I've so enjoyed reading this balanced thread. I tend to avoid vaccination threads as I find them so emotional. I'm the occasional poster that Jimjams referred to. My sister was left severely brain damaged after her whooping vaccine in the early 70s. The one and only time I wrote in detail about it was on a thread that was ultimately trolled-off, so I'm reluctant to go there again. Seeing as how whooping cough was mentioned I thought I'd post a couple of links regarding a news investigation into that vaccine here and here . This is a link to the DWP's site on the UK vaccine damage payment system (and guess what, if you're eligible for the £100k you're other benefits may be cut, unbelievable). What I find of most interest is that the Irish Supreme Court found as it did and awarded £2.7 million in compensation. I tried to encourage my parents to request the batch numbers of my sister's vaccine but they just have no fight left. I shudder when I read on this site of batch numbers not being recorded by sloppy nurses and health professionals.
Needless to say ds is unvaccinated at 15 months. When I was younger and bearing in mind our family history I was told that any children I had should not be vaccinated. This adivce was changed so that having a first degree relative with vaccine damage and epilepsy is no longer reason not to vaccinate. Interestingly, all my cousins are older than me and they were advised by GP not to vaccinate their children. I just can't make the leap myself to vaccinate. I have frequent panics about it but just know that right now I cannot have him vaccinated. Our family GP is very supportive and I was offered DTP singles .... amazing what the NHS can pull out of the bag. But that was when ds was 8 weeks old and I think tetanus is no longer available, the only vaccine I would seriously consider for him just now. My worry is that ds will not get the diseases in childhood and will be unvaccinated and then get the diseases as a teenager/young adult when they are much more dangerous.
Jimjams, I bought the Randall Neustadter (sp?) book and have found it a good source to balance the relative risks so thanks for the recommendation. What are your views of doing a 'pick n mix' vaccination schedule when ds is a teenager? Do you know when exactly the immune system is mature as I've read various ages quoted? Sorry for the ramble.