Son has measles

[melodiousmoan]

Why do people not vaccinate their kids? My child has been vaccinated but only had his first lot as is 20 months. He has contracted measles. I chose to vaccinate him against this. Ill advised people that think if they dont vaccinate there's only a slim chance your child will get this disease you're wrong. You're increasing everyone's chance of contracting the illness by ruining the herd immunity that this country had created. Not only are you doing this, you're increasing people with compromised immune systems' chance of death. I feel terrible that my child has to go through this because of others lack of understanding.

So the world is to be blamed that your vaccinated child has measles?

Is it at all possible that your child got it from another vaccinated child? And he got it from someone who couldn't be vaccinated?

I understand that you are upset because your child is ill but you are being unreasonable.

Not the world. Just the idiots that don't vaccinate their children. There are outbreaks in this country because of misinformed people refusing to vaccinate their children. The doctor fully agreed with me.

Totally agree with you OP.

Of course there are some kids who can't be vaccinated for perfectly valid reasons, but those who choose not to due because they 'don't believe in it' etc are indeed to blame for the loss of herd immunity that exposes many more people to infection. Commiserations OP, hope your DS is OK.

I agree with you too. Hope your DS is well soon.

So you are sure that the blame for your child having measles was a "misinformed" parent with an unvaccinated child?

How?

Doctor probably thought it best for you to keep directing your wrath to "misinformed people". If you were to realise that vaccines are not 100% effective, he would get an earful too, I imagine.

There are some very informed, highly educated, and intelligent parents on MN who have reasons not to vaccinate their children with MMR. I can only imagine that you have never been on a vaccination thread on MN, if you can call everyone who have not vaccinated their children misinformed idiots. Pray that this thread does not attract them.

Thanks all for your well wishes. I appreciate it is an emotive subject and a few will have differing opinions.

Cote: He has had half of his vaccinations. Therefore is not fully covered. I agree if thereyour a valid reason not to vaccinate but I worry that it is not the case.

Note: You can be 'highly educated,' and 'intelligent' yet ill informed.

I couldn't live with myself knowing that I'd caused this disease to spiral again. We had herd immunity and now we don't. There is a reason.

The valid reasons are rare and of course the OP didn't mean those people.

I am so sorry melodiousmoan. I hope he won't be too poorly and up and about very soon again! I totally agree with you.

Measles is easily prevented by vaccination in childhood.

In the UK all children between the age of 12 and 13 months are offered the MMR vaccination, which will protect them from measles, mumps and rubella. Children are given a second booster dose of the vaccine between three and five years of age, before they start school.

The recent large rise in the number of cases of measles in the UK has been directly linked to a fall in the number of children who received the MMR vaccine in the late 90's and early 2000's. It's probable that the fall in uptake of the vaccine during this time was a result of widespread media coverage of an unproven link between the MMR vaccine and bowel disease or autism. This scare was based on a piece of research that was seriously flawed and has since been widely discredited. In fact the doctor who was responsible for the research has been struck off the medical register for acting "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in his research and “bringing the medical profession into disrepute”.

The drop in uptake of the MMR vaccination has left a generation of children who were born between 1997 and 2003 unprotected or only partially protected against measles, mumps and rubella.

The current measles outbreak in Swansea, where more than 1200 cases of measles have now been reported, has highlighted the risks of being unvaccinated. As a result, a catch-up vaccination campaign has been launched to get as many unvaccinated children aged 10 to 16 years to have the MMR vaccine before the start of the next school year in September 2013. This should prevent further outbreaks of all three diseases.

If you or your child have not had the MMR jab, have only had one dose, or are not sure, you should contact your doctor about getting the vaccine

Measles is easily prevented by vaccination in childhood.

In the UK all children between the age of 12 and 13 months are offered the MMR vaccination, which will protect them from measles, mumps and rubella. Children are given a second booster dose of the vaccine between three and five years of age, before they start school.

The recent large rise in the number of cases of measles in the UK has been directly linked to a fall in the number of children who received the MMR vaccine in the late 90's and early 2000's. It's probable that the fall in uptake of the vaccine during this time was a result of widespread media coverage of an unproven link between the MMR vaccine and bowel disease or autism. This scare was based on a piece of research that was seriously flawed and has since been widely discredited. In fact the doctor who was responsible for the research has been struck off the medical register for acting "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in his research and “bringing the medical profession into disrepute”.

The drop in uptake of the MMR vaccination has left a generation of children who were born between 1997 and 2003 unprotected or only partially protected against measles, mumps and rubella.

The current measles outbreak in Swansea, where more than 1200 cases of measles have now been reported, has highlighted the risks of being unvaccinated. As a result, a catch-up vaccination campaign has been launched to get as many unvaccinated children aged 10 to 16 years to have the MMR vaccine before the start of the next school year in September 2013. This should prevent further outbreaks of all three diseases.

If you or your child have not had the MMR jab, have only had one dose, or are not sure, you should contact your doctor about getting the vaccine

Can I just printout that there was never a 'golden age' when there was a high take up of MMR.

1997 also saw the lapsing of the licence for single measles vaccine. until that point, vaccination rates for measles were good, but that was not via MMR only.

"current measles outbreak"

You're CPing old articles, OP?

Nothing wrong with that, but could you provide proper attribution?

(The number of cases of measles this year is half what it was this time last year, btw).

"Measles is easily prevented by vaccination in childhood"

Well, not that easily prevented, as you found out.

My DC have had measles single vaccines, FYI.

If they catch measles nonetheless, I wouldn't dream of riling against "misinformed idiots". Everyone makes their own (difficult) choices and takes their own risks. These vaccines are not compulsory, and for good reason.

Cote: My child has only had HALF the vaccination. It is people that don't vaccinate at all that are helping to spread the illness.

Auntie Stella: Ha! We are only in February! You have no idea of this will spread like wildfire. Thankfully, because of the case in Wales people have been vaccinating older children that weren't vaccinated. You're right, there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting old articles to highlight my point. They are there to be learned from.

Cote: What good reason are they not compulsory? Yes, you may say a few are unable to vaccinate for medical reason and OF COURSE I am in full support of this. However, because some quack (who has now been struck off) said ages ago that it MAY be linked to Autism people have left themselves open to a MUCH higher risk of measles which KILLS. These are the people that I'm angry with.

Cote: What good reason are they not compulsory? Yes, you may say a few are unable to vaccinate for medical reason and OF COURSE I am in full support of this. However, because some quack (who has now been struck off) said ages ago that it MAY be linked to Autism people have left themselves open to a MUCH higher risk of measles which KILLS. These are the people that I'm angry with.

Are you 100% sure that your child hasn't passed measles on to anyone? As you have found, vaccination isn't 100% successful.

But if a half vaccinated child could catch it, doesn't that stand to reason that half vaccinated children could have passed it onto him? If half vaccinated children can catch, carry and pass on measles, even if everyone accepted the vaccines, it would still exist?

My friends teenage dd has got measles and she is fully vaccinated, there is a very small percentage of contracting measles even if you are immunised! Hope your dc feels better soon op.

Anonymai, Surely, the more people vaccinated, the less chance of catching it? If everyone is vaccinated we have 'herd immunity' one protects the other. The school age children that aren't vaccinated pass it down to brothers and sisters etc... Even if there are a few uunvaccinated and youngsters half vaccinated, it still woukdnt be enough to cause widespread illness-they'd be protected by the herd. The people that 'choose' not to because they don't like the idea are opening up the chance for it to spread.

Thanks Cathpip, I hope your friend's DD gets well soon. I feel she and my son would have had less chance of catching it if more people that could be were immunised.

Surely your child could have been infected by another partially vaccinated child? And your child could have infected another child?

There are always going to be people who can't vaccinate though. There will never be everyone vaccinated. So I suppose it's a moot point really.