This |
Her 4 yo prob doesnt have his second measles shot yet. I would talk to your ped and consider doing your second one ahead of schedule if your 4 yo is going to be around your nephew. Mine said we could do it early when there was increased transmission this year, but decided against it because rates of vaccination in the DC area are so high. |
| Your kids are vaccinated for exactly this reason - to be protected from those who aren’t. It’s absurd you want to stop the get togethers |
I would check with the ped about the four yr old. If the ped thinks there’s a risk of getting measles because the four yr hasn’t had the second shot, I would pause get-togethers with the nephew until the four yr old gets the second shot on the regular schedule. I wouldn’t get the second shot early just to make the get-togethers. |
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1/3 of post pubescent males who contract mumps end up with the virus attacking their testicles, which can result in lifelong fertility issues, not to mention a whole lot of physical discomfort. Hope your nephew never contracts any dangerous childhood diseases.
Two things to consider for the future: 1) If you were considering your nephew’s parents as guardians for your own children in the event that anything happens to you, you should probably revisit that decision. 2) If anyone in your household becomes immunocompromised in the future, in-person visits with nephew’s household should be suspended. I was just diagnosed with cancer and will be starting chemo. In your shoes, I’d miss my nephew, but I wouldn’t take unnecessary risks. |
until they aren’t |
Maybe they will, maybe they won't. This is the same complete lack of logic people use when they say "we didn't wear helmets and are fine" or "we never wore seat belts and are fine". You and your husband are complete morons, and very obviously not "highly" educated, if at all. |
Your DH likely benefitted from the herd immunity created by the vast majority of other families that vaccinated their kids. You are now contributing to the breakdown of that immunity caused by the increasing number of parents not vaccinating their kids. Your kids are not as safe as he was because of people like you. |
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The nephew is the one at risk.
Your kids are vaccinated so they are safe. |
What disease is everyone worried about? We do vaccinate against measles. |
Families like your nephew's is why my nephew and his wife are staying in Europe to have their baby, and won't come visit the US until s/he has had all vaccinations and will be safe from measles and the like |
SafER maybe, but not completely safe. My fully vaccinated niece, and several other kids, caught pertussis after spending a week away at camp with an unvaxxed teammate who turned out to be sick. |
Then what good were the 4 dtap shots they had by 5? |
This. I would not risk measles or whooping cough to make someone else feel better about their dumb choices. |
What diseases do you not vaccinate against? I can’t speak for anyone else, but those are the ones I worry about. If highly educated MEDICAL professionals have decided that a vaccine is critical enough to the protection of both the public health and that of the individual to mandate it, I am more likely to trust their judgement than yours. The recommendations are based on complications that we’ve largely forgotten about BECAUSE of the vaccines. I understand caution. I tend to be extremely (overly) cautious, myself. My kids are old enough that thimerasol hadn’t yet been ruled out as a possible cause for autism. When the schools offered thimerasol-free flu vaccines but the pediatrician’s included the preservative, I had them get the vaccine at school - BUT it wasn’t a required vaccine and they still got the vaccine. Similarly, my DD had just reached the recommended age (since they want kids to have it before they become sexually active) for the HPV vaccine when it came out. Knowing my particular daughter was nowhere near being sexually active, and with the vaccine being optional (at least at that time, I don’t know about now), I decided to wait a year in case there were problems that came to light when it was widely administered, but then she got it (and her younger sister got it on the recommended schedule). I had questions about the Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine and had a discussion with the pediatrician before my kids had that vaccine, but the doctor was able to address my concerns and they had their vaccine. Nothing is completely safe. Vaccines can have negative health effects, but those side effects are both far less severe and far less common than the possible consequences of having the actual diseases. If you have questions and concerns, discuss them with your children’s doctor, get a second opinion or even a third, but trust that they know more than you do because they are highly educated and experienced in MEDICINE, and they certainly know more than anyone you’re getting input from on social media (especially me). |