What are our options for getting MMR vaccine

[Anonymous]

I completely understand the fear surrounding the MMR shot . We were nervous and talked to many other parents and a varity of doctors on the subject. All of the parents gave their child the shot ( all children are fine, days, weeks, months, and years after ) We gave our boy the shot after much thought at his 12 month visit ( he is FINE! )

YOU should most definately do what is best for you. And your ped should MOST definately support your decision. BUT please look into the devistating effects fo the deseases that these shots are preventing. You do not want your child to get Measles, Mumps,or Rubella. Measles is a particularly nasty desease with life long affects. The vaccinations are there for a reason, and yes they are not perfect, but I cannot believe that all of these doctors would lie to us.

In my research I did not find any evidence to support the link to autism, all I found was fear that it might. What I want is a survey on how many people did give their child this shot and how many of those children actually have autism. The number may be lower then we realize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wow, you are totally uninformed, or just informed with all the wrong information.

I'm not exactly what you were referring to that I am supposedly uninformed about. The only thing I was commenting on was the fact that doctors don't think there is anything harmful about vaccines, and the fact that parents have the right to choose any vaccine schedule they want for their children. Which of those things am I wrong about?

Whooping cough is on the rise, because of people choosing not to vaccinate. Babies are at the most risk because they haven't received any or all of the vaccinations required.

Whooping cough in an otherwise healthy, breastfed child, is not likely to cause a severe problem. Most people in this country over the age of 50 had whooping cough when they were children.

There is currently a measles outbreak in this country, but not in this area, but in other major cities.

Do you realize that it only takes two cases of measles to be classified as an outbreak? Even with the current outbreaks, the reality is that you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than acquiring measles in the United States. In fact, you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning AND of winning the lottery, combined, than getting measles. Additionally, if you get measles, as long as you are an otherwise healthy individual, you will probably recover quickly and easily. Some people who get measles do not get any symptoms at all. NB: I am not comparing measles in this country to measles in third world countries, where it spreads easily and can harm many.

This is Autism awareness month, read up, and not on leftist activist sights, these are slanted.

And of course our doctors, whose text books and medical institutions are often funded by pharmaceutical companies, could never be slanted about this issue. And our massive governmental health organizations, who conduct studies which are often funded by pharmaceutical companies, could never be slanted about this issue. Only the parents - who have seen their own children deteriorate following a vaccine and devote their lives to researching it - could possibly be confused, biased, and slanted on this issue.

I have never had a doctor tell me there were no risks. Of course there are risks, people do have reactions to shots. The risk does not outweigh the benefits.

[Anonymous]

Where is the PP getting info from? "Some people who get measles don't have symptoms at all" ?????


From the WHO "Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known. Almost all non-immune children contract this respiratory disease if exposed to the virus. Measles is an acute illness caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. Measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and in the cells that line the lungs. It is a human disease not known to occur in animals.

Signs and symptoms

The first sign of infection is usually high fever, which begins approximately 10 to 12 days after exposure and lasts one to seven days. During the initial stage, the patient may develop a runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes and small white spots inside the cheeks. After several days, a rash develops, usually on the face and upper neck. Over a period of about three days, the rash spreads, eventually reaching the hands and feet. The rash lasts for five to six days, then fades. The rash occurs, on average, at day 14 after exposure to the virus, with a range of seven to 18 days.

Complications

Measles is often an unpleasant mild or moderately severe illness. Severe measles is particularly likely in poorly nourished young children, especially those who do not receive sufficient vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases.

Children usually do not die directly of measles, but from its complications. Complications are more common in children under the age of five or adults over the age of 20.

The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (a dangerous infection of the brain causing inflammation), severe diarrhoea (possibly leading to dehydration), ear infections and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, which is the most common cause of death associated with measles. Encephalitis is estimated to occur in one out of 1000 cases, while otitis media (middle ear infection) is reported in 5-15% of cases and pneumonia in 5-10% of cases. The case fatality rate in developing countries is generally in the range of 1 to 5%, but may be as high as 25% in populations with high levels of malnutrition and poor access to health care. People who recover from measles are immune for the rest of their lives.


People most at risk

Un-immunized young children are at highest risk for measles and its complications, including death. However, any person who has not been immunized with vaccine or through experiencing the disease can become infected.


Transmission

The highly contagious measles virus is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions., Measles tends to result in epidemics which may cause many deaths, especially among young malnourished children.

The virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for up to two hours. It can be transmitted by an infected individual from four days prior to the onset of the rash to four days after the onset. If one person has the disease, a high proportion of their susceptible close contacts will also become infected."

Have you seen someone die from measles? I have and it was not pretty. I will be vaccinating DD next month at 12 months.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for a VERY well researched and fact-filled post. As someone who has older relatives who have suffered from the effects of childhood diseases, this is much appreciated. The complications from some of these diseases are ugly - who would want to live with the guilt of a child who has gone deaf or blind or is crippled from polio.

[Anonymous]

I second that.

When my mother had measles (at the age of five), she had to stay in a room with black out curtains.

[Anonymous]

It's not just the potential link between autism and vaccines that is scary -- it's the other unknown effects of vaccines as well. For instance, there's high amounts of aluminum in many vaccines, and research hasn't tested its effects.

[Anonymous]

I have posted on this but will tell my story again for OP benefit. The problem with these vacs is there is a one size fits all mentality that just isn't realistic. We are all different and some of us have more of a suceptability to things. In my family-my brother developed measles shorty after his shot, other brother developed whooping cough shortly after his shot. I apparently had an indication that my booster shot didn't "take" (maybe those in the medical field will know what this means since we are going back thirty years) but my doctor signed the paper anyway as he told my mom there was something going on with our family and he thought it best that we stop there. Fast forward I have a dd and she gets the varicella and ..she develops chicken pox. This is all not supposed to happen by the way. My doctor was speechless since I warned him about our family and although these are live virus's, it's not supposed to happen. Keep in mind this shot took place after we agreed only to give dd two shots an appointment since she got a high fever with her first set of shots at two months. I am now waiting to give the MMR until she is 2 1/2 and I will separate and I am still nervous. We have no incidence of autism but I know that our family has something going on and I have to believe that with all these autism cases after shots, something was going on in their families as well.

Good luck with your decision but don't be swayed and go with your gut.

[Anonymous]

I can understand the concern about the other additives, but I think there is a much bigger issue today. We have BPA and other chemicals in plastic bottles and sippy cups, coating the inside of canned vegetables, even on the inside of my Diet Coke! We have chemicals in baby shampoo with fragrance. We have chemicals in baby mattresses! Hormones in beef, chicken, eggs... and on and on. I have a couple of friends who scoff at me about making some decisions to avoid these chemicals, yet make a fuss about vaccinations.

For me, I'd rather avoid the other chemicals in life and get the vaccines to keep my child from either getting really sick, injured, or dying from a childhood disease or getting anyone else sick.

[Anonymous]

We're delaying MMR until DS is 2, and getting the Chicken Pox vaccine after that, sometime before he starts preschool. My ped was fine with delaying MMR. I think they are getting this request more often. FWIW, I'm a big advocate of vaccinating, and always planned on getting DS all of them. At our last visit, we got him his Hep A and it was fine. I think many parents are not one extreme or the other, but somewhere in the middle--ie, delaying or separating.

[Anonymous]

PP-I agree. When I asked our pediatrician to delay the MMR until our son is 2, she was agreeable. He's current on all his other vaccinations and I don't delaying the shot by 7 months is going to do any harm. She would have told me otherwise. She said a lot of parents are either splitting the vaccine into 3, or delaying. I was relieved to not walk out feeling stupid!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not just the potential link between autism and vaccines that is scary -- it's the other unknown effects of vaccines as well. For instance, there's high amounts of aluminum in many vaccines, and research hasn't tested its effects.

Almost every kid in America for the last 25 years has gotten vaccinations. Vaccinations have gotten SAFER, not more dangerous. Millions and millions (if not billions) of people have gotten vaccinations without ANY effect at all. What are you talking about that there is no research? Can you point to a SINGLE instance in which it has been shown that the "aluminium" in vaccinations is dangerous?

People - measles, mumps, polio, Hepatitis - these aren't diseases you want your child to get. Do people really think there is a conspiracy or something against children? Pediatricians don't go into pediatrics for the $$$. In fact, they money is horrible. They do it for the love of children. And I don't know a single doctor who isn't pro-vaccines. Vaccines have saved MILLIONS of lives. Don't be stupid and not get your child vaccinated. If you want to pay $$$ and make your child get more shots by spreading them out, or delaying them a bit, then that is your choice. But please - don't consider not vaccinating at all.

[Anonymous]

PP-How did this turn into "not vaccinating AT ALL", when the title of the thread is clearly "Options for the MMR". I'm so sick and tired of being preached to on this board! What you do is your business. If I choose to delay the MMR-that's my families decision. Please go somewhere else to preach about vaccinations-start your own thread.

[Anonymous]

thanks so much to all those who gave suggestions. maybe i will ask my doc to delay the shots rather than separate them.

good luck to everyone...

[Anonymous]

12:15 - I think that this subject came up due to some of the interpretations of "options". Some people assumed that one option was not vaccinating.

I respect that everyone has to make their choices, but when it comes to vaccinations, unless you are going to never leave your house, then it is something that impacts our community. There are some people who truly cannot be vaccinated due to medical conditions, but for everyone else, we need to get vaccinated so that we don't end up with outbreaks of very serious diseases. Choices that don't impact others, like what your child eats, are up to you. Choices that can harm others are not solely up to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:15 - I think that this subject came up due to some of the interpretations of "options". Some people assumed that one option was not vaccinating.

I respect that everyone has to make their choices, but when it comes to vaccinations, unless you are going to never leave your house, then it is something that impacts our community. There are some people who truly cannot be vaccinated due to medical conditions, but for everyone else, we need to get vaccinated so that we don't end up with outbreaks of very serious diseases. Choices that don't impact others, like what your child eats, are up to you. Choices that can harm others are not solely up to you.

We were discussing one shot in particular, the MMR. This thread was started to discuss options, not vaccinating. Where do you get off on telling me my choices can harm others? My pediatrician didn't have a problem with delaying the MMR for 7 months, so why should you? Are you a doctor???