Measles Discussion (from the DL Measles discussion)

[MommyJKM]

My father is a pediatrician at one of the best Children's Hospital's in the world...so I am fortunate to get his advice (though sometimes it can be too much )

As soon as the Quack of a "Doctor" published the COMPLETELY wrong study on how vaccinations cause autism, my Dad and other doctor's at his hospital immediately came up with a plan to get the word out to parents that the study was not only wrong - but dangerous and falsified. The "Doctor" lost his license and it banned from practicing, but the damage has been done and my Dad has said many many many times to us how difficult it has been to try to re-educate parents. (http://healthland.time.com/2010/05/24/doctor-behind-vaccine-autism-link-loses-license/)

Anyway, we chose to follow the Dr. Sears immunization program for my daughter which basically spreads out the vaccines because he believes little bodies don't need that many chemicals all at once when you live in a 1st World Country where contracting Polio is highly unlikely.

That said - my daughter is always up to date with her vaccinations and is never in danger of contracting nor spreading any of these horrible and preventable diseases. When she started Pre-school we made sure to have the other children's parent's notified that we follow the Dr. Sears so she has only gotten one Chicken Pox shot and not two by age 4 (which has been proven to be enough), but I wanted other parents to be aware and not feel like they were lied to.

My point is even with Alternative Vaccination Schedules - you still get the Measles shot so there is NO excuse to withhold it from your children and expose them and others around them to it. It is irresponsible and downright ignorant to completely disregard that vaccinations are helpful in the fight against preventable diseases.

I shall step off my soap box now. But it infuriates me people can be so easily swayed by incorrect information.

 

[KelsiesMommy]

I was required to get a second one before going to college. They wouldn't let you live in the dorm without getting one. This was in 1994.

I had to get one before living on campus as well- in 1996

 

[Melora]

Such a sensitive subject for me because my son and his wife have decided NOT to vaccinate (because of the false info they have read about toxic ingredients in the shots) and I have had to shut my mouth or else cause an argument that might result in me not seeing my grandbabies anymore. I taught my son better than this but his wife's family has VERY different values about most things than what he grew up with and he has chosen to go her way.

My daughter in law says "I dont understand why people just dont leave us alone.. its our kids and this is what we choose to do. It isn't anyone elses business."

This whole outbreak should be evidence enough that it IS other peoples business because when you don't vaccinate and your kids get sick, they spread it to other people. I tried showing them REAL evidence about herd immunity and how important it is and shes says "OH I don't believe that". BUT she does believe the quack websites that tout stupid unfounded information about how there is mercury and other things in the shots at toxic levels.

I can't understand why you want to open your kids up to diseases that could maim them or kill them.

OK off my soapbox.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Such a sensitive subject for me because my son and his wife have decided NOT to vaccinate (because of the false info they have read about toxic ingredients in the shots) and I have had to shut my mouth or else cause an argument that might result in me not seeing my grandbabies anymore. I taught my son better than this but his wife's family has VERY different values about most things than what he grew up with and he has chosen to go her way.

My daughter in law says "I dont understand why people just dont leave us alone.. its our kids and this is what we choose to do. It isn't anyone elses business."

This whole outbreak should be evidence enough that it IS other peoples business because when you don't vaccinate and your kids get sick, they spread it to other people. I tried showing them REAL evidence about herd immunity and how important it is and shes says "OH I don't believe that". BUT she does believe the quack websites that tout stupid unfounded information about how there is mercury and other things in the shots at toxic levels.

I can't understand why you want to open your kids up to diseases that could maim them or kill them.

OK off my soapbox.

You should tell her that she IS harming other people. There may be another kid, just like hers...only with cancer or some other reason they can't get the vaccine. And people like HER child could KILL that other person's child.

 

[Melora]

You should tell her that she IS harming other people. There may be another kid, just like hers...only with cancer or some other reason they can't get the vaccine. And people like HER child could KILL that other person's child.

I have talked about that, but she is more concerned that her kids are being injected with "poisons and toxins".

My son also believes that the diseases are not as bad as the media makes them out to be so even if their kids get them its not a big deal. They will not look at or read any of the info or statistics I tried to show them because they BELIEVE it is not correct. They only believe the things they read from the anti vaxxers websites which is a pile of trash.

Its VERY hard to know they are wrong and possibly opening up my grand kids to long term harm but if I keep pressing the issue it might end up in me not being able to see them at all.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I have talked about that, but she is more concerned that her kids are being injected with "poisons and toxins".

My son also believes that the diseases are not as bad as the media makes them out to be so even if their kids get them its not a big deal. They will not look at or read any of the info or statistics I tried to show them because they BELIEVE it is not correct. They only believe the things they read from the anti vaxxers websites which is a pile of trash.

Its VERY hard to know they are wrong and possibly opening up my grand kids to long term harm but if I keep pressing the issue it might end up in me not being able to see them at all.

You should tell her to read this....

http://www.kidnurse.org/parents-unvaccinated-child-exposed-family-measles/

Of course, when people are dumb, they still won't "get it" even after reading stuff like that.

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

You should tell her to read this....

http://www.kidnurse.org/parents-unvaccinated-child-exposed-family-measles/

Of course, when people are dumb, they still won't "get it" even after reading stuff like that.

What's interesting is that there have been several studies now that show that even when you give people facts, it just causes them to dig in their heels further, especially with antivaxxers.

Dr. Sear, when doing a reddit AMA, was point blank asked about his BS "alternative" vaccination schedule, and what evidence he had for it. He admitted there was no evidence, but that he felt it was a way to get parents who wouldn't vaccinate anyway to maybe vaccinate.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1728o9/iama_coauthor_of_the_baby_book_edition_everything/

 

[Melora]

You should tell her to read this....

http://www.kidnurse.org/parents-unvaccinated-child-exposed-family-measles/

Of course, when people are dumb, they still won't "get it" even after reading stuff like that.

Great reading. But unfortunately I do not think my DIL (or son) would read it and even if they did, they would not understand.

Something else on my mind this week. We adopted our youngest daughter from Russia 10 years ago when she was 5. She came with a list of vaccines they said she had been given but after talking with other parents, we heard not ALL kids got the vaccines the Russian agencies said they did. One option was to completely reimmunize her (which at the time with all the changes and other things going on in her life) we didn't want to do based on rumors.

I always meant to get her blood tested to see what she had actually been immunized for but time got away from us and I never did. She has had all the other recommended shots as she has moved through school but I am going to have to go and find her shot record to see if she was given a second MMR.

We are temporarily in Phoenix (before heading back to Cali) and I have heard there are a number of cases out here. Both my kids left at home go to virtual school (real schools in Arizona SUCK) so they cant be exposed that way, but I think its time to take her to the doc and see exactly what she is immune to and what she is not.

 

[sasywtch]

My doctor is out on vacation all week (go figure), we are going to DL in 2 weeks and I just read my results online. The first one I got the other day said rubella-immune which was straight forward but I just got this result:
Measles virus IgG, EIA POSITIVE I'm guessing that means I have the antibodies which means I got the measles as a kid? (since I'm a 57 baby and no shot).

Mumps, not worried about as I woke up one Christmas morning with them and clearly remember crying to go outside and play with my new toys with all the other neighborhood kids My mean momma made me stay inside LOL

 

[TheZue]

There is no way breastfeeding would transfer all the immunity from the mother for any disease she's had during her lifetime. Diseases wouldn't move from one generation to the next if that was how antibodies worked. Measles would have died out hundreds if not thousands of years ago if that was the case, along with every other disease. Who comes up with this stuff? And more importantly why do people not even take five seconds to critically think and realize that some of these suggestions are impossible? Gah.

 

[JandD75]

"My son also believes that the diseases are not as bad as the media makes them out to be so even if their kids get them its not a big deal."

Dear Melora,

I pray that your grandchildren will be safe until they are old enough to decide for themselves whether to be vaccinated. Your comment that your son believes the diseases are 'not that bad' really resonated with me--I think that's a big part of the problem. Because these are referred to as 'childhood diseases' some people have a very dismissive attitude toward them, believing that measles, mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough, polio are not that serious. But the reason measles is a childhood disease is that it is SO contagious. Before the vaccine, no one could get through childhood without being exposed, and the vast majority of those exposed would contract the disease. Also, the parents making the decision not to vaccinate are of the generation that WAS vaccinated. Unlike my generation, they never suffered through these horrible illnesses, they never saw classmates on crutches or in wheelchairs, they never lived with the fear of thinking, "Will I get sick with that?" We have a responsibility to protect our children, not a right to endanger them.