Lame excuses for not vaccinating

[JoTheHo]

Imagine you go to the quack, because of a slight dizzy feeling? 'I'm afraid medicine can't help you, but you've got it for the rest of your days. Be careful because this will mean you are more likely than average to have a car accident'. 'How much more likely?' you ask. I have no idea he replies. Would you stop driving your DC about?

Imagine your friend works for the govt stats office. She tells you that car manufacturers and govt have been conspiring to under-report car accidents. 'Cor' you say, 'how much are they fiddling the numbers'. 'That's just the problem no-one knows because it's all hush hush'. Would you stop driving your DC about?

I'm guessing most people would carry on driving. In which case, why do people use the exact same reasons for not vaccinating?

The anti-vaxer reasons that uncle Bert gets hay fever, hay fever is hereditary and something to do with immune system, vaccine damage is also something to do with the immune system, DC are related to uncle Bert, and are thus more likely than average to suffer vaccine damage. They thus don't vaccinate them.

The anti-vaxer believes that the evil quartet of doctors, scientists, govt and pharma conspire to under-report vaccine damage. All part of their thirst to play god, and make lots of money by making people ill, not forgetting generous measures of incompetence and stupidity. They reason that vaccine damage is under-reported so they don't vaccinate their children.

I have never seen any attempt to quantify whether either 'the more susceptible than average' or the conspiracy theory could plausibly be sufficient to justify not vaccinating. It's incredible lame. Many anti-vaxer start from a position of prejudice against vaccination. They then compile a long list of selective quotes, mis-quotes, anecdotes, quasi-scientific speculations, and conspiracy theories. They say this list is evidence, and that their prejudice has become a rational analysis. It isn?t. It?s an uncritical list of unquantified elements which are superficially consistent with their position.

I don't drive.

I know parents of an sn child very well and I dont have a clue what you are on about starlight and what it's got to do with vaccinations.

Actually veryberry, polio diseas surveillance in India meets international standards. The Indians are quite good at censuses and disease surveillance. Their vital registration system is shameful in terms of human rights (ie getting people birth and death certificates) but their sample registration system (what they use to generate vital stats in the absence of sufficient coverage of births and deaths) is very good at generating statistics at the district level.

Sorry, don't buy into the big pharma conspiracy theory. Not that it can't happen - but that it's no more likely with vaccines than any other medication. I mean, how do you know that ibuprofen is 'safe'? And actually, anecdotally, I don't know one person in my life who is 'vaccine damaged'. I don't doubt it can happen but probability suggests that if it is as common as people here suggest, surely I should have come across ONE person? But, no. On the other hand, I do know of quite a few people who are either damaged or dead by vaccine preventable illness.

The reason they can't count the rare side effects is that they are so rare you can't quantify them. This is a good thing.

And the bmgf is transparent but they don't have to be. It's not a public organization but a private philanthropic one. I've worked with them before. I found them to be results focused with clear priorities. And they focus on vaccines because they do what they're supposed do - save lives and prevent disability.

And I didnt want to engage with mrs g/accuracy but for the record, I thought that they had a point in the article she linked to. I'm not a huge fan of these vertical internationally imposed single disease programmes. I'd like to see polio vaccines rolled out with overall health systems strengthening with a focus on improving primary care, ensuring that all basic essential medications are available at the village level and that all childhood vaccines are available. It's not that vaccinating against polio is bad, it's not, but it should be done in a way that builds capacity throughout the health system.

As a new member and looking through the topic I have never seen such blinkered, narrow minded arrogance that occurs if anyone dares to voice their opinion or challenges vaccination for their own good reasons. They are jumped by a pack of dogs. It's like watching bullies in a playground- shame on you! People have valid arguments and have evidence for their concerns but these pro vaxers are just not interested. FFS broaden your minds you fools it's embarrassing to read. Needless to say I'll find another site to have an adult reasonable discussion I wouldn't waste my time with unintelligent imbeciles. Stay in your little bubbles of delusion and carry on thinking you know it all. I feel very sorry for your childen.

Oh and your post is to teach us how to communicate respectfully and to exchange well supported information

The only people I know in real life who haven't vaccinated have done so because they couldn't bear to inflict the pain of sn injection on their child or (more commonly) because it seems to be part of 'attachment parenting' to not vaccinate.