Mmr Jab...worrying News

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34335509

The entirely discredited scare story of a decade ago still seems to have an influence. According to the link, in some areas, vaccination has fallen to less than 80%.

Why are people not taking the advice of health visitors and their GPs ? Its a no brainer to me !

[Old_Geezer]

Not unexpected given that the Government of the day point blank refused the people's demand to be offered the alternative. Breaks down trust with an arrogant authority.

[Retrochic]

jim - it is nigh on impossible to buy the separate vaccines even if you go private . Its even hard now to get a full course of polio vaccine without the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines included. Personally I would rather deal with the consequences of a child contracting one of these diseases that put something into my child on purpose, not knowing that it was 100% safe.

[Retrochic]

^^^ I have to add that all my children have been vaccinated against Polio and Tetanus I have no problem with those particular vaccines.

[EcclesCake]

Retro, what in life do you consider to be 100% safe?

[jim360]

I can't say I understand why that would be a worry over vaccines in particular -- rather than, say, foods or drinks or dirt the children play in, etc etc etc. In particular I can't understand this obsession with "100% safe". Nothing is ever 100% safe. Ever. It's setting an impossible standard, so no wonder vaccines fall short. But the difference between how safe vaccines are and "100% safe" is almost vanishingly small compared with the difference between how protected your child is from the relevant diseases with or without the vaccine.

I'm not ignorant of the risks of vaccines -- some people do have a bad reaction. My mum hates needles with a passion, perhaps because (she tells me) she had such a bad reaction to the BCG vaccine (or possibly the tester) that her heart briefly stopped, so that I very nearly may not even have been here to rant about how safe vaccines are. I myself didn't feel too brilliant after getting vaccinated against Meningitis C, although I can't remember how bad or not it was (maybe just a bit of a faint spell). It's still the case that the risks are outweighed massively by the benefits.

[Mamyalynne]

Jim , re the 100% safe- as I said we know its impossible but we try.

[naomi24]

Jim, //It's still the case that the risks are outweighed massively by the benefits. //

Not to the people affected.

[Retrochic]

you can't put all vaccinations in the same boat - one has to weigh up the odds - the MMR measles mumps and rubella -well for me personally the implied risk outweighs the seriousness of the diseases, while vaccinating against Polio and Tetanus is important as the diseases are so serious. I have had the rabies vaccinations -don't know if this is a potentially harmful vaccine but I'd be dead now if I hadn't had it.

[Prudie]

I note that a lot of the people on this thread saying parents were 'stupid'or hadn't done a risk assessment have either not had kids yet or have never had them or weren't having them at the time of the scare. If it were your own child you might not all be quite so pedantic. I also chose not to let my daughter have the MMR because the risk, however small, was not one i wanted to take. And to add a comment so some of you can 'sigh', like I'm sure many on here I've had mumps, measles and rubella. They were expected childhood illnesses.

[Old_Geezer]

Aye had all three; although I don't recall it commonly being called rubella in my day. One left me with imperfect vision, another with a small number of pock marks, not too many thank goodness.

[Prudie]

No OG it was German Measles, presumably non-PC now.

[jim360]

"If it were your own child you might not all be quite so pedantic."

Well, perhaps. Or perhaps not -- for myself I know that yet another inflated media scare story wouldn't sway my decision to get any potential children vaccinated. For those who did live through those times, with children, and went the other way, perhaps they have a different perspective, and that's understandable. But sometimes, I think, it actually is better to be emotionally detached from a decision. It's clear what should be done, based on the overwhelming balance of evidence, in terms of vaccination or not. And then, once that's settled, that it's your child or not should be neither here nor there. Of course, it's never so simple as that, but asking the question, "what would I advise someone else to do?" seems a good approach to me. And then you may as well follow your own advice at least once.

[naomi24]

//asking the question, "what would I advise someone else to do?" seems a good approach to me. And then you may as well follow your own advice at least once. //

I wouldn't presume to advise someone else. I wouldn't want that responsibility.

[Peter Pedant]

Nigh
The doctor whose wife wouldnt get her child vaccinated -the doctor is obliged to recommend vaccination ( as it so obviously works whereas not vaccinating so obviuously doesnt )

hence the whole story I found shocking - it is OK for my practice but not for my children

//Not unexpected given that the Government of the day point blank refused the people's demand to be offered the alternative.//
-
The alternative is an obvious inferior - single vaccines dont work as well and are unlicensed here anyway and the imiss-out rate is higher - so there is no obligation to offer a crap inferior

By the way - who wants to send their child to a school where there are cases amongst the unvaccinated ? - or should the unvaccinated children be excluded during outbreaks ?

Big thing in America currently

[Retrochic]

Jim - are you making a decision on 'Evidence' or 'Propaganda'. After the war parents were encouraged to feed their children high fat foods and sugar -people were encouraged to smoke to relieve bronchial problems! The MMR vaccinations are for mild childhood diseases that the majority of children will get and come out the other side naturally immune. Of course some children with underlying medical problems may benefit from having these vaccines but do the majority need them? Should you be made to feel guilty because you opt out? There is no 'evidence' that these vacs are safe as its been discussed its nigh on impossible to know if the vacs have caused problems in children, or whether the children would have had these problems if not vaccinated.

[Retrochic]

Peter -I have had four children in three different countries and only in the UK was I advised to have the child vaccinated but when I said no I was asked 'why', asked them if they had half an hour to spare which they obviously didn't and it was left at that. We are not talking about the ruddy Plague here -its measles - and mumps -a couple of weeks off school and lots of ice-cream.

[jim360]

Consider it an abstract advice then, Naomi. In most circumstances involving medical advice, the only concrete advice I'd give would be to ask the doctor anyway. But since I view vaccinations as best for children and society, then it follows to me at least that the child being mine makes not a ha'penn'orth of difference. As long as the decision is made honestly and with the best interests of the child in mind it has to be up to the parents, though. While I think it's sad that some people choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children, it remains their right.

[Retrochic]

jim -surely its 'sad' when parents blindly take the advice of people without looking into it. Most people who refuse to vaccinate have done their own research and thought long and hard about it -most people who vaccinate do it because someone has told them to -that is sad.

[naomi24]

Jim, I wouldn't give anyone 'abstract' advice on this matter either. As you say, it has to be up to the parents.