Part vaccinated children - what to do?

[quickchat]

I had decided not to vaccinate my DS but after my cat scratched him at 18 months my Doc strongly advised The HIB 5in1 as it had tetanus. I did it as he was so adament this was important.

When the damn cat did it again a year later he must have forgotten what he had said because suddenly he changed his view. Apparently it wouldn't matter as the vaccine wouldn't do anything in time. You have to have had all 5 tetanus jabs to have immunity anyway . He also told me the risk was so minimal. I wonder why the sudden change?

So he has had 2 of the 3 Hib/polio/tetanus/diptheria/whooping cough jab that he was supposed to have had by 4 months. He is now 4 years.

At the time I went for the second dose of this my DD was 4 months.
I ended up feeling that since I was going ahead with my DS Id better do the same with DD.

God knows why I didn't stick to my original plan but now I have had this crap injected into them is it worth just getting my DS the last one and my DD the next 2 (spread apart obviously).

I just feel like if I had left their immune systems to develop naturally id have more confidence in them fighting illness. Now that I have started them, I feel I have damaged their natural immunity and should consider finishing the vaccines I have started.

Any advice.

PS don't come on ranting if you are pro vaccine as I have many good reasons that im too knackered to explain tonight .

hum! Do you only want to hear from other people who are broadly or very anti-vacc?

No thats not really what I meant although it does look like I did!

What I mean is I don't want people coming on just debating with me over the whole issue of why I don't vaccinate. It's pointless as we all have our opinions and reasons.

Quickly - my cousin had a rubella vac at 16 and it paralysed her from the neck down and left her blind. 2 collegues babies were also vacine damaged so when I was PG with my first I read loads of books and went to seminars.

Just any knowledge or experience of what is best to do if you have actually started them. I hope that makes sense..

vaccine

Okay, I'm not here to debate.
It's just that personally I don't buy into the idea that having vaccinations necessarily damage immune system development. I can't comment on the apparently-damaged individuals you know; my anecdotal evidence is that I happen not to know anyone who mentions being vaccine damaged. Doesn't mean that either of our experiences is "the truth".

So the idea that by having one jab, you've started on a rotten path and somehow have to patch it up by having the complete doses (boosters), doesn't really make sense to me. The main reason they recommend boosters is to ensure herd immunity. Technically you are relying on herd immunity, anyway, but if you don't want to participate in ensuring that happens...

Whatever your reasons for never having any jabs, they should still stand. Mothering.com is a good place, btw, to find fellow anti-vacc sympathists.

I wasn't aware that cat scratches could give people tetanus... tbh, the more I look that one up on the Internet the more it looks only plausible if the wound was impossibly deep (maybe). But perhaps that wasn't understood several years ago when your GP gave the advice.

I did have "cat scratch fever" as a child and it made me feel fairly ill (I was very badly scratched to get it). But I dont' think there's a jab for that, anyway (bartronella bacteria).

Hi - I'm afraid that I can't give you any answers as I'm actually looking for the same information myself. DS has had the first 3 sets of vaccs but nothing since, he's now 15 months. I'm reluctant to give him the final doses of DTaP, PCV etc and he definitely won't have the MMR. My feelings on vaccination have changed a lot over the last few months, even though he had no reactions.

Anyway, I'm wondering what the effect would be if he missed those last boosters for DTap, PCV, Hib, Men C etc?

bidibidi - Can you elaborate?

quickchat - any time your 4 year old gets the next DTaP, he'll be up to date (the immune system will remember. The most important thing is to document what your children have had and when, so if you do want to "catch them up" at some point you know the starting point.

Illuminasam - your DS's immunity will not be very long term if he's had only the first three. The effect of leaving the booster out is that he won't be boostered and will end up non immune within the next year or so. You can get the booster any time you like, if you so decide, you would not have to start the series over.

bidibidi - there is no herd immunity for tetanus