Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Here's a recent article from the WSJ around doctors who refuse to service families refusing to vaccinate their children as they find it a hazard to other children in the waiting room. One family was refused by five practices and had to resort to seeing a family friend who would treat the child when necessary.
As I mentioned in a previous post - I had chicken pox while pregnant. I remember leaving my doctor's office one day and I had 3 tiny blisters over my eye that itched. I scratched them (and now have tiny scars) and then over the next couple of days came down with flu-like symptoms. Then came the horrible rash!
Believe it or not - doctors couldn't tell what it was! It's not really common to see chicken pox in adults. Meanwhile - I kept ending up for overnight stays in the hospital because the chicken pox was causing me to go into labor at only 6 months into my pregnancy. I was also making doctor's visits. And because no one told me I had chicken pox (because DOCTORS didn't know and I certainly didn't know what it was!) I was around OTHER PREGNANT WOMEN! Once I was told I had chicken pox you would think I was a leper. Every time I ended up in the hospital they gave me a private room and everyone would wear a surgical mask around me - they even made ME wear one. I also received a visit from a representative of Social Diseases. She questioned me as to where I was and what did I do in the weeks prior to actually having the pox. Like I could remember!
Upon more doctor's visits - I had to use a back entrance (and wear a surgical mask). I couldn't help thinking at the time - please God! Please don't let me have infected anyone! Chicken pox can be deadly in utero and I already explained in my previous post what I was told by doctors how my own baby could be affected (thank God she wasn't). I had to take Brethine (sp?) - a smooth muscle relaxer for asthma to stop my pre-term labor I mentioned. I was on pills and they would give me shots of it when the pills didn't work. My heart rate was always right at 120 bpm - VERY uncomfortable for a pregnant woman! And my girl was literally doing flips in my belly. I pray every day that the Brethine doesn't affect her in some way. You know how they find things out YEARS later sometimes!
I was fortunate my daughter was okay - but I am head-to-toe scars. I am very grateful no doctor refused to treat me, but I am all for doctors refusing to treat people who refuse vaccination. Look at everything I went through and the danger chicken pox posed to both me and my daughter. Chicken pox may not be terrible for young kids, but for babies and adults it is VERY dangerous.
So to all of you parents who think you're doing good by not immunizing your children - guess again. I certainly don't appreciate what happened to me. And now that there's a vaccine for chicken pox that has been around for a while now - it is absolutely unneccessary for anyone to go through what I did. As a matter of fact, I WOULD press a lawsuit and jail time for someone who didn't immunize their kid(s) and something happened to mine for it.
Fromt he WSJ article "Pamela Felice, who lives in an Atlanta suburb, had difficulty finding a pediatrician for her two children though they have waivers from a previous pediatrician exempting them from school requirements for immunizations. Her older child had gastrointestinal trouble and regressed development after receiving vaccines, she said, which she believes were related to the shots. "
Her child had GI trouble and showed signs of regression which "She" believes were related to the shots. Here's the problem....what medical school did she graduate from? Sure, after my kids had their vaccines, they were a little grumpy and didn't feel quite right, but a day later they were fine. Also, they had a waiver from another Dr. He should lose his license IMO. I believe people should challenge a Dr and get second opinions, but there's too many people thinking they know what they're talking about and don't know all the facts.
Are the schoold buying into this? Are they accepting waivers (medical / religious)? I think if more non vaccinators are forced to keep their kids at home and homeschool it would turn this whole situation around.
No one else is at risk from my children not being vaccinated--you can't catch a disease from someone who doesn't have the disease.
So you're relying on everyone else getting THEIR vaccinations so you don't have to get them for your child. Good logic.
Once more and more people start opting out, then the likelihood of your child contracting a disease will skyrocket.
I don't get out much or I missed the controversy over to immunize or not ... can someone please enlighten me on the reasons for all the negativity from new parents relative to immunizations?
My children could not start school without their shot records (immunizations.) There was even ads on TV no shots - no school.
Are children dying from the inoculations? Having allergic reactions? What has brought about this controversy?
I don't get out much or I missed the controversy over to immunize or not ... can someone please enlighten me on the reasons for all the negativity from new parents relative to immunizations?
Google "vaccine safety" or "vaccines and autism" and you will find more information than you ever cared to find and most of it conflicting.
I can only assume the OP doesn't vaccinate her children because she believes they may cause autism. I notice that she hasn't been back but once to clarify her position.
I wasn't totally thrilled about vaccinating my child and, in fact, did look into an alternate vaccine schedule because I didn't want my infant/toddler to be subjected to sometimes three or more vaccines at a time. That I can understand. Choosing to not vaccinate at all and depending on the general population to, in essence, cover your kids is irresponsible.
Google "vaccine safety" or "vaccines and autism" and you will find more information than you ever cared to find and most of it conflicting.
I can only assume the OP doesn't vaccinate her children because she believes they may cause autism. I notice that she hasn't been back but once to clarify her position.
I wasn't totally thrilled about vaccinating my child and, in fact, did look into an alternate vaccine schedule because I didn't want my infant/toddler to be subjected to sometimes three or more vaccines at a time. That I can understand. Choosing to not vaccinate at all and depending on the general population to, in essence, cover your kids is irresponsible.
Thank you .... interesting as I was discussing with my neighbor recently the large number of cases of autism now. My neighbor helps out a friend of hers keeping her child a couple of days a week. The child is autistic. I have noticed on the CD board many parents have autistic children. It seems the numbers have increased.
Just as a point of clarification. There was a study about the link of vaccinations and autism that was sensationalized by the media, it was later retracted and found out not to be true, this was not as well reported.
Thank you .... interesting as I was discussing with my neighbor recently the large number of cases of autism now. My neighbor helps out a friend of hers keeping her child a couple of days a week. The child is autistic. I have noticed on the CD board many parents have autistic children. It seems the numbers have increased.
I know I will get flack for this, but I think it should be up to each parent, regarding immunization. Don't they now have less dangerous shots that do not contain mercury? I am old and remember the kids who got polio from the school's compulsory polio shots. People who have had such shots during childhood and had adverse reactions are followed during their entire lives with the threat of a new outbreak.
Proponents of vaccination site statistics about 'herd' immunization. Well, yes, we are just animals in a herd and years back nature would foster better future generations by letting the weaker ones die off.
We don't want to do this to our young, and if the vaccines are proven safe, they are a good thing, but we should think about the miracles of modern science and how we are, for successive generations, keeping people with genetic ailments alive longer, who intermarry and I am wondering if this could be partially to blame for the upswing in things like diabetes today. Just a thought.
I've worked as a nurse in public schools in several states. I've seen the increase in requests for exemptions. I think it's based on autism fears. As a parent, I can understand the anxiety, but immunizations are very necessary! I've seen or been very aware of outbreaks of pertussis, measles, rubella and mumps in adults and children. I've also dispensed TB medication in many, many schools to kids that must be treated by law. Careful documentation is kept and reviewed by the health department. Anyone want another TB outbreak? You'd be amazed how many people are still treated for TB. There is no vaccine for TB, but we do have treatments now.
I've had educated parents tell me "There is no polio anymore- I don't want MY kid to get the shot". I've also seen some really lame religious exemptions written by doctors too. I guess some states will take these lame exemptions.
People travel the world regulary nowadays and many countries have lax or no vaccine policies. You and your children will definitely be in contact with non- vaccinated people....so it's a really bad gamble to skip vaccines...kind of like driving without your seatbelt.
I've worked as a nurse in public schools in several states. I've seen the increase in requests for exemptions. I think it's based on autism fears. As a parent, I can understand the anxiety, but immunizations are very necessary! I've seen or been very aware of outbreaks of pertussis, measles, rubella and mumps in adults and children. I've also dispensed TB medication in many, many schools to kids that must be treated by law. Careful documentation is kept and reviewed by the health department. Anyone want another TB outbreak? You'd be amazed how many people are still treated for TB. There is no vaccine for TB, but we do have treatments now.
I've had educated parents tell me "There is no polio anymore- I don't want MY kid to get the shot". I've also seen some really lame religious exemptions written by doctors too. I guess some states will take these lame exemptions.
People travel the world regulary nowadays and many countries have lax or no vaccine policies. You and your children will definitely be in contact with non- vaccinated people....so it's a really bad gamble to skip vaccines...kind of like driving without your seatbelt.
I know I sound crass at times, but I think people believe it is like playing roulette. Chances are that any individual child will not suffer ill effects from a vaccine, but if they do - if the kid ends up autistic - not to mention how the poor child suffers, but the entire family is horribly disrupted, probably irreparably. There is no government agency that will take these kids into an environment suited for treating and educating such children. The family bears the entire horror of centering all their resources around this one sorry incident for years and years. They will never be the same.
So I think they weigh this against their kid getting a mild case of the measles or something and opt out.
I think they also consider that they are healthy and have a good diet. People who come here with these diseases from poor countries are not so fortunate. People in this country think there is a lesser chance of them contracting such diseases because of their good health.
If it is so important to have 'herd' resistance to these diseases, why does the government not shell out the extra bucks to make safer vaccines and not try to put a guilt trip on the parents who opt out of the current cheaper vaccines? Clearly, there is a compromise in this issue.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
