I have to put in writing that I am taking responsibility for the risk that my baby might die from not vaccination

[StarlightMcKenzie]

The exact words the nurse spoke!?

I'll put something in writing if that is what they want but not that.

Apparently they have a duty to inform the HV of the risks that I am taking and have I heard the recent news oday of all the babies dying?

I'm bloody cross with this nurse tbh.

CLUMSASAURAS PM ME PLEASE!!

Second Jimjam's comments about the Dept of Health deliberately mis-representing the research on immunisation during the MMR scare. It was an appalling dirty tricks campaign. They were desperate to convince parents MMR was safe but sadly resorted to the worst excesses of PR spin rather than accurately conveying the evidence.

Nick Hornby summarised it rather beautifully in 2002 as: "To paraphrase Jeremy Paxman: if the triple vaccine is safe (and I reiterate - it might be), then why are these bastards lying to us?"

OP.

It's probably because we are experiencing an epidemic. Yes 'only' 13 babies have died but there have been about 8000 cases.

Obviously only a minority dies, and another minority need treatment in hospital.

Sure sash, but those figures have absolutely nothing to do with vaccination.

Anyway, - my situation is further complicated by a DH who doesn't see things the same way as me, so I suspect we'll be reviewing our decision in the summer when my baby is coming up for a year.

We go camping a LOT and have some concerns about not being protected against tetanus, which you can't easily get on its own.

Starlight predisposition to auto-immune conditions is hereditary. HLA phenotypes
can be tested for. But your db would also need to be tested. (Sounds like he wouldn't' agree atm).

I am increassingly saddened by the GP s making these short term financial decisions often to the dedetriment of patients health and arguably as importantly their information about their own health.

The problem is that if you choose not to vaccinate you are vindicated and made to feel as though you are some kind of witch parent, as opposed to someone who has clearly thought about what they consider to e best for their child. It is not the law to have vaccinations but it certainly feels like you are bein judged when you don't have one. Only taken my 2 year old DS to the doctor a couple of times, luckily for minor things, but every time they managed to focus on the fact he hasn't had vaccinations rather than what I had actually brought him in for. Can I add he is less ill less often than all his peers. It is a personal choice and people should not have to justify their educated decisions.

Well shadylane, personally having two fit , healthy children with no contraindications to vaccination. I feel it is my social duty to immunize theme

.Plenty of dcs can't be immunized for all sorts of reasons and getting measles (for example) from my child could literally kill them.I don't immunize my dcs to protect them, I do it to protect those more vulnerable.

That is the reason I have the flu jab every year. To protect my patients not me.

See, I don't actually believe that.
I don't believe that anyone would vaccinate only to protect other children.
I think it is a truly admirable thing to factor in. But I simply don't believe it is ever the only reaon.
If you post 'I don't immunise simply to protect them but also to protect the less vulnerable' I would heartily agree.
But I don't think people rationally would put their child through the discomfort of vaccination if it made absoloutely no difference to their child or to vulnerable family members, especially with the possibility of bad reactions.

more vulnerable..

No when they were 8 weeks old I didn't want them to get pettusis. However rubella and mumps are fairly mild illnesses (and dd didn't react brilliantly to the MMR) but have serious implications for certain groups so we need to keep herd immunity up.

I realize that having seen congenital rubella I have a better understanding than some of how devastating it can be.

So I was prepared to put them both through a few days of discomfort to protect others.

Yes, but to get measles alone is not straightforward so the MMR is not a radical wholly selfless choice is it?

I am not dismissing the altruistic element of your choice. I just remain unconvinced that you would, for example, actively seek out a separate mumps injection were it not part of the MMR simply to protect passers by. It doesn't quite seem realistic to me.

Having watched DS2 have a catastrophic reaction to his jab I thinki would have felt as if I had let him down if my only reason for vaccinating him had been civic duty. Knowing I was simply trying to protect him along with society at large is probably easier.

tbh I'm a bit pissed off with how 'society' has treated my family and disabled son. My 'duty' to protect them at the potential expense of my children and likely subsequent inhumane treatment if anything were to happen to them is not something I have much sympathy with.

xpost with Leonie

Naughty mummy- it wasn't an easy decision and I have doubts often enough, I was just saying it incidentally. And I fully understand why people might choose to vaccinate for many reasons. But I also don't think my decision should be questioned at every turn. The fact is we decided, we didn't just ignore all advice. Doctors have treated me as though I'm some whacky hippy who is somehow negligent. A nurse actually got hysterical and shouted at me saying I was irresponsible!

Whilst the nurse was taking advantage of the situation to make her point forcibly, this does not negate the fact that the wording is an effective way of verifying the parent really has thought about what they are doing. If someone does not wish to acknowledge the risks they are taking, it suggests they do not fully accept them.

People on this thread are linking family histories of autoimmune disease with vaccine damage as though such a link were proven, when in truth such a link is highly speculative, and if true at all, is likely extremely rare. These people either know the link is unlikely and unproven, and so are misrepresenting the evidence, or they believe it is proven, in which case their decisions not to vaccinate are not fully informed.

...and at non-vaccinators being vindicated

As I said in my post there are plenty of children who shouldn't be vaccinated. I have no issue with people deciding on the balance of risks it's not worth it.

This is isn't the case for some people who just don't want to vaccinate.