the health service and research/enquiry costs and emotionally for affected familes.

Leonie, I beleive that novice asked for some research that you have made your decision on......

to the op
YANBU
I hope your little one gets better very soon

FWIW - I gave all 3 of my children the MMR - actually come to think of it DS3 hasn't had his yet - they've adjusted the schedule here slightly - but he'll have it.

I decided to give it to them because they weren't in any of the groups of children for which the MMR is not a good idea.

This has reminded me that I never got round to booking DD's MMR (she's 3). Or rather I did but had to cancel it due to ill health. Booked her for Tuesday.

As you can see, I'm not anti MMR. However, I fully defend a parent's right to decide what is right for their child be it MMR, singles or none at all.

YANBU
I am the child of a parent (like Expat) who is profoundly deaf as a result of one these childhood diseases, as are many of my parents' peers. AND I am also totally reliant on herd immunity (over 90% of the population being immune) to rubella as I don't seem to be able to sustain immunity to this. You can imagine how I felt when a child in dd1's class was diagnosed with rubella when I was 8 weeks pg with ds. Her parents didn't believe in the MMR. So obviously that justifies putting me and my unborn child at risk.
The "research" showing a link between MMR and autism has been completely discredited. There are millions of doses of MMR administered worldwide every year and the problems reported are tiny.

That's a myth that if a mother had measles, mumps or rubella herself and bf's her child won't get these diseases.

If that were true than past generations wouldn't have gotten these diseases at all, as most were bf'd and most had a mother who'd had the diseases herself.

YANBU feel really for Dd and all of you. Some people just don't care about/ think of any one but themselves. I would not want to put my dc's through 3 injections when you can do it in one.

"private clinics make a fortune from scared parents paying for single jabs, and no-one seems to castigate them"

That is because they aren't forcing parents to use them. It's a different scenario from being forced to use the MMR or nothing/pay someone else.

Bear in mind that the MMR nonsense largely stems from the deeply discredited Andrew Wakefield.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wakefield

"rates of inoculation fell from 92% (very slightly below measles herd immunity) to below 80% after the publication of Wakefield's study, and that confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales have risen from 56 in 1998 to 1348 in 2008, with two child fatalities."

His study was based on only TWELVE children.

A study of 27,749 children found no correlation, OTOH.

Plenty about MMR nutters here: www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=mmr+site%3Anhsblogdoc.blogspot.com&meta=

YANBU!
Hugs and prayers for your DD, please update us with how she gets on over next few days.

(FWIW, I know a number of people who have not had MMR OR single jabs; unfortunately it is not true that every parents who decides against MMR gets the single jabs instead. If it were - we would not be having so many measles and mumps outbreaks at the moment.)

YANBU

LeonieSoSleepy How do you know they won't catch it? You don't! Unless you have a specific reason not to, I'm afraid you are unnecessarily putting both them and others at risk of a disease which is well documented to have killed people, while "protecting" them from a risk which is non-fatal, unproven and quite probably imagined.

Sorry but your logic is screwy, and actually dangerous to your children and others. Please have a re-think.

'If the government advisors were so concerned with children's health they would admit that the public has lost confidence in the MMR, for whatever reason right or wrong, abandon it and fully licence and offer singles (or a different combination). Instead, they are forced to persist with the MMR and berate concerned and educated parents for not using it as they are tied in for many years with financial penalties to the drug manufacturers.'

Xfabba - thankyou for explaining it so concisely to people.

It isn't necessarily that the MMR is completely dangerous - who knows, just watch them clam up when you try and discuss it with the practice - but that parents have lost confidence in it leading to a rubbish uptake. Who can blame them? You really want to be certain your kids will be Ok if you are putting something like that into them.

It's no surprise people won't have it done, berating them for being worried for their children isn't going to make them feel safer having the MMR. The gvt needs to acknowledge this but it won't, for some reason - and I wasn't sure what that was until Xfabba explained it was financial. It all makes sense now.

Leonie - no worries, I know where youre coming from

YANBU

OP - Let me guess: You are new to MN?

If not, have you never read another MMR thread? It's hard to believe you are so ignorant about why parents choose to refuse MMR that you call them "idiot parents"

I had measles when I was 9 months old, then again when I was 8. Back then, these were considered normal childhood diseases, there was no MMR, and everyone had them. Your baby will be fine. With a bit of luck, she might even have life-long immunity.