Anyone on here never been vaccinated?

[WildApples]

I'm interested to know if anyone on here has NEVER been vaccinated, I haven't, for anything , and consider myself to be one of the healthiest people I know. Yes, I did have the usual childhood measles, mumps, chickenpox etc, but I have quite a strong belief that having these has made my immune system far stronger.
My doctor commented on how little I have on my medical records, and barely any of it is virus/disease related, its all physical stuff like a waxy ear, constipation, and one time when my left boob went numb because I'd trapped a nerve.
Anyway, I'd just like to hear from people (fairly sure I will with such a controversial topic...) And please don't just say things like "get it done" without offering your own reasons why/why not, I'm not interested in just blithely agreeing with whatever the media/government/pharmaceuticals tell me. Though tempted as I was to go stock up on Tamiflu...
So, I'm off to work now, in advance appreciation of your responses....

My brother's friend at school (so born in 1976) was completely deaf in one ear due to measles or mumps (can't remember which). he came from an RAF family so it totally scuppered his chances of following his dream.

My youngest has had no jabs at all. Eldest only had the first initial baby jab.

I had plans not to bother with the immunisation programme. Especially after my eldest child's last school decided that it was an official sign of child neglect for me to refuse the programme which just made me more determined not to.

However, due to the amount of ethnic diversity transience in our current reaidential area and new school, particularly from countries with zero immunisation programmes, I've reconsidered. As more of these children are coming over with no jab history, herd immunity is less likely to benefit my children.

Wow, fullyswindonian- pointless bloody mindedness, selfishness and a hint of racism all in the same post.... Quite an achievement!

My thoughts exactly Martorana, reading Fullyswindonian's post is like playing ignorant person bingo!

Thankyou for all your replies, the vast majority said pretty much what I expected. I fully appreciate I probably have been very lucky and herd immunisation of course has helped, but I do work in a school and in retail and therefore come into close contact with hundreds of people everyday and still rarely catch even a cold. As far as countries with poor immunisation programmes are concerned, they're more likely to be lacking on good sanitation standards overall anyway so I've never thought of that as a particularly valid argument.
Anyway, I suspect anything I come back with will make a lot of you more irate, so please be reassured, I will be discussing this with midwives and health professionals.

Irate?

wildapples I'm not irate. Each to their own and all that, I'm just pointing out facts. I come from a family of scientists, one of whom is not involved in pharmaceuticals but his research also covers immunisations and their effects and other medical stuff. Did you realise that 'sometimes' (note I'm not making an 'always' case here as this is an exception but an interesting one) it's more dangerous to over sanitize things for kids? They can't build up a proper immune system if everything is sanitised so if you also don't vaccinate these children they're likely to catch every big going once they start school as their immune system will be so weak!
Poor sanitation is part of the problem in countries that don't have good immunisation but as a lot of these diseases are airborn as well it's only part of the problem. No matter how well 'sanitised' you are you can still catch measles etc from an infected person!

Ever been to Cuba? You have to use a bucket to 'flush' most toilets, toilet paper is rationed and public hygiene is pretty iffy particularly in cafes, restaurants and shops (though homes tend to be spotless)

They do however - thanks to high vaccination rates - a lower child mortality rate than many western countries including the US. They also wiped out meningitis - which is more than most have done (although I understand that mass tourism has reintroduced it since.)

(Disclaimer - I'm not a lover of the Castro regime by any means - it's just to point out that public sanitation does not prevent diseases on its own. There was fairly high standards of cleanliness in the 1950s - but there were still plenty of children in iron lungs).

Martorana

Not really. I've read enough on the subject over the years to form my own opinion. I'm sorry if it doesn't agree with your's.

The 'bloody mindedness' you'll have to clarify. You've lost me there.

And the alledged racism. Well. That says more about your mindset than mine. Because you have no clue from my profile what my ethnic background or cultural history is.

The "I've done my research" pop quiz resonates with me:

imageserve.babycenter.com/28/000/243/QvU35SJCr3RW6r7Jhre1DEYHwFqvuiQG_lg.jpg

One of my oldest friends is an anti-vaxxer. She is a naturopath and has "done her research". We went to school together and I know that she was, frankly, not the brightest bulb, and was never in the running to go to med school. I love her, but this aspect of her thinking is dangerous and stupid, and I just hope to god that her gorgeous daughter doesn't ever get infected by something with terrible ramifications. Much as it will be awkward, they are not coming to visit me or my newborn until the baby has had its 6 week shots.

Another friend who IS a doctor, when asked about whether to immunise said "just come down to my work when I'm treating a tiny baby who has broken a rib because of whooping cough and tell me then whether you think immunisation is a good idea or not."

I'm yet to hear the benefits of immunisation credibly discounted by someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

Fullyswindonian you've read enough on the subject have you? What literature might that be? The equivalent of post doctoral medical study I'm sure?

"I had plans not to bother with the immunisation programme. Especially after my eldest child's last school decided that it was an official sign of child neglect for me to refuse the programme which just made me more determined not to. epic bloody mindedness

However, due to the amount of ethnic diversity transience in our current reaidential area and new school, particularly from countries with zero immunisation programmes, I've reconsidered. As more of these children are coming over with no jab history, potential racism herd immunity is less likely to benefit my children. selfishness "

Clearer now?

No, Martorana I'm afraid your racist judgement still isn't any clearer. As I said, you've no idea of my ethnic background or cultural history. But as you've jumped to your own conclusions, I'll let you roll with it. I'm secure in my views.

Yes Gennz I've read enough to satisfy myself that I'm comfortable with my own opinion for now.

Happy to withdraw the "potentially racist"(although your own ethnic/cultural background is irrelevant to that.) I note that you aren't objecting to epic bloody mindedness and selfishness.

Thankyou for withdrawing the racist allegation, Mart. I appreciate that.

I haven't objected to your calling me bloody minded or selfish because the government's immunisation programme is a controversial one and I expect and understand that different viewpoints are like tinder.

No, not controversial at all. It's like global warming. A few people not understanding (or refusing to understand) the facts of a situation doesn't make it controversial.

exactly martorana

Reminds me of creationists who wanted Intelligent Design taught in science classes. "Teach the controversy!" Errr making a lot of noise around a position does not make that position credible or the so-called "debate" controversial.

I am sure that there can be negative side effects to some vaccinations, but I am equally sure (because all credible evidence points to it) that the benefits of a widespread vaccination programme far, far outweigh the downsides.

Polio is back in Syria because of the collapse of the innoculation programme there caused by war. Some Syrians are coming to Western Europe as refugees. Not impossible that polio could reemerge here, just as TB did. It is not racist to point this out, a nurse in a local hospital told me this 12 years ago when I had to get my children sorted out for a French nursery, which required TB innoculation.

My father had polio at 17 and it is still causing him suffering now, at 83. You are mad if you do not vaccinate against it.

I didn't have the usual childhood inoculations as my mother passed away when I was very young.

I only found this out when I was 34 and can say that I have been no more poorly than any if my peer group.

The doctor did say I had benefited from mass vaccination programmes by the way if others having been vaccinated.

I had none as a baby/child. I was born in the late 70s.
I was hospitalised when I was a baby with whooping cough.
When I was about 3yrs old I got measles, my hair fell out in handfuls and my hearing in my left ear was permanently damaged (moderate hearing loss). I remember sitting in the bath with my hair falling out.
When I was about 8-9yrs old I got mumps - this left me in hospital, miles away from home as I needed to be in isolation. I had complications from the mumps with my pancreas.
I had vaccinations after that. Because of asthma (maybe linked to the whooping cough?) I have the flu every year and that works! Whole house has been wiped out with flu last Xmas and I escaped it.

I wasn't vaccinated as a kid.

I had all the childhood diseases, including measles, which turned into meningitis and left me with permanent, mild but irritation hearing issues.

I had pneumonia twice.

I also managed to have measles twice, so at natural immunity being superior. (no, it wasn't rubella and measles-it was measles twice)

At around age 20, when I was working with homeless families (who are statistically more vulnerable), I went off to occupational health and got all my jabs done, plus the extras like hep B. Mainly because I felt a responsibility to do it, it would have been a really awful thing to have passed on something to them.

And since then, I've barely been to the doctor apart from to get the referral to midwifery services. I actually cannot remember going to the doctor for myself-and I'm in my late 30s. I certainly would go if I felt the need, its just that I haven't had anything I'd need to go for.

BUT I'm not quite sure I understand the point being made

Vaccinations are for specific diseases. They are not a general immune system tonic.

For diseases where herd immunity is high, a single person not living in an area of low vaccination is unlikely to get the disease. That's not the result of a healthy immune system. That's the result of simply not being exposed to the disease, which is the result of herd immunity.

OP has somehow, I think, decided on no evidence at all that her immune system is 'strong' rather than simply 'normal' which is what it sounds from her posts.

She has then attributed this to her immunisation status, on the basis of no evidence whatsoever.

When she is exposed to disease, she catches it (as evidenced by her having had most to the childhood infectious diseases). She sometimes, but not always, comes down with bugs that are going round; again entirely normal.

She may or may not catch re-emergent diseases (polio, TB; or if she travels, hepatitis, cholera, typhoid) and, as I assume malaria chemoprophylaxis is also out, that is also also an avoidable risk. Diptheria is re-emerging too, treatable if recognised though (but most doctor's in UK have never seen a case).

Now, perhaps those diseases will not regain a hold on UK, and OP is perfectly happy to do without foreign travel. But if either of those assumptions is untrue, then the evidence of her immune system to date is that she becomes ill after exposure to pathogens in a totally ordinary manner and therefore can expect to fall ill again.

Oh I should probably say.

I was born in the late 70s and I'm pretty sure measles and mumps were NOT routinely vaccinated for. I have seen my younger brother (born early 80s) and my (basically empty) vaccination cards and they are not mentioned.

This was inner London, incidentally.

We had catch up rubella vaccines at school when I was about 10-but I don't remember any suggestion that anyone might have had a prior jab for it.

My parents' local hospital (which, incidentally, everyone local always tried to avoid going to) was actually the one that produced Andrew Wakefield but still, that was much later.