MMR dilemma

[beabea81]

hi, i hope you don't mind me hopping over here from the disabled parents board, but i have a question about the mmr. lo is almost 13 months & i have such a dilemma about what to do. i don't know whether to get the single vaccines done instead as that is supposed to reduce side effects.

she reacted v badly to all previous baby jabs it was awful to see her so ill when she was so small. i have m.e & high white blood cell count & a weak immune system, i also reacted badly to jabs as a child & my consultant at the time advised me not to have the bcg for tb. so i'm concerned she may be sensetive to vaccinations because of me. i know they say the link to autism has been disproved but my cousin's little girl developed autism soon after her mmr.

i just wondered if anyone felt that the mmr had caused their children to get ill?

thanks x

My kids both had measles and are both still alive, they were ill at home for a few days and that was it. We had to go to a hospital for a diagnosis which caused great interest as most of the staff had never seen a case, but they weren't seriously ill by any means. I survived measles, so did my DH, so did our parents, our siblings and all our peer group, we never heard of anyone dying or being disabled. The only person I personally know who died of a "childhood" disease, died from chickenpox. I lost 15 years of my life after having a rubella vaccine which left me with an acute febrile illness and arthritis. Vaccines just don't suit some people. My doctor couldn't guarantee that the same wouldn't happen to my DC so I decided against it.

Having jabs is a risk. Not having the jabs is a risk.

The level of risk is down to individual circumstances in both cases.
The trouble is that honest information about those individual risks is hard to get and the UK government have been less than helpful in this matter leading to a lot of suspicion, especially in parents of children with disabilities who have found themselves lied to on a number of occasions about other things.

I think it is sensible that you are considering your options. Good luck with what you decide.

thank you so much for all the info it is really helpful to me.

saintlyjimjams - i have just ordered Dr Richard Halvorsen's book actually as i keep hearing / reading that it is v good to help make an unbiased informed decision. i may well look into a consultation with him too!

frizzcat - i also don't find the "link to autism 'unlikely'" party line good enough. i agree it has been like a witch hunt for that doctor who conducted the research & i'm interested to hear he's won a case to be reinstated!

i'm so sorry to all of you who have had the trauma of the mmr making your children ill. if it makes even ONE child ill it disgusts me that the powers that be think that a few casualties out of millions is fine & the public just have to deal with it.

the reason i haven't spoken to my hv's here about my worries is because they always seem to take the one size fits all approach, & pretty much give answers to everything quoting from the latest nhs blurb. my gp is very nice & helpful, i will make an appt to speak to him but our surgery is so oversubscribed you either have to pre-book 2 weeks ahead, or wait 2-3 hours to be seen on the day...

Halvorsen's book is good. He's not anti-vaccine, just picks the very obvious holes in the policy as it currently stands. And takes an individual approach. I know a few people who have seen him and he has given them different advice depending on their circumstances, so I trust him iykwim.

Sorry Leonie, I still have your book don't I?

PM me you address and I'll return it.

Had the similar dilemma a couple of months ago was due to get DS his MMR having previously had DD vacinnated with no concerns however same story she regressed had ASD traits etc so having posted here decided not to go through with it. Am getting DS the single vacinations measles at the beginning of May. I just could not live with myself if my wee smiley man regressed having had the MMR I would always link the two. It is a tough choice though good luck.

Think I'm going with single vaccinations - I've ordered halvorsens book in a bid to educate myself. My instinct is so against giving dd the MMR that I don't think I could physically take her - cheers to OP for bringing this up and all the rest of you for making me feel I'm not totally mad!

Quick question, at what age would you think it would be 'safe' to give your children the MMR, if ever? My DS3 is 9 1/2, definitely quirky, but no gut issues, quite robust (a little podgy) and has never had the MMR. I worry about mumps but heard it's hard to get a single vaccine for it.

ellen, you could look into getting his immunity tested, maybe? up to 30% of mumps cases are subclinical, so it may be that he is immune already. I can see why, as he heads into puberty and growing up, you would be worried about mumps - it is much nastier to have as a teen/adult.

that would be my first step, if possible (the immunity testing)

Thanks, silverfrog. Good idea.

i was speaking to my mum about this again today, she said both me & my brother had mumps as kids, in fact i think i remember it, all swollen on one side. i'm 31 so it wasn't even that long ago really in terms of medicine, why do we now have a vaccine for it??

i've learnt already to button my lips on this subject with others, it seems to really wind some people up if you talk about potentially giving single vaccines / delaying / not vaccinating. i keep hearing the same things - the autism link was disproven - the doctor was struck off - your child will get seriously ill & may die if you don't vaccinate as per the "norm" - you are putting the rest of the population at risk by not vaccinating. i'm just keeping my mouth shut now when i speak to people, it's a hot topic at the mo as my friends are all getting their babies vaccinated in the next month or 2 when they turn 13 months. i am def the odd one out...

Mumps can be really nasty if caught post puberty, beabea. It can cause infertility in men. I think that's why a vaccine was developed.

Bea, don't babies now have 5 in 1 jabs?

I don't remember the stats Ellen but I believe it can cause infertility if contracted DURING puberty rather than post and only in a very small percentage even then.

Still it is a risk that many woukd want to vaccinate. However, I think there is also a question over whether th baby vax even lasts to puberty.

I think overall the picture is complex.

I didn't know that, Star! Still wondering about finally giving DS3 the MMR, now he's nearly 10 (and pre-puberty.)

a complication of mumps can be orchitis, which affects up to 20% of males who contract mumps after puberty.

an estimated 7-13% of men who get mumps will experience a drop in sperm rates, although this is rarely severe enough to be classed as infertility. (taken from nhs)

ah yes i do remember reading that about mumps & fertility in males actually. the single mumps vaccine won't be available until later this year apparently, as it went out of manufacture in 2010 & a new company is now going to produce it.

i think we have made a decision now to go for the single vaccines, but i am waiting to read dr halvorsen's book & may well pay for a consultaion with him to discuss things first due to my health issues & lo's past reactions to jabs.