Vaccination - do you or don't you?

[lisalisa]

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I have gone for SepVx MMR after bad reactions to all previous vacinations, but I think that the MMR booster will be a normal one when he is around 6 yrs old. If my child were in a risk group likely to be damaged by vaccination I would stick to my guns but if he was just the average kid I would vacinate. The thing now is to find out how at risk they may be (previous family history, antibiotics taking story, etc.).

Locket, I had measles as a baby (hit me before my scheduled vacination). After so many years I'm starting to believe that my lifelong hearing problems had their origins on it. This problem has a serious effect on the way I relate to other people (I can't talk if there's a background noise even if it's a soft one, as I can't understand what people is saying). So I would insist in vaccination unless there were some reasons to believe the child is in a risk group, but again, the question is, how can you be totally sure if your child is at risk or not? that's the difficult question.

Hope Jimjams shows up soon to tell us more about the subject

lisalisa, i admire your stance on it i really do!(That you stick to your beleifs)
I think if i could do it all right and by the book, (i-e breastfeed as well) then i would have serious doubts as to whether to vaccinate the baby on the way. I am STILL reading about vaccines and dd is 3.7!
With her first it was kind of blind faith and i took her to all, only afterwards for some strange reason did i research it and was appaled mostly at the mercury at that point but dd had had Infanrix anyway due to shortage!!!
I recently had her checked for immunity and she needs basically all the boosters which outs even MORE doubts in my head to the effectivness of all the beby jabs and whether the benefits REALLY outweigh the risks!
One good thing is that my H.V said that she'll give me Infanrix for booster as i said i was worried about all the multiples and dd didn't have bed reactions to that particular one before!

I know there are LOTS of opinions on this and that's great as it's how we learn both sides but i have to admit, the more i know the less i trust!!!

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I agree with Chandra. If at risk, I would not vaccinate at all. As it is, we have vaccinated decidedly off-schedule which we have to defend every time we go in. At 14 mos. ds had:

Hib and Polio at 5 mos. old - developed a mild rash on his back which persisted for almost 3 weeks

1st DTaP at 8 mos. old - no problems

2nd Polio at 11 mos old

2nd Hib at 13 mos. old

2nd DTaP at 14 mos. old.

I am dithering about the Prevnar at present but if and when we do that then it will be the last for a while. Since we are having such a problem with finding singles for the MMR we may do that one but not until after age 2. My brother had the German measles at age 3 or 4 and became deaf in one ear because of it so it is a sensitive subject in my family. I can't just discount the ability to vaccinate against it. DH had polio as a child and so, even though it is much less common now, we did get that one, although not the oral form.

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jabberwocky, that's one thing i intend to do too. To space them out more and not give them so early!
I am hoping i'll be able to get Infanrix still at that time!

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Yes, I think it is ludicrous to give so much so early in most cases. We were lucky that ds did not have to go to daycare and so could really control who he was around, make sure they washed their hands etc. We had already decided against the flu vaccine even before the shortage here in the US because it still contains thimerosol. Will just take good hygiene precautions like we did last year.

Prevnar is a vaccine against meningitis (a different strain from the Hib one). It has been marketed in some areas as the "ear infection vaccine" but that's a little off target. I have been doing research and am actually leaning towards getting it, which is surprising even to me.

The problem with the oral form of the polio vaccine is that the virus can be shed through the intestinal tract and can infect the parent. The only cases recently in the US were contracted that way and so everyone gets the injection form now.

I've noticed on other posts that the oral form seems to still be common in England as well as the DTwP. Is that correct?

Infanrix is the diptheria, tetanus and accelular pertussis that doesn't contain thimerisol. (They don't now anyway but this one never did.)
I'll just be happier with that one than the new 5 in 1.
Oral polio is live but they don't give that anymore they give the polio as a part of the 5 in 1 injection. (You can still get it seperate but not for long and not routinely, i had to explain why i wanted it as the booster)

Hiya lisa lisa, we have a one year old unvaccinated child.
And I feel for us anyhow, it's a decision we are glad we have made.
I feel the more we research the less impressed we are with the conduct of the health system in this country.
I read a lot in between the lines of the propaganda and to be honest we are not satisfied enough to let someone else have the control of our childs health. We chose to have responsibilty and to have a child and we will be responsible ultimately for for our child and any health concerns that we will/might come across.

I know what you mean about the pertussis panic. We had an outbreak in the US last year which is what actually led me to go ahead with the 2 shots that ds got. However, I probably will not take him in for the recommended 2nd and 3rd. My understanding of pertussis is that it is only really dangerous to the very young. My feeling is that he now has at least some immunity and age will help as well so I don't want to chance another DTaP.

My ds had his first mmr jab, recommended by gp, I went ahead as with my 1st child, but when he was due his booster jab the gp said he wouldn't advise (my son has severe egg allergy and mmr jab is grown in egg) therefore he has not had his booster, apparently 1 in 10 children the mmr jab doesn't work first time and that is why they have a booster, therefore my son is more at risk of having a reation to the egg than he is to get measles, mumps or rubella.

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I haven't read all the posts, but have a question. Do children in the UK have to have all their vaccinations up to date in order to be accepted into schools and child care facilities? That is the case here in the US.

My children are both vaccinated (not because of the school issue, although that would come into it if I was wavering), but because I believe the pros outweight the cons. So far, fingers crossed, we have never had any type of reaction to a shot.

Actually, you can get a waver in the US. In some states it is just for religious reasons (go figure) but in others it can be on philosophical grounds too. I don't know what we will do when the time comes. There is a large homeschooling network that I am considering joining.

I didn't know that Jebberwocky. I figured that anyone who didn't want to vaccinate their child would have to homeschool.

Kateandthegirls, no they don't in the U.K (as far as i'm aware).
DD was due her boosters and am just considering them now and she's been in nursery for a few weeks/months now.

KATG, that is what the party line wants everyone to believe but there are forms available from each state.

Mine have had the full set of US and UK vaccinations, done at the recommended times.