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Preschool and Daycare Discussion
Immunizations. Is it absoultely necessary?
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Anonymous
| I haven't been getting all of the immunizations for my child. It is b/c of my fears of autism. Now it is time to start school. The school will not allow us to attend without immunizations. What should I do? Does anyone else have my fears? |
Anonymous
| Have you done your research on this topic? I think you should talk with your pediatrician. |
Anonymous
Which state are you in? In Maryland we asked for the form that allows you to check off a "religious exemption". You do not need to provide any additional details. They don't tell you that option, so you have to ask for it. Of course they'll be upset that you found out about it. |
Anonymous
Your pediatrician is required to quote the AMA party line: You must get your child fully vaccinated, or else. I think it's much more responsible as a parent to seek out both sides of the data. A pediatrician, especially in this area, will not warn you about the risk that you take with every vaccination. Each child and family is different and I therefore encourage informed choice. |
Anonymous
| You can get a waiver in most states. But how old is your child? Most people with autism fears are more comfortable with vaccines after age two or three. |
Anonymous
|
Yes. Wouldn't you be more comfortable if your child were vaccinated anyway? Children can be carriers of certain diseases even if they are vaccinated and bring them to school. If your child isn't vaccinated, he/she could get very sick. Since children get sick from all sorts of diseases during the year that they can't be vaccinated for, I think it's just a smart idea to take care of the ones that you can control.
You should also do extensive research on autism/vaccinations as PPs mentioned. |
Anonymous
|
A good book to learn more about individual vaccines and help to allay your fears is The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears.
The book explains what each vaccine does, and possible side effects. While the author is respectful of those who wish to do something other than the AMA schedule, he also is reassuring about immunizations in general and offers an alternative schedule to fully vaccinate your child. |
Anonymous
| There is a waiver for DC too. I still think getting immunizations is alright after age 3. |
Anonymous
Here are your choices: 1) Get your child immunized. 2) Keep your child out of preschool. 3) Lie and say you need a religious exemption. You have chosen not to vaccinate, because you feared the consequence of autism. Fair enough. The school chooses to require that children be vaccinated. The city or state chooses to require that attending children be vaccinated. Choices: Make yours with the knowledge that they have consequences. |
Anonymous
| PP here. I should add that I find people who use religious exemptions falsely to avoid vaccination are contemptible, so I am not actually advocating that. Some people indeed take advantage of this when they actually have no actual religious opposition, so this contemptible choice is available to you. |
Anonymous
| DH and I have an MD, PhD, and MS in various biomedical fields between us, and while recognizing that vaccines have been scientifically proven to offer waaay more benefits than risks, we think there is not enough data about the safety of the adjuvants the actual vaccines are mixed in (re: autism fears, etc). Therefore you can ask your pediatrician to stagger the shots so as to dilute the concentration of adjuvant your child receives at one time. For our child's four year immunizations, we did one shot, 2 week wait, then another shot. I recommend everyone do this for their child. |
Anonymous
Do you have citations for well-designed studies (epidemiological or otherwise) that show an autism link? I ask because I have read the research extensively and have yet to find a study that was not either anecdotal, poorly designed, or disproved. |
Anonymous
Contemptible? Really? |
Anonymous
Not the PP, but yes. They are lying about something that can hurt other children. If you think it is better for your child not to be vaccinated, that doesn't give you the right to expose other kids by lying. It is selfish, wrong, and contemptible. |
Anonymous
| Also, public schools have to grant a religious exemption, but I don't think private preschools have to grant a religious exemption. |