Apparently children who have had good nutrition would just 'shrug it off' if they contracted measles. Why don't they say that in the UK?

[bumbleymummy]

Article is here discussing the impact that poor nutrition has on children in developing countries.

Considering that the majority of children in the UK have no problem with good nutrition (fruit shoots and Greggs aside ) why aren't parents being reassured rather than terrified into having their children vaccinated with images of coffins plastered over the promotional material?

Sorry, missed some earlier comments.

I haven't sid that it is Jayne. I'm pointing out that people don't even make that comparison in the UK even though the vast majority of children here are much better nourished than children in developing countries.

Grimma, it's not an anti-vaccination dig. It's an anti-propaganda dig. I find it distasteful to put coffins on vaccination leaflets to scare parents into vaccinating.

Domestic, it's not 100% effective so you never know.

Which illnesses were they different? Do you know why she decided not to vaccinate?

I find the connection between vaccinating against measles and breast feeding quite bizarre. BF doesn't work for everyone ŵhereas vaccinations should be available for everyone. Scaremongering people about the dire consequences of not BF is really not helpful in many cases whereas one would hope that scaring people with the bare facts about vaccinations would be helpful in at least stopping people from thinking the jabs don't matter.

Whereas, not whatever came out in the post!

What is the UK rate of excess deaths caused by not bf?

Jayne, vaccination doesn't work for everyone either. Some parents can't vaccinate their children. I think it's a perfectly valid comparison. Why is it acceptable to use scare tactics (such as putting coffins on information leaflets) but not on breastfeeding leaflets? There would be uproar if the doh took that approach! The point is that people aren't being given the 'bare facts' about vaccination. Scare mongering about worst case scenarios is not giving people the 'bare facts'. You only have to read posts on MN to see how much misinformation there is about the vaccines, the diseases and 'herd immunity'..

Not sure about the UK but iirc it's an extra 4 deaths per 1,000 in the US.

I found that figure on google too - but it's over 20 years old.

I'd like to know UK figures, ideally with differentiation between unhygienic ff and issues inherent in different milk composition.

So if your issue is with 'propaganda', what do you think about some of the anti-smoking adverts?

Google away then Stella. :)

Oddsock, which ads are you talking about?

Some children are more vunerable to measles than others. Ie. children with asthma, suppressed immune system, heart conditions etc. The vacinnation only works for a round 90% of children, hence the booster.

It may well be true that healthy children can shrug of mealses, but not vacinnating them leaves a resviour of people for mealses to survive.

Wouldn't be good if we could wipe mealses off the planet in the same way that vacinnation has destroyed smallpox.

I agree with Bumbley. Not breastfeeding is a far greater public health issue than lack of vaccination.

Oh any of them really, any that say 'you might die because of smoking'.

I'm not going to pretend it's a direct analogy with measles vaccinations, but smoking is something that for a fairly small minority can lead directly to lung cancer and death, but for the majority will not suffer debilitating or terminal illness.

Given that it's something done voluntarily, do you find it distasteful that smokers are provided with / bombarded with information on death rates (and sometimes quite strong advertising campaigns, eg the one with the tumour developing out of the cigarrette) but not the info on how many people go through life with minimal problem?

A child locally who was previously in very good health died from chicken pox in the last few years. Okay so it's not measles but the likelihood of complications from illness is greater than from vaccinations. And healthy children DO die and ARE left with complications from childhood illnesses sometimes.

Oh and btw, I have NEVER seen any promotional materials for vaccinations with "images of coffins". . You sum up the anti-vaccination folk perfectly with that comment alone.

Don't have your child vaccinated, your choice but don't say you are being "scared into vaccination" either.

And I am sure if I had a time machine and went back to before the local child was ill to offer her Mum a chance to vacciinate against chicken pox I am sure she would take it in a heartbeat. But then she has seen a REAL coffin and not an imaginary one on vaccination leaflets. But you carry on in your narrow little world OP.

Coffins on vaccination leaflets.....you said it again...are you fucking nuts? WHERE FFS have you seen this...a link please.

Still waiting for the OP to show any official vaccination material with a coffin on.

I've tried. I can find 20+ year old figures for US. But none for UK.

That's why I'm asking for in date, UK figures, if anyone here knows them (and MN has helpful experts in many fields).

Information campaigns to encourage bf already exist. Whether a separate one is indicated because of a rate of excess deaths depends on what that level of excess deaths is. Aside from that there do need to be clear warnings about the dangers of improperly prepared formula, even in a country like UK where there is a safe water supply, kettles in every home and sufficient literacy to read instructions.

.....and another in this thread minimising the effects of smoking. I have read it all now.....yeah many win't have a problem but thousands will HAVE problems due to smoking, lung cancer, chronic respiratory illnesses, heart disease. The risks are unacceptably high given that you cannot predict WHO will develop these illnesses and who won't. But then I have lost several older relatives to smoking related diseases which tends to give someone a unique perspective.

Fuck it...I am off, this thread is full of idiots folk who think everyone is lying to them.

OP if you ever DO find your imaginary leaflet with coffins on I will be amazed.

I'm not minimising the effects of smoking! I've obviously written that badly. Sorry. Have also lost relatives because of that. Will try and re-phrase (when the toddler stops jumping on me).

The "coffin" illustration from a real on-line fact sheet published by NHS Wales,

here is the coffin - I find it a bit crass, but it is not wrong
www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/66907

Breastfeeding and vaccinating are not mutually exclusive, neither are the their respective adverts.

jinx AuntieStella

Side note, I have already received TWO reminders from NHS Lothian to get my DS caught up on his MMRs (he had both of them before we moved the UK and our GP should have had his records. They certainly do now...