I find it hard to understand why people can't accept the following:
- that most children will have no reaction to any vaccine, and will benefit from vaccination
- that an unfortunate few will, on the contrary, react to vaccines - possibly in devastating ways, e.g. autism - and will not benefit from vaccination.
Human biology, physiology and neurology are fantastically complex. Why is it so hard to accept that the 'broad stroke' approach, (which - let's face it - vaccines are, being the same for everone) may, just may, be dangerous for a very small percentage of children.
To admit this is pointedly not to say: all vaccines and vaccination programmes should be abandoned; all doctors are evil stooges of the government, etc. It is to say that we need much, much, MUCH more research into this matter, regardless of the controversy. If research were done into identifying which children were at risk, then parents could be more sure of their decision (not) to vaccinate.
I for one will be vaccinating my DD (8mo), because - on reflection - I believe she is low risk: there is no history of autism in our families; there is no - or very little - history of allergies (my dad developed late onset asthma & horse/dog/cat allergies in his 30s); there is no history of bowel disorder or disease, etc. I hope that this means that she is likely to be ok - the odds are that she is. As I said, it's only a very small percentage of children who are/were affected. But to deny that these children exist is unfair and cruel.