Immunisations

[justamum98]

Hi all, I’m just looking for people’s views and opinions. This is a safe space to share without judgement.

how does everyone feel about immunisations? My son is vaccinated. I never really paid much attention to what other parents do and why. However, I’ve made a new friend recently and our kids love to play together. I have learned that her little one is unvaccinated for the reason “because all these diseases are not around anymore so why vaccinate kids”. i then asked about nursery her little one attends becahse mine wouldn’t allow unvaccinated kids. And she said she had to lie to them to get her in etc. I really don’t agree with lying but at the same time what is the risk of an unvaccinated child being in a setting with vaccinated kids? Surely the vaccinated kids will be fine either way.

just wanted to hear people’s views. Whether you decided to vaccinate your kids or not 😊

Of course my children are vaccinated.
I rely on scientific evidence rather than ignorance and conspiracy theories.
Look up why some diseases are no longer a threat.

This is why outbreaks of measles keep popping up again unnecessarily.

I have learned that her little one is unvaccinated for the reason “because all these diseases are not around anymore so why vaccinate kids”.

She sounds thick.

I really don’t agree with lying but at the same time what is the risk of an unvaccinated child being in a setting with vaccinated kids?

People who are quite happy to rely on the protection they get from others around them being vaccinated annoy me. How would she feel if other parents at the nursery also lied, and her child caught eg measles?

I know someone whose child caught mumps before he was old enough to have the vaccination. He's deaf in one ear now.

Like many on MN, I am old enough to remember the impact of some of these childhood diseases. We take so much for granted now.
If your friend is an anti vaxxer, her child is still benefitting from herd immunity, thanks to those of us who do vaccinate.

She's being a bit thick, isn't she?

The reason the diseases aren't much around is because people are immunised.

The diseases are still Out There, and can be just as devastating. For example, low rates of uptake mean that whooping cough sometimes breaks through and then there are deaths. There is considerable concern that low immunisation rates mean that measles could resurge - there are cases every year, but usually only in small clusters, but they can tip and become a much larger outbreak as we saw in Wales a few years ago - and a sudden rush to immunise (huge queues for the jab) because people really weren't so keen on their DC catching it.

The "vaccinated lids" may or may not be OK, btw. In some the vaccine may not have "taken" properly, or the DC (or care giver who needs to enter the setting) might have immune issues, or be unvaccinated for medical reasons such as severe allergy. That is why you need a well-protected "herd" - so that the odd case doesn't become an outbreak with potentially serious consequences.

I did my university dissertation on immunisation. All my dc are fully vaccinated by everything the bus can give them.

If all these diseases are not around any more, why have we been admitting babies with whooping cough? Clue: the vaccination rate has dropped.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of misinformation on TikTok and the like about immunisations at the moment.
Measles was eradicated for several years in the Uk but now due to falling vaccination rates there has started to be outbreaks again.
You only have to look at the Samoa measles outbreak to see what happens when vaccination rates fall. One infected person went over and within 3 months 83 people (mostly small children) were dead, thousands were hospitalised and many will have lifelong effects as a result. There is also the small risk of SSPE in the future which is fatal.
These diseases are rare now due to vaccination but if people don’t bother to vaccinate their kids they’ll be back.

In the pre-vaccine days, my sister's hearing was also affected by mumps.

You need to read up on herd immunity. The vaccinations will offer your child some protection but it’s doesn’t mean he won’t catch those illnesses, it’s just less likely.

Thank you all for your replies.

I must admit I never really did any research on the subject because not vaccinating kids was never a discussion I had with anyone. I have and everyone I knew always vaccinated themselves and their children so this is my first time meeting someone who didn’t.

i know she gets a lot of grief from doctors every time her little one needs a gp appointment etc.
I’m not happy she’s lying about it to nursery. My nursery checked my sons red book as they need a copy on records but hers didnt.
I feel like I’m taking this way too personally. 😂

She won't get "grief" from doctors. They're medical professionals and will quite rightly wonder why she doesn't want to protect her child. At least she's taking the child to a doctor, anyway.

She’s told me she took her child to the hospital once and when they asked about her vaccination she said she hasn’t had any and the doctor said she’s irresponsible and if something happens to her little one it’s her fault. But that’s just a story she told me. Whether it’s true or not I don’t know.

Most of the childhood vaccinations provide sterilising immunity to most children. Vaccinated children who are non-responders are still at risk. and of course there are some children who can’t have vaccines.

This is why we need herd immunity, and why anti vaxxers are a problem for everyone, not just themselves. I don’t think you’re overreacting.

She’s told me she took her child to the hospital once and when they asked about her vaccination she said she hasn’t had any and the doctor said she’s irresponsible and if something happens to her little one it’s her fault

Well she is irresponsible and if her unvaccinated child catches measles I don't see how that would be anything but her fault.

So what if it's true? The doctor is right. There's enough pressure on the system without irresponsible parents.

I'd be tempted to grass her up to the nursery and drop her as a friend tbh. Kids' health is at stake. I probably wouldn't do the grassing up but I'd be maybe suggest that the nursery double checks somehow.

i have no idea which nursery her little one attends. It’s not the one my son goes to and I know it’s no where near me either. I never asked to the honest but just bothers me. Perhaps it’s the nursery’s fault as they’re too trusting?

In order for a vaccination scheme to work it requires a certain percentage of the population to be vaccinated. For measles I think it's about 92%.
Less than that the disease breaks through. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. Before the vaccine there were about 2.5 million deaths a year worldwide. Now it's about 130000, mostly unvaccinated children.
Measles is the reason I'm wearing hearing aids, the vaccine came when I was a child and after I had been infected.

I have to say covid has been very bad for vaccination programs. People were under the impression that vaccination meant you didn't catch the illness and of course the covid vaccines don't do that. It's led to a rise in suspicion about vaccines in general, along with the fact that people have forgotten how horrific some of these dideases are. Who went to school with friends wearing calipers? You probably won't have seen that unless you are over 60.

This...