This illustrates why your vaccine choice matters to the rest of us

[CatherinaJTV]

one family's vaccine refusal killed one, another child, infected by the same unvaccinated pre-teen is still dying (since 2005):

justthevax.blogspot.com/2011/10/so-predictable-so-sad-natalie-dies-of.html

Presumably you check your immunity and your children's immunity to measles regularly then Catherina? Or do you just assume you are immune because you were vaccinated?

Good post Catherina!

the kids had 2x MMR and their immunity will be checked before they are ttc. My immunity is checked. The very few times the kids had something that could have been contagious, I called the doctor's office and got an appointment in lunch break/after hours and that is ALTHOUGH I know that it is highly unlikely that they would have had measles.

This family made the conscious decision to leave their son unvaccinated. They took him into a waiting room at their ped's office when he ran a high fever and was coughing. This about as irresponsible as it gets (and they do suffer from the knowledge that their poor choices ultimately will have killed two children).

Now they may have been particularly uninformed and thoughtless - I don't know the parents of the index case, I have just "talked" (online) to one of their victims' mum and uncle, but anyone who has read this and still leaves their children unvaccinated is knowingly turning them into potential murder weapons.

Wot Pag said!

I've never had my immunity to anything checked. It isn't only measles that has the potential to kill.
Catherine Have you had the children's immunity checked since they had their MMR jabs? They might not want children until in their 30s.

Sspe is a known rare complication of MMR as well. Are we certain we know it's origin in this case (maybe we do, haven't read it all).

Do you care about vaccine damaged children Catherine or just those damaged by wild type viruses?

All good Kerry - how about you? And how's your nephew doing?

Good point from Kerry it's vanishingly rare - very bizarre to have 2 in the same surgery. Might hav to read the link properly now.

Sspe is a known rare complication of MMR as well. Are we certain we know it's origin in this case (maybe we do, haven't read it all).

No it is not. SSPE is ALWAYS caused by wild virus infection.

sspe is indeed very rare

about 1 in 2000 if child contracts measles under the age of 1 (some sources say 2) years. So this is rare, but would have been totally avoidable.

Sorry Kerry.

But this is a shit stirring op. Nothing else.

I think using someones personal tragedy to make hay on a website is as low as it is possible to go.

If your child has the flu and coughs near my child you could kill him as he has asthma.

My children have been vaccinated against the flu.

Have you had the children's immunity checked since they had their MMR jabs?

no I haven't - statistically, they have a 99.5% chance of being protected, that is good enough - if everyone had done that, Micha and Natalie would have stood a much better chance.

Pagwatch,

fair enough - I take your point. I may be biased because I have a friend with two children in that small town and I have corresponded with the boy's mum and uncle (the other child who is still dying because of that vaccine refusing family's decision).

But what about the danger from other diseases? We can't just think about measles all the time.

No glee, btw, not the least. As much as I like to be right, I wish I had not been in this case...