Vaccinations MMr

[MrsNT]

My little one is due for MMR soon and with the recent bad hype about vaccinations and links with Epstein files etc, What's your take on it? I've always been pro Vax and have had all Vax myself and for my older kids.
Given the recent news , would you continue to vaccinated your kids??

If you are able to feel anxious about this obscure and irrelevant link between Epstein and the polio vaccine, why aren't you even more anxious about the horrible diseases your child might get if they aren't vaccinated?

Yes Andrew wakefield who originally published the really dodgy and flawed ‘research’ years ago was struck off as a doctor because of it. He’s in America promoting all manner of far right conspiracy mind sewage. BTW,
I recently had the mmr as an adult because i didn’t get measles coverage as a kid and its going around again. Easy peasy xx

My take on it is there’s a huge measles outbreak that is likely to kill some children and disable others because people post things like “what’s your take” on social media instead of reading the very detailed NHS info and FAQs they provide to help you understand the vaccine.

Don’t be daft.

Absolutely yes.

It is genuinely terrifying to think that people might be refusing the polio vaccine because of a vague - non-medical - link! Polio for christ's sake! We were so close to eradicating it.

These diseases are awful - I'm old enough to remember people who were damaged by measles before the vaccine, and I do know of one person in my circle who's sister lost limbs to Meningitis which was caused by measles only 20 years ago (I wasn't close enough to her to know her vaccine status)

We're not scared enough of these things coming back - and we should be. My kids have had all the normal vaccines, plus I paid for some that aren't on the UK schedule. I want them to have all the protections I can give them.

You say you believe this but there is absolutely no evidence for it at all.

This has been researched and checked out in endless detail post-Wakefield.

You’re welcome to believe what you want - but there is no scientific basis for your beliefs whatsoever. Therefore it is pure misinformation.

At the moment 9% of Mumsnetters who have voted in the poll plan not to vaccinate their children.

I am finding this quite scary.

NB: Herd immunity requires at least 92-94% to be vaccinated.

Oh dear.

If you believe conspiracy stuff like this, there isn't much hope of a reasonable discussion.

Measles kills and we are in the middle of a big outbreak. MMR can save lives. Nothing more to say.

I would do my own thorough research and make an informed and independent judgement based on the risks and benefits of each vaccination offered. Different countries have different vaccination schedules.

Both my kids are vaccinated
There’s a great tortoise investigates podcast about anti vaxxers especially Andrew Wakefield, it’s very detailed but the standout for me was how much money there are making out of being promoting anti anti vax agenda with no actual evidence. It’s on BBC sounds.

People don’t wholly do good or bad things. Epstein and Bill Gates promoting vaccines and funding them doesn’t mean the vaccines must be bad too. It’s clear that Epstein would just want good PR. Bill Gates might actually care about helping poor people from diseases. Like I said, people who are creeps can do good in other areas of their life. It worries me that people can’t understand that.

Also on the point someone made about there must be something to it as parents wouldn’t just panic over nothing. People have been shown to panic over nothing. That argument could be used for many things people believe in, such as religion, UFO sightings etc. It’s not an argument for it being true.

How would you do your own research? Which peer reviewed journals would you read?

It’s MMRV now. Protects against chicken pox too.

I volunteer with a charity that is campaigning to end polio.

I am old enough to remember seeing kids in calipers as a result of contracting polio. Parents used to dread their children getting polio the way we dread meningitis.

Please ignore any nonsense regarding Epstein and vaccinations, and if you have any doubts please talk to a health professional.

Have you read what measles mumps and rubella can do to your child? I would spend time on that rather than the conspiracy’s you see being fed. Your child isn’t even having the polio vaccine! Now I could get into a debate about the Covid vaccine but the mmr one is well established and saves lives. My children had it. They are fine and more importantly free of nasty illnesses.

How about be more concerned about the news that measles - a dangerous and lethal disease is spreading across England putting lives at risk and making children very ill

The most up to date and relevant papers. Any referenced by people making various arguments and any others I could find. Many journals are online these days so it’s easy to follow up the references from books and news articles. I believe it’s best to be as informed as possible. Read all the literature and make your own considered decision.

To add to this - stay away from TikTok and other social media platforms.

Peer reviewed pubmed articles are factual.

I recently had the mmr as an adult because i didn’t get measles coverage as a kid and its going around again

Me too.

Reading and understanding the research is a full time job assuming you already have the education needed to understand the papers. Great if you don’t work and need a hobby, but someone in the NHS is already doing it so it’s more than fine just to trust them.

Different countries have different schedules because their epidemiologists have studied and reported different disease patterns and prevalence…

Vaccination schedules are devised for a reason, they’re not the health equivalent of a Woolworth’s pick n’ mix counter.

You can obviously decline consent for any reason you like but do it based on science and not what some random TikTok-er has vlogged.

I am sure Bill Gates and his ex wife care about reducing the burden of disease. They have poured billions of their own money into ending malaria.

https://www.gatesnotes.com/work/save-lives/reader/we-are-closer-than-ever-to-eradicating-polio?WT.mc_id=20251212100000_Polio-Update-B_TGN-Psch&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23479514820

He really does want to eradicate polio. He match funds everything we raise (the charity I volunteer with) to do so.

It’s not that simple re different vaccination schedules. For instance, until recently the UK did not recommend chickenpox or hep b vaccination for children, whereas other countries with similar risk profiles did. There are other factors affecting the decisions.

It’s possible to read the science and come to a different decision about your personal risk. Obviously it would be silly to your info on TikTok (or mumsnet). It’s completely possible for a person of normal intelligence to read and digest scientific papers.

That might result in requesting certain extra vaccines, or treatments, rather than refusing them. For example, hep b or chickenpox before they were offered on the nhs. I looked up the evidence on chickenpox at the time it was relevant for me and if I’d been in the UK I would have paid for it privately for my child.

If you don’t feel able to look at and weigh up the evidence yourself then of course you can delegate your medical decisions to someone else. But personally with any health or treatment decision (not specifically vaccination but including) I expect to be able to get advice from a doctor I trust, but also to be able look up the evidence and be as informed as possible myself.