Measles outbreak sends unvaccinated students home - What do you think??

[swkmom]

In our state children aren't even allowed to enter the public school system without their vaccines. The only exception is if the child is allergic to something in the vaccine and then they must have a letter from their doctor. If a parent chooses not to vaccinate they have to find a private school that will take the child or home school.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

In our state children aren't even allowed to enter the public school system without their vaccines. The only exception is if the child is allergic to something in the vaccine and then they must have a letter from their doctor. If a parent chooses not to vaccinate they have to find a private school that will take the child or home school.

Oh, the horror! A private school! Homeschool!




We're just leppers and you should stay away from all of us non-vaxers. I love how this became a non-vax bash thread.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

In our state children aren't even allowed to enter the public school system without their vaccines. The only exception is if the child is allergic to something in the vaccine and then they must have a letter from their doctor. If a parent chooses not to vaccinate they have to find a private school that will take the child or home school.

Oh, the horror! A private school! Homeschool!




We're just leppers and you should stay away from all of us non-vaxers. I love how this became a non-vax bash thread.

I haven't seen a single post bashing non-vaxers.

In fact, the person you quoted was just stating her school's policy and stated no opinion about public schools or home schooling.

 

[taylor3297]

Oh, the horror! A private school! Homeschool!




We're just leppers and you should stay away from all of us non-vaxers. I love how this became a non-vax bash thread.

Some people who don't believe in vaccinating can't afford private school and aren't able to home school, so public is their only choice.

I don't read this as bashing non-vax believers, I read it as though people have very strong opinions on both sides.

 

[C.Ann]

Wouldn't this be a case of natural consequences?

 

[mickeyboat]

Wouldn't this be a case of natural consequences?

Do you mean natural in that if you don't vax, you get measles, or if you don't vax, you don't come to school?

 

[C.Ann]

Do you mean natural in that if you don't vax, you get measles, or if you don't vax, you don't come to school?

Guess I should have clarified..

"Natural" in that the mother made a choice - and in this particular situation the consequence of that choice is that her child has been sent home from school..

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Guess I should have clarified..

"Natural" in that the mother made a choice - and in this particular situation the consequence of that choice is that her child has been sent home from school..

YEs--that is fine...but it is also appropriate that the child be given the opportunity to do work at home given their choice was legal and they were permitted to enroll. They should not be "punished" by missing school and having a 3 week lapse in school work. That isn't a natural consequence.

If people have a problem with this child's right to an education despite their family's non-vax stance, they need to take it up with lawmakers. In the meantime, the child is entitled to an alternative option much like any student who is ill for a long period of time.

(and yes--we vax in my household.)

 

[C.Ann]

YEs--that is fine...but it is also appropriate that the child be given the opportunity to do work at home given their choice was legal and they were permitted to enroll. They should not be "punished" by missing school and having a 3 week lapse in school work. That isn't a natural consequence.

If people have a problem with this child's right to an education despite their family's non-vax stance, they need to take it up with lawmakers. In the meantime, the child is entitled to an alternative option much like any student who is ill for a long period of time.

(and yes--we vax in my household.)

Sorry - I was skimming and didn't read that she wasn't receiving any of her school work at home.. I think (not 100% sure) that it's mandatory in NY.. Is that not the case where she is?

I agree that she should still be receiving her assignments so that she doesn't fall behind..

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Sorry - I was skimming and didn't read that she wasn't receiving any of her school work at home.. I think (not 100% sure) that it's mandatory in NY.. Is that not the case where she is?

I agree that she should still be receiving her assignments so that she doesn't fall behind..

Oh I don't know--but it was part of the conversation. Someone mentioned that the teacher's should not be burdened due to her mother's choice. But if her choice is legal, they have no right to discriminate. Keep kids safe, yes. Discriminate--no.

 

[CathrynRose]

I think the school has to do, what they have to do. I see nothing wrong with a Quarantine.

And this is coming from a mother of a Vac'd 18 y/o and a UN Vac'd 14 year old.

As long as the school gives them the work to complete, I don't see what the problem is. And I can tell you, BOTH of my boys would have been thrilled to pieces to be "Quarantined from School" for 3 weeks. Haha!

 

[Ember]

Well, even under the best conditions, the vaccine is only effective 95-97% of the time. That means that in a school of 300 kids, up to 15 would be unprotected, even though they were vaccinated. Since measles is EXTREMELY virulent, it is very likely that these kids would develop measles if they shared a classroom with a contagious child.

While you may have heard of one outbreak where none of the non-vaccinated kids got it, that doesn't seem to be the norm:

"There's definitely a lack of appreciation of measles and what it can do," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He said that in a recent Indiana outbreak, a 17-year-old girl was infected with measles on a trip to Romania, and when she came home she went to a church picnic attended by about 500 people. Of that group, 35 were unvaccinated. Three people out of 465 vaccinated got measles, while 31 out of the 35 who were unvaccinated contracted the disease, Offit said.

"That's how highly contagious measles is," he said, pointing out that these people were at an outdoor church picnic, likely without sustained exposure to the infected teenager.


http://health.usnews.com/health-new...outbreak-triggered-by-unvaccinated-child.html

Really well said, and a good example.

That works out to an infection rate of 89% for the un-vaccinated and rate of 0.65% for the vaccinated. And this was from an example in outdoors, not in a closed in space.

Regardless of your personal thoughts on vaccinations, it boggles my mind that with stats like that anyone would want to send their un-vaccinated child to school where a disease like this is present. Their chances of contracting are staggering.

Also, I agree with a PP who pointed out that measles is a "mild" illness. Anyone who thinks this needs to educate themselves.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Unless I'm mistaken, in Louisiana, while you can get a waiver so that your child doesn't have to be vaccinated, the school can decide whether or not to accept it. So if a school, be it private or public, wants to, they can insist that every child who attends that school be vaccinated, no matter what the parents' beliefs are. If you feel that strongly, I guess you can either home school or pay for a school that will allow you not to vaccinate.

I dimly remember my public school in Louisiana sending kids home when I was in one grade or another with pieces of paper telling their parents when they could go to the public health unit for free vaccinations. The kids were NOT to come back until their vaccinations were all up to date.

I just wonder why other states aren't as rigid in enforcement. (Knowing some folks who had polio as kids, having grown up with stories about childhood epidemics that killed classmates of close and dear relations. . .uh yeah. I vote for mandatory vaccinations.)

 

[disney1990]

Here's the article:

Measles outbreak sends unvaccinated students home
Length of quarantine unfair, says mother
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 | 10:35 AM PT
CBC News

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says 29 people in B.C. have come down with measles in recent weeks. (CBC)

Unvaccinated students are being sent home from school because of the growing measles outbreak in Vancouver, and that has at least one parent concerned that the policy is unfair.

In recent weeks, eight students in six Vancouver schools have come down with measles, according to Vancouver Coastal Health medical health officer Dr. John Carsley.

When measles is reported in a school, health officials check that all other children and staff have had vaccinations. Those who haven't can be given one if it's detected quickly, said Carsely.

But if they can't get a vaccination in time, unvaccinated children will be sent home for 21 days, he said.

Daughter sent home for three weeks

That's the situation Tania Conley found her daughter in. Even though her daughter isn't sick, the Grade 7 student was sent home for three weeks because a case of measles was detected in her classroom.

Conley said she did not vaccinate her daughter because she had concerns she might have an allergic reaction to the egg products in the vaccine, but she was planning to have her vaccinated when she got older.

"I think every parent, whatever decision they make, it's always because they love their kids, and they want to do what's best. It's not a right or wrong issue," said Conley.

But Conley said the length of the quarantine is too long because she believes measles is only infectious for up to 14 days.

She is also particularly concerned because her daughter had been looking forward to taking part in an upcoming student exchange.

"The timing is just horrible, because it is right when the children are involved in a student exchange with a group of students form Quebec. Our kids had gone to Quebec in February, now it's their turn to host them in B.C.," said Conley.

Risk to others is clear-cut

But the Vancouver Coastal Health authority says the issue is clear-cut: measles normally has an incubation period of two weeks, but it can have an incubation of up to 20 days.

Because even vaccinated children can get sick, a three-week quarantine is necessary to protect all the students, said Carsley

"The policy here in B.C. is very conservative because we want to be sure that somebody who might fall sick, falls sick, and doesn't come back to school if they are sick, and perpetuate the outbreak," said Carsley.

"Usually nobody gets infected because there aren't that many people that can get measles anymore. Occasionally there will be other cases. This is the first time certainly that we have had any sustained transmission for several years in B.C.," he said.

Conley vaccinated her child on Monday, hoping the school would then allow her to attend class this week.

But the district said the vaccination came too late and Conley's daughter will just have to stay home.

Outbreak continues to spread

A total of 29 people across B.C. have been diagnosed with measles since the outbreak began last month, with 10 cases in the Fraser Valley, 14 cases in Metro Vancouver, four cases in the Interior and one case on Vancouver Island.

"It's very unusual because of our vaccination programs. Measles has pretty well disappeared as a disease in North America entirely," said Carsley.

Most children are immunized when they receive two dose of a combined measles, mumps rubella vaccine. But for unvaccinated children, the contagion rate is close to 100 per cent, and they don't have to be in same room as an infected person to catch the disease, he said.

Measles starts with a runny nose and fever, turns into a rash, and can lead to ear infections, pneumonia and even inflammation of the brain. But there's a very high health risk for measles, say health officials. One in 1,000 will get encephalitis, or risk permanent brain damage, and one in 3,000 will die.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-co...-vancouver-schools.html?ref=rss#ixzz0lekuu4U0
​

I don't want to turn this into a vaccinate/anti vac thread. But if you make the choice, for whatever reason, to not vaccinate your child then why on Earth would you risk their health and possibly their life by complaining they were sent home when a confirmed case like this is in their classroom!

I have a friend that is deaf from catching the measles as a child -- not a risk I would be willing to take with my child. I think this is a good decision in order to check any unprotected children.

 

[CathrynRose]

Without getting into the whole vaccination thing(my kids are all vaccinated)..I can't understand why this mother would want to send her child to school while there was a measles outbreak?? Does she realize how idiotic she sounds?

Because by getting the "real" measles, her child would be immune for life. Is it a fun disease? Of course not, but a healthy child generally will pull through with little consequences.

My Non Vac'd son, got 'real' chicken pox in 6th grade from 3 Vac'd kids. He'll be immune for life. The Vac'd kids who only got a mild version of it, may not be.

I think that I wonder why those who have had the shots are worried about getting it, if they believe in the shots.

That's what I wonder.

Vaccination doesn't mean immunization.


Anyway, if you believe the shots take care of it 100%, then don't worry about it.

I agree with you, on the above. I'm always confused at why Pro-Vac's are concerned about "us" if they're so confident in their decisions?

I think a lot of non-vaxers don't realise just how nasty measles is.

I wouldn't wish it on anyone and wonder how some people can be so blase about it.

That's not always the case. My girlfriends son - when he was about 2-ish - ended up with measles. I believe she had delayed them?? I'm not 100% sure - all I know is she had a pretty sick, miserable kid.....who bounced back, just fine, and is now 100% immune.

I love how this became a non-vax bash thread.

They usually lean that way, but we - as non Vac'ers should know that we're not in main stream "normal" as far as this is concerned. I'd never tell someone NOT to Vac, however I also expect the same luxury in return.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Because by getting the "real" measles, her child would be immune for life. Is it a fun disease? Of course not, but a healthy child generally will pull through with little consequences.

My Non Vac'd son, got 'real' chicken pox in 6th grade from 3 Vac'd kids. He'll be immune for life. The Vac'd kids who only got a mild version of it, may not be.



I agree with you, on the above. I'm always confused at why Pro-Vac's are concerned about "us" if they're so confident in their decisions?



That's not always the case. My girlfriends son - when he was about 2-ish - ended up with measles. I believe she had delayed them?? I'm not 100% sure - all I know is she had a pretty sick, miserable kid.....who bounced back, just fine, and is now 100% immune.



They usually lean that way, but we - as non Vac'ers should know that we're not in main stream "normal" as far as this is concerned. I'd never tell someone NOT to Vac, however I also expect the same luxury in return.

I agree with all your responses to the other posters, so I didn't shorten the quote.

It apparently is a luxury at this point. I never ever tell anyone how to raise their children. It wasn't an easy decision, it wasn't taken lightly and without extensive amounts of research, oh, and nearly losing my daughter 4 days into her life and spending 3 *weeks* in the NICU after she'd been vaccinated with *one* vaccine. It's not like I'm doing this to be a "rebel." To be treated like an irresponsible parent about this is beyond frustrating. But, I'll take that anyday if it means sticking to my convictions and doing what is best for my child. ::sigh::

 

[EMom]

I think that I wonder why those who have had the shots are worried about getting it, if they believe in the shots.

That's what I wonder.

Vaccination doesn't mean immunization.



I was watching that Millionaire movie with Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe a couple weeks ago. The other female character came down with measles. She was told to lie down in a darkened room and she'd be better in a week or two. That's it. That's what was in the popular culture about it then. Now the popular culture shows that it's a terrible awful horrible thing. Heck, many doctors don't know what to do with it (which is, really nothing, leave it alone) because they believe so strongly that shots eliminate it. They have a hard time even diagnosing it unless they know the person hasn't had the shots. It's ridiculous.

Anyway, if you believe the shots take care of it 100%, then don't worry about it.

You bring up a little known fact. Today's medical schools are giving up the tired old method of statistics and scientific studies. Ask any med school professor these days and 8 out of 10 will reassure you that getting your medical knowledge from a Marilyn Monroe movie (especially a classic like HTMAM) is every bit as valid as attending a boring old med school class. And if the Marilyn Monroe movie also stars another fetching actress such as Lauren Bacall, that figure jumps to 9 out of 10!!!!!

Geez, I'll never watch HTMAM the same way again. To think......I could have been a doctor.

Seriously, read up on what herd immunity is, how it works and under what conditions it can begin to fail. We're occasionally at a tipping point now with some diseases, even in this country.

For those who say natural immunity (gained from contracting the disease) is better because it gives lifetime immunity, that is not necessarily the case. I've know several people who had chicken pox more than once. My cousin had it three times. I had it as a child....along with every young member of my family, but since I was aware of my cousin's experience, I insisted the doctor run titers before I tried to get pregnant. He thought it was silly, but ate his words when the test showed I had no immunity to chicken pox. Natural immunity is no guarantee.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I agree with all your responses to the other posters, so I didn't shorten the quote.

It apparently is a luxury at this point. I never ever tell anyone how to raise their children. It wasn't an easy decision, it wasn't taken lightly and without extensive amounts of research, oh, and nearly losing my daughter 4 days into her life and spending 3 *weeks* in the NICU after she'd been vaccinated with *one* vaccine. It's not like I'm doing this to be a "rebel." To be treated like an irresponsible parent about this is beyond frustrating. But, I'll take that anyday if it means sticking to my convictions and doing what is best for my child. ::sigh::

That and another topic about boys stirs up emotions in people. We made a decision about him and you would have thought I was the first person ever.

Vaxing is a tough decision, but the venom spewed towards those who don't when they don't have all the facts about any one person's decision....

 

[crashbb]

Vaxing is a tough decision, but the venom spewed towards those who don't when they don't have all the facts about any one person's decision....

Where *in this thread* is any venom being spewed to those that choose not to vaccinate their children?

People are simply saying that they understand the policy of removing unvaccinated children from the school during an epidemic.

 

[ilovefh]

I think people take things too personally around here! Vax or no vax, it is your choice. Be confident in your decision and don't let it bother you if someone doesn't agree with you. I know I will vaccinate my kids unless there is a medical issue, but I won't be worried about your un-vaccinated kid getting mine sick. I will be worried about your child getting sick. I think what they're doing in B.C. is to protect the un-vaccinated kids.

When making decisions about anything we need to examine the consequences. A consequence of not vaccinating your child is they might have to stay home in the event of an outbreak, for their safety. I don't see why someone would want to willingly expose their child to a horrible disease. And I believe by requesting her daughter be able to come back early the mother in the article is willingly doing that.