To Vaccinate or Not?? - Kansas City,MO

The only vaccination I don't agree w/ is the Chicken Pox vaccine. I may not be up to speed, but I don't think that has gotten so out of control we're reaching epidemic proportions and I don't recall reading anything stating Chicken Pox will cause life long health issues or paralysis... other than that...

VACCINATE. Just my $0.02 since you asked...

~K. =]

I vaccinated my boys both for their health, and others. Vaccination provides a safety net. The more children vaccinated, the wider the net. :)

J.

I want to echo the other women who have pleaded, suggested, recommended, etc. that you DO vaccinate your children. Like you, I try to keep myself and my family (including our home) really healthy, and that is why I adamently support vaccination. It not only protects your children, but mine and everyone else's too. Several horrible diseases have been all but eradicated, only to come creeping back because some people refuse to vaccinate children. These vaccinations, most not from live strains anyway, have been researched incredibly thoroughly and DO work. These things save lives (and do NOT cause autism). Hep B may not seem that bad, but here's what the Center for Disease Control says about it:Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus, which is called hepatitis B virus (HBV), can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.

If you do what you should and vaccinate your children (for Hep B and the other illnesses), you're not only reducing their risk of getting sick or even dying from preventable diseases, you're reducing the risk of others' children, too. Please do your part and vaccinate. I hate to sound rude, but some people go too far in pushing their own anti-establishment agenda and make bad decisions about very basic, important things, like vaccinations. Cleaning your house with baking soda and vinegar is a great idea, and can't harm your children or other children, but refusing to vaccinate can.

M.,
Good for you for considering this issue carefully, and for raising your children in as natural an environment as you can.

I recommend the book "Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide" by Aviva Jill Romm. It discusses the possible consequences of each vaccination and each disease. This is a great book to help you make an informed choice.

Since your son is 14, it may be worthwhile to do the Hep B vaccinations. He is also old enough to read about the risks and decide for himself, if you think he is mature enough to make such a decision. If nothing else, it may introduce him to a possible consequence of becoming sexually active!

We're delaying vaccinations on my daughter until she is at least two. Even then, we'll selectively vaccinate until she is a teenager and old enough to decide for herself.

M.-

I join the other women in commending you on doing your homework. I agree with the others on great resources, especially www.909shot.com. I could write forever on the subject, as so many have been mislead about how vaccinations work (in theory), whether or not they work (in practice), and their safety. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide for your children.

Good luck.

Yours in health,
Dr. Alyssa

M.,

This is a difficult decision... my husband and I have chosen to do things "naturally" like you. Here is some information my sister in law sent me...

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/vaccinations.html

Good luck!!

M.,

THANK GOD there are other moms doing their homework. I have more information on this issue (both sides) than you could read in a year. After thoroughly researching this for years, I chose to not vaccinate my children. Contact me offline anytime for support or info.
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C.

M.,

I wanted let you know about my story and what we have choosen for our family. My sister, brother and nephew are all hard of hearing or completely deaf due to the MMR vaccination. My brother did not lose his hearing until we moved back into the states and "the school" said he needed a booster of the MMR. Within 1 month he lost 70% of his hearing. He was 12 years old. My nephew the same thing but he lost all of his hearing after his first round of the MMR shot. He had a vocabulary of over 25 words at age 22 months. (My sister waited on the MMR shot thinking that this could possible be it but she was talked into getting the shot anyway) That was 15 years ago. Plus he has Ashburgers (sp) a form of autism. They all had hearing when they were born and only unitl they received the vaccination did something go terribly wrong. All this is documented in the state of IL. with the CDC. Now I can tell you that I have two beautiful girls and after TONS of research I have decided to only do the shots that are not LIVE vaccinations. i.e. MMR, Chicken Pox and the Flu. Plus I spread out the shots. There is NO time line for the vaccinations.

I like you do things as naturally as possible (except for the cleaning products so I need to talk to you about that one) but everything else is very natural. Remember M., do what is right for you and your children. Educate yourself! Also, my 7 year old is in a Christian school and they just had me sign a religious form for her to start. We are in the state of MO.

If you have questions for me just email me. I didn't want to write a book so all the details are not in here but I did want to share my story. God Bless. B.

When I had my 6 year old I caved in and did the vaccines again. I wish I hadn't. I did the first several visits until about age 2. Now I haven't done anymore and since I am homeschooling I am not in a hurray to do anymore. I'm a little undecided at this time myself.

I really believe that they can be helpful as they were designed. But as someone else pointed out, the adverse reactions are under reported. When is enough going to be enough? They are developing vaccines for so many things. What if they developed one for cancer or one for AIDS? Something tells me I'd never allow even the tiniest bit of those chemicals be put into my body. Do you know some kids actually get the chicken pox from the vaccine?

i feel your pain with vaccinations. i would suggest to do your research and do what is best for you and your family. you can always get around the school and by finding a doctor to write a letter. besides im not so sure the hep b shot is manditory (check on it). anyway i have an in home daycare and i had a mom who had her dr write a letter to exempt her child from vaccinations and it was accepted. then with her older son when he started school she decided to do shots to avoid the fight and her son had an allergic reaction to the shot - go with instinct on what it right!

Dear M.,

You have been on my mind for sometime now. I really have been thinking hard about your question. I have three children and they have all been vaccinated. I have a friend who has 10 month old and no vaccines have been given to him. I worry about him all of the time, because he is always ill. I had to break my friendship with his mother due to concerns of him being around my newest child. It really worries me. I went to my clinic and asked the lady if she had any good websites for information and she gave me one. www.cdc.gov/nip/default.htm Please go and do some research. I just hate to see your child put behind in life, and if they go to public school. It is a huge ordeal to have thier shots. Yes they put the virus in the childs body, but they do that only to protect them. Thier body gets use to it, so if the dieseas does come around they can fight it off. If thier body doesn't have the virus to get use to, they can either get really ill or possibly die. I don't want to scare you.....just think about it and do some research. Best of luck to you.

~S.

I do not believe that Hepatitis B shots are required. Just recommended. I commend you and suggest you do further research. You can call or get info from the Center for Disease Control (I think in Atlanta). They are very helpful. Look into what your son's risk factors are. I did, and I was not sure I wanted my teens to get these shots either. Good luck.

Which is the lesser of two evils?? Getting the shots, or getting the diseases? You can live as naturally as you'd like to, but you are still capable of getting sick from these awful diseases. I HATE taking my kids to get their shots, but I know I am doing everything in my power to HELP them stay healthy. The diseases we are vaccinated for are still around, it's because we get the shots that we aren't getting sick. If more people stop getting them, it will become more of a problem.

I would reccomend vaccinating, because without them we would still have Pollio amoung other debiltaiting and deadly virises that we do not have today. Many children have lost their lives from not being vaccinated. The reason they are a thing of the past is because we do vaccinate. My doctor and I spoke about this before with my two-year old. He is strongly for them as is the govenment. I don't remember a time when vaccinces were not standard, however, I worked with a women who had pollio when she was younger and could not walk without a cane. I feel if I can pervent my child from having to deal with something like that then a shot that really doesn't hurt that much is worth every penny and pain (for a minute). Just my stand point on the Vaccince I am very much for them for the health of childern everywhere.

It's a personal parental decision (I personally based mine on instinct - one of my girls got all of them & the other didn't after the 1st round because I let others pressure me into the 1st round). We homeschool, too. If it's just the Hep B he hasn't gotten, research that one and do what you DECIDE you need to (whether it's to sign the necessary papers to avoid compliance with school policy, or get the booster). If he hasn't had any of the immunizations, then you need to look into them, too, and don't be afraid to weigh them individually. Some people choose selective and/or delayed shots, some choose to do them all, some choose not to do any - all for various reasons. www.909shot.com is one place to start. www.cdc.gov has an a-z listing of diseases, including disease and FAQ pages.

Don't let anyone pressure you to do something to your kids that you don't feel is right; trust your instincts. Best of luck.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE vaccinate your children!!!!! They will not get sick from the vaccines. Granted, most unvaccinated children are protected from terrible diseases due to the large number of kids that are vaccinated, but just last year there were multiple outbreaks of mumps. Vaccines are protecting our little ones from horrible things like diptheria, polio and measles. Any and all risks associated with vaccines are FAR outweighed by potential ramifications from not vaccinating. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of vaccinating, I am sure your pediatrician can go over some of your concerns and provide you with literature to read. I read the book "A Prayer for the Dying" by Stewart O'Nan when I was pregnant with my first child. It is about a small town that is completely wiped out by a diptheria epidemic. After reading that heart-wrenching story I made it my personal mission to make sure all of my friends and family know the importance of keeping our little ones safe by making sure they get their vaccines on time! Good luck! I hope this helps!! :)

Before you vaccinate (any further), you should definitely educate yourself. First, know that in Missouri and Kansas you do not have to vaccinate your children. There are waivers for personal or religious beliefs, that allow you to abstain from vaccinating. I am not saying you should not vaccinate, I just want you to know there are options. Doctors and pediatricians are not always the most forthcoming with information related to vaccines. The CDC and AAP websites have information on vaccines. Please remember, as you read about adverse reactions on the CDC website, that adverse reactions do not always get reported to the CDC. I believe the estimate is somewhere around 10% of reactions actually get reported. www.NVIC.org is a good place for information also. I have a 16 month-old and worry about the vaccine issue too. There is so much information out there. You have to be careful to separate the fact from fiction. One more thing...there is a book called "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations" that I thought was very helpful.

It is very important to go ahead an have these vaccinations now at the age they are appropriate than to have to have them all in the summer before he enters college. Since you have him in a class at a school he needs to be immunized from this in order to comply with school regulations.

As you said you see the need for them because he could come into contact with Hepatitis anywhere not just at school.

Living organically and healthy does not mean you don't have to be responsible for pulic health issues. It is our responsibility to make sure our children don't infect other children just as much as it is intended that immigrants not infect our children. Unless you intend to live in an isolated area with no other human contact for your children's whole lives, you need to immunize.

vaccinate your children, you do not want to mess around with their health. you would feel really bad if they got really sick and you could have prevented it. i commend you on wanting to be more healthy and do whats right.......but this is to help your children..........don't put them at risk because you think you can do better............the best thing you can do is discuss it with your doctor before you do anything extreem like this.

My opinion (since you asked) is to definitely, without a doubt vaccinate. Of course you're the Mama in this situation so it is totally your right to do what you feel is best for your children.

If you live around a large metropolitan area (like St. Louis) than you have all the more responsibility to get your kids vaccinated. They are much more likely to come into contact with adults or kids from outside the US that are not vaccinated. And Hepatitis B is not some foreign disease you rarely see anymore like Tuburculosis. It's fairly common, and can be deadly. It is spread through blood contact, but I'd still vaccinate just to be safe than sorry.

I respect your decision as a mother whether or not to have your son vaccinated. Only YOU can truly decide what is best for him. With all that said, my personal opinion is to vaccinate. I would rather take the risk from the minimal side effects than to have my child affected by the full-blown disease. Just an opinion from one mother to another. Good luck!

Plain and Simple response:

Vaccinate!

I stopped getting my daughter vaccinated when she had a mild allergic reaction to the chicken pox vaccine. It wasn't an earth shattering reaction,but it made me think. Why am I getting my child vaccinated against a normal childhood illness that rarely cause anyone anymore than irritating illness. You are basically immune for life if you get the chicken pox; but, if you get vaccinated, you have to get booster shots throughout life in order to keep from getting it as an adult (chicken pox is much worse for adults than children). I started thinking about mumps, measles, and rubella. All used to be normal child hood illnesses. I have two family members who, I have since found out, been adversley affected by vaccinations. I have an autistic cousin. And a little baby cousin (9 months old) who was, shortly after being vaccinated, diagnosed with diabetes. His doctor told his mother that it was probably caused by the mumps vaccination, which actually attacks the pancreas. I must add that the child was predisposed to get diabetes, but at such a young age? My daughter is also predisposed, so I won't get her those vaccinations either.
My take is this: research each vaccination. Find out if they contain ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction in your child. Some,such as the flu shot, do still contain mercury. Be your child's advocate. Every family should have a member who isn't afraid to ask questions and do research. Make sure your child isn't sick or feverish when you take him in. Doctors don't know everything... and they tend to get caught up in their very busy days.
I take it on a blow by blow basis. If there is a polio outbreak, we'll go get vaccinated. If the bird flu comes... and they just happen to have a vaccine, we'll all go get that one. But, I'm not going to take unneccesary risks on the grounds of what ifs. The fact of the matter is that just because your child is vaccinated doesn't mean there is no possibility of getting those illnesses.
My daughter is in a public school. The state of Oklahoma allows for exemption from vaccinations on religious, medical,or personal grounds. Her school even provided us with the form. We understand that if there is an outbreak of something that she hasn't already had, she will have to miss school until the illness is gone.
Your son, being as old as he is, is more than likely past the stage when vaccinations will be excessively harmful. I'd say, do some more research, look for information that is moderate and weighs the pros AND cons, and make an informed and instinctual decision. We know our children better than anyone else.