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Influenze outbreak
From Brittanica online


Vaccinations have been on my mind quite a bit lately.


First of all, there's the fact that I'm getting DD and SI enrolled in pre-school for the fall, and that means... vaccination records.  And the fact that next week they have their two and a half year well check up, at which they're scheduled for Hep B shots.

And then there's the ongoing birth control debate going on around the country.  And frankly, I think these two issues are related.

Allow me to explain.

There are a lot of things that are going unspoken by the (mostly) men who are arguing against birth control.  And they're the same sort of (mostly) unspoken things that, reading or listening between the lines, you hear from people who don't believe in vaccinating their children.

"Nobody dies from pregnancy or childbirth."
From the CDC

You hear these politicians talking about how rare it is that a pregnancy *really* jeopardizes the health of the mother.  And yet...

Over the last decade, the maternal mortality rate in the United states has doubled.  DOUBLED.

There are probably a lot of reasons for this, from inadequate prenatal care to the rising rate of c-sections.  But that doesn't change the fact that, yeah, women die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.  And twice as many American women are doing it as they did ten years ago.

Which brings me back to vaccinations.  I personally know several mothers who don't vaccinate their kids because, "Nobody dies of the measles."

Educated women.  Empowered women.  Women of my age, with many of the same life experiences that I have.

The children of my generation were pretty much all vaccinated.  I never had the experience of losing a classmate or a sibling to a preventable disease.  I never knew a child who was effected by polio.  I never even heard stories about, "a friend of a friend of my cousin's neighbor" who had a baby brother or sister that died of whooping cough.

And so for mothers of my generation in particular, vaccination can seem... unnecessary.  Why give my children shots- shots that will hurt them- so that they won't ever get a thing that just isn't a big deal anymore anyway?

And then there's the belief that vaccinations are linked to Autism.  Beliefs caused by a scam artist who has since recanted his so-called research, but who's claims traveled far and wide.

And then there's the fear of side effects.
Scary.

And then there's the issue of what the hell is in this shot anyway?

Vaccinating is a hard decision to make.  It's impossible to be 100% informed with a simple layman's pharmacological vocabulary.  It's hard not to be scared at the idea that you're intentionally putting something that you know to be harmful into your child's body.  It's hard not to feel guilty about causing your child pain by stabbing them with a needle.  It's hard not to feel vicarious terror at the idea of being stabbed by a needle yourself.  Needles are scary.

I still firmly believe that it's the right thing to do.

I believe that because there is a reason that nobody I know died from polio, or measles.

There's a reason that I look at adults with shingles and cringe at the idea of that ever being me or my child.

I have been so fortunate to grow up in a society that has come so close to eradicating these diseases.  But they're not gone.  And there are important lessons about disease that we can learn from history.

Like that a society that has never been exposed to a disease is more likely to be utterly decimated by that disease if they ever cross paths.  (Think Native Americans and smallpox.  Or European colonizers in South America and Yellow Fever.)

That it is easier to keep children alive when "common childhood illnesses" don't include measles, scarlet fever, or mumps.  Or smallpox.

These are all diseases that we don't have to have.  That we don't have to worry about dying from.  And that's because of vaccination.
Name that disease
Photo from Brittanica

When the girls' pediatrician first approached me about the chicken pox vaccine, I laughed and said, "I'll think about it."  After all, I had the chicken pox as a kid.  My sisters had it.  Everyone I knew had it.  And we were all fine.  I called my mother and I told her, "This vaccination thing is getting totally out of hand. Do you know they're vaccinating against chicken pox?!"

And she told me about how when she was a child her baby brother had nearly died of chicken pox.  How many children actually did.  And then she told me why so many parents back in my childhood would try so hard to get their kids infected by other kids.  It's because if you get chicken pox as an adult, it's 20 times more likely to kill you- and it never goes away.  You have shingles for the rest of your life.

I did a little research, and I learned that chicken pox related deaths have gone down 88% since the introduction of the vaccine.  And that is a staggering figure for less than two decades of work.

So yes, my children got that shot, too.

I'm going to be perfectly frank.  I hate getting my kids their shots.  I hate holding them down while a nurse stabs them with a series of large needles.  I hate listening to them scream and cry.  I hate that I am responsible for that.  I hate having to lie and tell them that it's not scary, when I know it's scary.  I hate pretending that I'm not scared.  I hate being complicit in their pain, when they simply cannot understand why on earth anyone would want to intentionally hurt them.

I would so much rather that I am occasionally responsible for that trauma than that they die.  For any reason.

If I could get them vaccinated against being hit by a truck, I would do it.  No matter how many injections it took.

When they're pre-teens, I'll be sure to get them vaccinated against HPV.  Because that's a whole category of cervical cancers that they won't get and need to be cured of.  Or die from.
Name that disease
Photo from NIH

If I could get them vaccinated against AIDS, you could bet your ass I'd do it in a heartbeat.  And thankfully, that day may be nearer than I previously believed.

It doesn't matter to me how unlikely it is that they'll be exposed to the measles, or to any other disease for that matter.

What it comes down to is that a case of the measles today is more dangerous that it was fifty years ago.  Not because the disease was more virulent.  Not because the medicine for treating it was better- it's better now.  What it comes down to is that fifty years ago, everybody knew what it looked like.

There's a fever.  There's a runny nose and a cough.  There's red, watery eyes.  That's before the rash shows up.  A rash I definitely couldn't identify on sight- to me the pictures of it look a lot like roseola.  With proper medical care, the mortality rate due to these former "common childhood ailments" is very, very low.  But there are other effects- measles can leave your child blind.  If you're pregnant, rubella can cause horrific defects in your baby.  Diphtheria can make your child fall into a coma.

And we've come so close to actually wiping out these diseases that I just simply wouldn't recognize them.  And neither, most likely, would their doctor.  She's probably never had a kid in her office with diphtheria.

I understand why many parents choose not to vaccinate.  Fear.

Fear of the side effects.

Fear of the pain.

Fear of the responsibility.

I share that fear.
Name that disease
Photo from Brittanica

My fear of my children dying from something preventable is simply greater than my fear of those other things.  Despite the fact that the vaccination is a certain source of pain, and the disease itself so much less certain.

What is certain is that I want to let my children play with other children, without worrying if those children have been to events like the Superbowl, where apparently you can pick up the measles.  Or if they've visited a country with less successful vaccination campaigns.

I want to let Grandmommy and Poppa play with their grandkids when they fly in from South Africa, or China, or any other corner of the globe, without wondering who they might have been exposed to at an airport or train station.

I want to take my children to visit other children, without fear that my children might be the ones spreading disease.

And yes, I'm afraid of making my children sick by giving them shots filled with toxic chemicals.

I am so much more frightened of rubella.  I am so much more frightened of my toddlers spreading pertussis to their new baby sister when she's here.

I'm not ignorant of the risks.  I know there are risks.  I know that every year, many children do die as a result of complications from vaccines.

I also know that the number of children who die from measles, mumps, rubella, polio, meningitis, and the flu is exponentially greater.
Name that disease
Google images

Do I hate myself for vaccinating my children?  While it's happening, yeah, I do.

But from the moment of their first watery post-shot smile onward, I am grateful.  There is so much to worry about as a parent.  There are so many dangers.  I absolutely cannot protect my children against all of them.

But I can protect my children against a growing list of diseases that could harm them- that could cause them permanent disability or death, or even just a few really awful weeks or months of illness.

I am afraid.  We are all afraid.  Parenting is terrifying.  But we all do the best that we can.  And I believe that the best that I can do includes vaccinating my children.

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Comment by Lexi on April 13, 2012 at 4:57am
Vaccines are just a way for the pharmaceutical companies to make money. They don't care about any of the side effects such as autism. They'll just deny it and sweep it under the rug. Vaccines are much different now than they were a decade ago. There's more crap in them and more vaccines are combined which is causing problems. Some vaccines aren't even necessary such as hep b. is your newborn going to be having sex or exchanging needles any time soon? I certainly hope not. I don't think anyone should bash those moms who don't vaccinate their children. They don't bash you for risking your child's mental and even physical health by vaccinating yours.
Comment by mama0313 on April 12, 2012 at 2:51pm

yeah that's what i think, they wanted to test it on me. i was young and broke so i would go to the county health department for all my paps etc. they could see that i'd been coming there for years and i'm sure they knew they could track my health history and reaction to it there. i don't beleive the government is out for our best interest at all so i didn't take it. what was that thing about them giving black men aids to see what happens years ago and that has recently blown up....yeah that's what i mean and that is what scares me. "we are from the government and we're here to help" lol. there is alot of stuff out there, alot to make you paranoid, i know i am from time to time.

Comment by Val Wiggins on April 12, 2012 at 9:23am

The HPV vax is still in the testing phase... they don't know if it will prevent cancer or not.  It theoretically prevents from ONE of the many ways to get ovarian cancer, but how do you test such a vaccine?  Do they follow up with the girls for the rest of their lives to see if they get cancer?  No.  I'm surprised the FDA allows them to make the strong claims they do in the ads. 

Great posts about the HPV.  There's a movie about the vaccine controversy that covers the story of a teen who wanted the HPV vax so badly - as a result of advertising targeting young women to get the shot and be one less to be cancer free. 

http://www.greatergoodmovie.org/home  -has the trailer

Comment by mama0313 on April 11, 2012 at 4:55pm

yeah if it was 26 as the cutfoff then that was 4 years ago for me and i had never heard of it til then. and i make sure i always get my paps sooo i thought it was strange that all of a sudden i "need" this or bad things might happen to me lol. maybe it's good for some people but from what i understood i in no way needed it. i was married and haved been with only my husband for several years so it didn't seem like i was in their at risk group at all. and none of their risk factors fitted me. i'm with you, i'm not going to be their guinea pig on a shot that's so new, esp one that doesn't fit my lifesystle - even though it was free.

Comment by Shannon, Star Mom on April 11, 2012 at 2:50pm

Mama0313- I too was being pushed to get that vaccine at my last couple pap tests (I think 26 was the last age I could get it, and I just turned 27 in Feb.).  I was and still am unsure of it, I think it's too new and I would like to see over the next couple years or more what happens with this vaccine.  I thought the 26 cut off was a bit unusual too, so I did some research.  Apparently (from what I briefly read back then) the vaccine was only tested on adults up to 26 years old b/c the virus is so widespread it is likely that by that age many adults have come in contact with many of the different strains of HPV that gardisil is supposed to protect against... so basically it is unknown how it could potentially affect anybody past that age.  I think they were, or are in the process of testing the groups of 26+. 

Comment by mama0313 on April 11, 2012 at 2:30pm

what i think is odd is that hpv shot. one day, a couple years ago, out of nowhere they are wanting to give me this shot while i'm getting a pap. i'm like ummm, no thank you! the more they explained the less sense they made. they told me it was the last year i could get the shot to protect myself, didn't make any sense at all to me. i figured i'd do fine for almost 30 years so what's the point?? i've read about it some online and i don't think it's something i will get for lo, i wouldn't and didn't get it for myself. i am weary about new meds/shots because of all the "if you took....and it gave you....you might have a case against..." anyone know more about that one?

Comment by Becoming SuperMommy on April 11, 2012 at 1:06pm

@Val Wiggins:

Absolutely, I knew about the hazards of vaccines as an adult.  All the better reason to aim for childhood vaccination instead.

And yes, I am very familiar with the work of Dr. Sears.  While I think much of his philosophy is good (I hesitate to call myself an "attachment parent," but I certainly breast fed my twins, co-slept, and wore them), I think that he definitely falls in the category of sources that don't stand up to scrutiny.  If you want to talk about an authority figure being motivated by money rather than fact, I'd say he's at the top of my list.

I agree with you- no professional is ever 100% correct.  No source is 100% reliable.

But I, like you, chose to inform myself and make the decisions I thought best for my children.  We came to different conclusions, and obviously feel very strongly about them.

The most important thing is that we do what is best for our children.  And nobody can determine that better than us.  This is not a matter of right/wrong, we can both be right.

And I think, for the most part, we are.

I'm just glad that people on both sides of this issue are moving forward with a desire for honesty and safety.

Comment by Shannon, Star Mom on April 11, 2012 at 10:24am

I have always been weary about the medical field.  Simply from my own experiences and those around me, I have seen many doctors do not deal with their patients case by case- they look at us patients as a group of people they treat.  My doctors and my children’s doctors have made so many mistakes that I don't trust a doctor to just treat me or my child and that be the end of it (one example- when it was time to start school, it was realized my daughters pediatricians office missed administering about 4 vaccines she should have gotten a couple years back- so that tells me just how important are each of these vaccines, and pretty much any medical treatment, to the office treating my daughter?).  That is literally just the tip of the iceberg in my experiences, but I question everything and I do my own research with regard to me and my children and the doctors 'recommendations'.  I look at the information/diagnosis/medication they provide me as simply a recommendation or advice, but I will make the final say so at the end of the day.  There are some vaccinations that I do not think there is enough info out there on, and I do plan to hold out on some until I do see more info unfold.  I don't really share many of my experiences or beliefs, b/c I know they pertain solely to my experiences and me and my children individually... and I would rather not hinder anyone else's thoughts or beliefs, I think each person should do their own research and go by their own experiences.  I can understand both sides of the fence when it comes to vaccination, and although many of us are in disagreement with each other- we do all have one thing in common, and that is doing whatever it takes for what we believe will protect our children.  You can’t knock another parent for doing what they believe to be best for their children (and I’m not talking to the poster- just to people in general).  We are all capable of doing our own research, and that is the one thing I would tell anybody when it comes to medical advice- do your own research.  It’s difficult, b/c anyone can come up with a ‘theory’ and suddenly it’s news and broadcasted across the media.  So, you also need to be careful of what is based on facts, and what is based on theory… and are the proposed facts tested properly and based on hard scientific evidence?  There are a lot of things to look at, but by doing research on top of research you can begin to place what is factual and what is questionable.  Anyway, and I am not underestimating doctors or the medical professionals by no means, they have also done many miraculous things… but they are also still human and therefore DO make mistakes.  So, my point basically is we (as parents) have the highest most ultimate interest in the well being of our children, and yes we too are capable of making mistakes, but we are also capable of becoming informed by all the medical information out there as it pertains to each of our children individually and therefore absolutely nothing should stop us from taking those steps to research. 

Comment by Val Wiggins on April 11, 2012 at 3:12am

@ Becoming SuperMommy Responding to your post one issue at a time...

"Val Wiggins- you make some good points, but you also make a lot of bad points. You describe children contracting diseases "naturally" as rare..." Just to clarify, I'm discussing contraction of vaccine preventable diseases in the U.S. It is rare. For parents who would love to find a chicken-pox party to get natural immunity for their kids like the old days - it's nearly an impossibility.

"...and imply that is is not rare for children to get diseases from vaccinations... which is *also* rare." I actually know more people who have contracted the vaccine-preventable diseases or a version thereof from the vaccine or from caring for a child who was recently vaccinated for that disease, than from any other way. I'm speaking of my personal experience. Once my son got the serious measles infection from his shots - that affected his brain - suddenly all my neighbors and friends from church and the University began telling me their stories. 'Did I ever tell you that I got lockjaw from my tetanus shot?' 'I had 3 of my kids get chicken pox from their vaccine'. 'I get the flu from my flu shot every year, but they say it's a lesser version than what I'd have gotten otherwise - but scientifically, how can they prove such a statement? I'm sick for at a least a week!' After my 2nd child developed lesions in her mouth & throat going down her GI tract, and lesions in her rectum going up her GI tract - following a Hep B shot as a baby... My doctors and nurses weren't so convinced that a child couldn't get Hep B from the shot. I ran immune profiles on myself to see if there was a reason that I have children sensitive to the vaccines - and found that I have a chronic case of Rubella from my adult MMR received to go overseas. BTW - did you know that the only KNOWN way to get autism, is from a pregnant mother infected with Rubella? Did you know that getting the shot in childbearing years increases your risk of having a child with autism? It's standard, accepted mainstream info - but never mentioned again once the childhood vaccine controversy included autism. http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/autismrubella.pdf (or look in the old PDR, Physician's Desk Reference, and it will state that Rubella infection in a pregnant mom can lead to blindness or developmental disorders such as autism). You may want to check the data - the National Vaccine Information Center uses the Freedom of Information Act to gather data on reported adverse events of vaccines. The CDC estimates that less than 10% of cases are actually reported, but the reports that are turned in are highly informative. I found out that 64 children died from my son's lot of MMR. Over 1,000 children developed seizures after the lot of Hep B given to my daughter. Neither lot were recalled, as it is general practice not to recall vaccine lots - since the CDC doesn't require pharmaceutical companies to disclose the size of the lot - so 64 deaths might be a pretty small number... ???

"You also say that the standard things that parents do when a child comes down with an illness- like giving them fever suppression medication- will hurt a child with these diseases. As I attempted to point out above, most parents (myself included) would respond to a child spiking a mystery fever with Tylenol- unaware that they were actually looking at a potentially fatal disease. After all, with measles that rash shows up *after* the first fever breaks. At that time, my (and many parents') first attempts to help my child would in fact make their condition worse." -Typically, it is aspirin that is contraindicated to worsen the diseases according to the mainstream, and the others are considered acceptable - but after actually reading the literature available on fevers and fever reducers http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fever.html I know that even gov scientists and doctors don't necessarily think reducing fever immediately is a sound idea, if you look at the science. Most doctors placate parents or make them feel empowered by telling them the safest way to administer fever reducers, but science and logic state that you should step back and allow that fever to trigger the immune system - while 'cooking' the disease out through the liver/kidneys. It's science... don't knock it till you become as informed as possible. You make a great point, however, people are uninformed about the fever issue. I wish more medical professionals trusted parents with the facts - to monitor the fever on their own and only intervene with complications... but most docs are more concerned about avoiding lawsuits than educating parents. We do live in that kind of a world. I'm glad you brought up the 'elbow jerk' reaction most parents are trained to do - by offering tylenol at the non-threatening stage of fevers.

"Yes, nearly all polio cases contracted *in* the United States are a result of poor vaccine reactions. But polio is still a problem abroad, and if you plan (or even don't plan) on your children being exposed to either those places or people who have been in those places, you should be aware that there are risks associated with that kind of global lifestyle. In our case, my parents travel abroad extensively (my father works out of South Africa- with regular travel to a variety of Asian nations), and my grandparents live in Spain. As a result, on any given trip they are exposed to everyone at a variety of international airports. If I want them to to be able to interact with my children, it is only safe to ensure that anything that they might bring home with them- from souvenirs to cold- don't pose a threat because my child lacks an immunity that I can provide them with." My parents live in South Africa. Before that, Austria/Switzerland. My family moved to Vienna while I was still in High School. I took my Hieroglyph & Arabic classes in Egypt (Luxor) and took my Hebrew, Greek, and Bible Classes in Jerusalem, next to the Hebrew University on the Mount of Olives. I lived in Yugoslavia as a volunteer missionary during wartime, and I lived in East Germany as a missionary after the wall came down - from 1991-93. I suppose everyone chooses their fears - which is why... as I posted before... I choose to study the diseases - how to treat them and avoid complications - because even vaccination does not protect people from the diseases 100% of the time. I don't want to be ignorant or believe I've done everything I can by getting one fallible - man-made product injected into me. My parents studied the vaccines and diseases- and did chose to get protection against Malaria after prayer and fasting. But it was their active choice, not a passive deference to get every injection suggested by those who endorse those products.

"For some families, vaccination is impossible. Some children have immune disorders and rely on herd immunity."  -Many people don't find out that they can't be vaccinated safely till after their first or even 3rd bad reaction.  I believed so strongly in the vaccines, I continued vaccinating even though my child got deathly ill every time.  After the brain damage, we determined to stop vaccinating him, but still allowed my daughter to be vaccinated.  Her reaction was severe, and she was a newborn.  The doctors do not know all of the conditions that make a child susceptible to a vaccine reaction - so people need to have that choice even if they don't have a documented medical reason. 

"Some families choose not to vaccinate for other reasons. But I have yet to read an argument against vaccination that remains compelling after investigating the research and sources behind it." I have read and studied so much - I suppose I've been reading actual literature instead of PR materials. You might want to broaden your research. Have you tried reading The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears? Have you read... Evidence of Harm, by David Kirby? The studies are lined up and referenced throughout, and it's a good read in addition to a fantastic reference. http://autismmedia.org/media2.html - this covers vaccines and autism with medical doctors and scientists on camera - it's easy to go through these while caring for kids. The political section of the website is also insightful... explains much of why people who are in charge of encouraging vaccination in government and medical organizations - state what they think more as a mystic belief, and not science, because they often overstep available science with their statements and recommendations... but they believe it's for a greater good, so it's okay to manipulate opinion and policy by emphasizing only part of the story.

It's understandable why people become so fanatic about vaccines, although it frustrates me to the extreme when people push their belief system so strongly on others - and try to guilt people into thinking that they are bad parents - when it's possible that they might have more information and insight than the status quo.

Parenting is terrifying- and everyone out there seems to have an agenda. The pharmaceutical and gov. entities have much $ at stake, for their jobs, reputations, and self worth for pouring their lives and belief systems into this. Parents questioning vaccines get no money for doing so. The organizations that provide info beyond the gov info are not making money from doing so... in fact, doing so usually costs them money, hurts their reputations, and puts them open to attack from the highly funded groups that have a stake in the vaccines. I'd better digress - but it is best to branch out your info instead of taking it from one side only... particularly at a time when you are more likely to die from medical errors than by any other disease or injury in the U.S.

No professional knows everything - they simply passed their classes. No professional can predict what a disease or vaccine will do or not do to your child. Study them both- be empowered - lose the fear... as your article suggests. Thanks for bringing this topic to the table. I do hope people expand their views and study as a result.

Comment by samanths hines on April 10, 2012 at 5:40pm

my pediatrician told me to not give fever reducer around the time of a vacinne it can lower its effectivness .I have gave my daughter tylenol a handfull of times in her whole life..why...because a fever means your body is fighting off illness a fever is  no cause for concern untill it gets in the high103 close to 104 range and some children get a febrile seizure(fever seizure) a fever alone can not harm a child unless it is a newborn/small infant my daughter had a 104.1 fever and i gave her tylenol it did not come down so i knew she has something i took her in and it was influenze i breastfed for basically 22 hrs staright because it comfort and hydrates her the next day she was fine her fever broke with natually and she was playing and having a good time. She was never vaccinated for the flu and was fine.i love what you wrote Val Wiggins you can definantly tell yo have done yor research and are coming from a educated stand point! And becoming super mommy she said it is rare for a child to conract CERTAIN dieseas natually. And if my child later on life chooses to travel abroad than we will talk about vaccination at this point though i choose to be cautious and limited on the ones she is given.

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