MMR-pros and cons?

[hazlinh]

Many many apologies if this has been discussed in great detail in the past...but dd is just going to turn one next week and am wondering what pros and cons there are to having her MMR jab.is it really necessary?or is she better off not having it done

I think you are right about the Steven Johnson's syndrome, hazlinh

I find it so depressing that this debate is still ongoing. It's awful that a group of intelligent, educated Mums can still be taken in by this incredibly dangerous conspiracy theory - and that's exactly what it is.

The pros of MMR - protecting your child from horrific, life-threatening illnesses.

The cons - absolutely none, except the difficulty of watching your baby be injected by a needle, which obviously no-one enjoys, but it doesn't remotely compare to the risk.

Not to vaccinate your children is to fail them. And no, multiple vaccines are not dangerous. They have been used all over the world for decades.

Wakefield's so-called 'research' has been completely discredited. Autism is so sad for any family and I can understand the need for something to 'blame', but Wakefield has put the lives of thousands of children at risk by worrying parents unnecessarily who then decide not to vaccinate their children.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who hasn't been misled by this dangerous nonsense?

newyearmum, some of those remark are rather aggressive, don't you think? It has yet to be explained to me why the triple jab is better for my child than the single jabs (I understand why it is better for the population as a whole, but my concern is my particular child). I am not debating not vaccinating at all. Just think if someone is concerned that informing her of where and how to get single jabs might be useful -- much more useful than someone telling me I really ought to stop listening to conspiracy theories.

And, further more, my concerns over the safety of the MMR don't begin and end with Andrew Wakefield.

Message withdrawn

I find it depressing that a supposedly intelligent poster can accept information without doing their own research and then go on to insult a group of parents who have actually bothered to personally check into different facts and research papers.

If you had an auto-immune disease in your family you would be bloody careful too what you put into your children who just potentially need the right trigger (though no-one knows what that trigger might be, could be vaccines, could be illness) to develop a lifelong debilitating disease

I don't mean to sound aggressive, Uwila, but I do feel strongly that mums should encourage each other to actually look at the facts of the research, rather than listening to emotive and confusing media reports.

Like everyone else, I was also concerned about the effects of MMR a few years ago; Having recently had my own child, I decided to find out more about it. This involved actually analysing the facts of both sets of research myself, including a major UK study last year which found absolutely no evidence of any link with autism (in line with previous international research by the World Health Organisation).

While I was at it, I also contacted three consultant paediatricians and asked their opinions. All three were unanimous in their condemnation of Wakefield's report and dismissed it unequivocally.

One of these consultants, concerned about her own children, had actually sourced and read all the references used by Dr Wakefield in his compilation and concluded it was academically totally unsound.

So Lockets, whilst I am not a scientist (although I do know that what vaccines contain is the antibodies of the diseases they protect against), I do think that unvaccinated children have been failed by their parents, although obviously not intentionally. Incidentally, they also fail other people's (younger) children who then contract the illnesses before they're old enough to be vaccinated themselves.

humph!

Newyearmum, I've only read your 6.33pm post but to suggest that "unvaccinated children have been failed by their parents...they also fail other people's (younger) children who then contract the illnesses before they're old enough to be vaccinated themselves." is offensive and, actually, not even your premise is correct since there have been plenty of cases of measles occuring in VACCINATED children. So your argument (such as it is) falls down completely there. It's not on imo to insult people who've made the choice not to vaccinate.

Message withdrawn

Message withdrawn

Newyearsmum - I feel sad for you.... I didn't vaccinate and I think you failed YOUR kids but hey... if you can say it- so can I

Wow - hope we're not all going to get into a row here.
Newyearmum, I agree with you regarding the belief in the safety of the MMR. That's my opinion too, however, I don't think people who choose not to immunise their children "fail" them. Nobody makes a decision not to immunise without a great deal of thought going into it. It's a dreadful decision to have to make given all the controversy (which is extremely worrying even if it's misleading). Most parents only want the best for their children and being confronted on a regular basis with frightening comments from the media doesn't make the decision any easier. Personally, I think that there is so much info out there now that it's not surprising that parents feel anxious about it all.
I think I said further down that I am a health visitor and therefore have the luxury of information at my fingertips, I believe in the safety of the MMR and yet the mother in me still worried when that appointment card came and I needed to read a great deal more before I could say "Okay I am happy now"
It's a hard enough decision - making people feel that they have somehow failed their children if they opt not to vaccinate (or to go down the singles route) is not helpful.
Personally, I find that I discuss the pros and cons with parents, suggest other sources of information but the I support them in whatever decision they make - often that decision is to have the MMR but I would never condemn anybody who decided that they were still just too anxious about it.

Mandy

Ah, your other posts aren't any better newyearmum. Listen, if we're intelligent, educated mums, how come your tone when posting to us is superior, insulting and rude?

I really think the way you're posting is beneath contempt NYM. There are ways of expressing your belief that to vaccinate is the right thing to do. As a parent you should know much better than to accuse other loving parents of having failed their children. I don't understand what you can possibly hope to gain by putting it in these terms except to alienate other mners. do you really think you're going to change anyone's mind like this?

also you're not listening. andrew wakefield's research is certainly not the only reason for people's decision not to vaccinate. he was never anti vaccination either. imo the fact that until the end of last year the first round of vacs all contained thiomersal (sp) which had been banned in most other western countries is reason enough for parents to be extremely suspicious of the official line on vaccination.

I am sorry but I just find people's accusation of other people's way of doing things a sign of one's own inadequacies....

Message withdrawn

Nothing can ever be declared 100% safe. All any parent can do is look at the available evidence and then make up their mind based upon this.

Nobody makes their decision (whatever it is) lightly.

the con for me was knowing I had a bearly fatal reaction the the vaccine as a child, as did my older of 2 younger brothers, my mother did not vacc my other brother and he nearly died of measles aged 16 (this was in NZ where there was an epidemic in 1991- 16 people died)
I had my son in 1994, I was in total turmoil about the jab.
I decided to give him the vacc as the horror of my brothers illness was very vivid and recent.
My son went into anaphylactic shock and had to be resuscitated. We still will never know why he reacted - he ironically after that is not allowed ANY vaccines as they cannot isolate the trigger
I did not have dd vaccinated as she had measles aged 15 mths (the week the reminder came thru the door)
It is a personal choice indeed - I do believe that some children are susceptible to some reaction, be it autism/brain infections and many other implicated situations... but as there is no way of identifying these children before the jab it is one risk too many for me, having seen my child nearly die...
I'll take my chances - and if that makes me selfish well I'll live with it
I would not vaccinate any further children with the MMR although I will seek out the rubella jab for my dd at a later date.

Message withdrawn

no no no I'd really better not post on here.

NYM is quite sweet really, such faith, such black and white views, such well rounded and thoughtful opinions, such an understanding of other views and lives.

No doubt within 5 minutes of meeting ds1 she'd know exactly whay he needed and how he'd been failed by me as well (and by jesus he's the vaccinated one).

I never worry though as I knoww that we cope with ds1 far far better than people whop are so quick to judge and I've also read far more about vax than peo0le with suchj black and wqhite oinions.

night nighty enjopy.

Con for me is mates brothers little boy, happy and bubbly and normal before, severe autism now.....anyone who knew him could see he was fine before......big hugs to anyone who has had to go through this....dd is having single jabs.

I don't know where to start to respond so I'll do it individually.

But first an apology - in retrospect it was out of order to say that anyone has 'failed' their children because it offends people and that's wrong. So I'm sorry, and it was not my intention to upset anyone.
However, I do not accept that I am 'ignorant about the issue' (Socci). I recognise that your concerns about vaccines go wider than Wakefields report, but I thought we had enough on our plates already. And if you want an informed debate, you have to listen to research carried out by the government and weigh it up alongside everything else, which is what I feel I've done.

wickedwaterwitch: yes - measles DOES occur in vaccinated children but that's exactly the point I was making - they catch it from children who haven't been vaccinated.

Twiglett - I have done my own research, as I said. Otherwise believe me I wouldn't have these opinions.

I still find it sad that only myself and one or two others seem to feel confident in the safety of MMR. I worry for my own child's health when she she is put at risk by the children of those who are too scared to vaccinate.

Agree with Jimjams - NYM you are so naive. You only need to look through these threads and read countless articles to understand that so many people are completely sure that their kids have been badly affected by the MMR. I personally know someone who had a very bright happy child - 3 weeks after his MMR he became withdrawn and started to lose his speech and part of his personality - he is now diagnosed with Aspergers. There are too many similar cases. Be sure of your facts before casting blame!!!