As a parent we are faced everyday with decisions to make for our child that could effect him or her for the rest of their lives. The decisions that we make for our children often come naturally, others we make after a lot of research and discussion with other parents and spouses. One of todays most difficult decisions we as parents make is weather or not to vaccinate our child.
For me, this decision was easy. My son faced a higher risk of becoming ill from a preventable disease then he did from suffering a major reaction to one of the injections. The fact of the matter is, all of our children do. Being in daycare and schools, travels, and other factors expose your children every day.
With the influx of media coverage on this issue, and the broad spectrum of Anti Vaccine groups out there, today’s parents are often swayed one way or another without ever understand why or what they made their decision based on. Extreme groups and radical Dr’s use scary words and terminology like Neurological Disorders or Autism and we are instantly second guessing the vaccinations that have saved multiple generations of Americans.
Last night one of my favorite televisions shows, Private Practice, brought to light the harsh reality of not choosing to vaccinate your child. Although I am one who is usually against TV and persons that are famous and looked up to doing things like this, last night I was actually impressed. Although the scenario they showcased could have been much worse, they did a great job of showing how the decision not to vaccinate your child can effect you and others around you (although I am sure that today there are many groups up in arms about last nights episode). The show left me bawling like a baby and lead me to bring my son into bed with me for the night because I wanted to be close to him. But it left me wanting to write this. I have talked to many other parents about the decision to vaccinate and it is something I have felt is very important for all of our children.
In the show and American child who has been living in Switzerland contracts measles on a flight back to the states. His mother did not vaccinate him because her oldest son was autistic and although there is NO SCIENTIFIC evidence that vaccinations are linked to autism she chose to not vaccinate her youngest two children. This 10 year old boy sat in a waiting room for 30 minutes with other children, infants, elderly patients, and pregnant woman exposing them all to the measles. Although the show did not have anyone else contract the disease from this child, it did make mention of the heighten risks of exposing the elderly and pregnant women to diseases like the measles. In the end the little boys dies, and the Dr forces the youngest son to have a MMR against the mothers wishes. It was truly a tragic ending. The mother kept stating that when her grandparents where younger everyone got the measles, it wasn’t suppose to be that dangerous. Highlighting the misconceptions we have today at the devastation that these diseases had on society before vaccinations. The Dr reminded her (this is before the son is in the hospital not after he passed away) that many were ok, but many also died.
Today I think we forget about the damage these diseases caused to societies around the world. Our generation has not been exposed to common childhood deaths to disease, to children being crippled or blinded while they suffer from Polo, massive amount of children plagued by smallpox (and we do not even have to vaccinate against this anymore because of vaccines), and many more terrible things that were once common place amongst children before the development of vaccinations. Vaccinations have made the US a safer place for our children to grow up. While other countries continue to suffer from large measles outbreaks, we in the states have only seen a few. However, those numbers are starting to climb as more and more parents decide not to vaccinate their children. In 2008 24 cases were reported before May. 11 of those cases were directly associated and linked to a child who had not been vaccinated and had traveled to Switzerland, which has been facing massive outbreaks for the past 5 years. As people continue not to vaccinate their children more and more cases will be seen and that harsh reality of the effects of childhood diseases could once again plague America’s youth.
I truly do sympathies with the parents of children who have been diagnosed with autism. I can only imagine what their day to day lives must be like and the difficulties and challenges that face them. However, I do not believe that vaccinations are the cause of the development or increase in cases of autism around the world. There have been no links found that can correlate the two. The same percentage of children are diagnosed with autism that have been and haven’t been vaccinated. Most diagnosis happen between the ages of 1 year and 3 years which is a heightened time for children and vaccinations. I do however believe that children who are not vaccinated pose a great risk to the society as a whole. Vaccines are not 100% effective, so for children who receive vaccines yet the vaccine doesn’t work or children who are allergic to elements in the vaccine, they rely on the immunity of those that surround them to protect themselves from these diseases. I hope that the vaccines that my son has received will prevent him from contracting one of the diseases, but in order to ensure his health I would hope that those around him would also be vaccinated. There is also an increased risk in mutation with large numbers of unprotected children, around those that are. The diseases could one day warp into a new form that the vaccines can not protect against making us all venerable.
Studies are ongoing around the world to find the root to what some call “the autism epidemic", but so far hundreds of studies have found no link between the two. Although my son has not suffered any reactions other then a light fever to any vaccines, I keep a close watch on new information and have decide that with my next child I will vaccinate on a altered vaccine schedule. There is still NO SCIENTIFIC evidence that even shows that the risk of autism is associated with the amount of vaccines our children receive at once, however this avenue has been less studied then the the chemicals in the vaccines. I have attached several articles and places where you can find alternative vaccine schedules. I do urge you to not follow any Dr's recommendations that recommends that you do not start vaccinations until your child is 2. I personally believe that this is too late. I have found a schedule that will still complete the vaccine’s at the same time as other children, however your child only receives one injection at a time. So, it may mean more trips to the doctor’s office, but your child will still be protected.
I urge all parents to do extensive research for themselves. To look at results from many multiple studies and sources. Not to rely on facts and/or postings by extreme groups or even certain groups of medical professionals. I understand the fear, as I too have a 2 year old son. However, I do believe that until we really know what is the cause of autism, that our children are safer being vaccinated then they are not being vaccinated. Also, most of the fears people have are what is in the vaccines, the one item they attribute it to is Thimerosal (mercury), this was taken out of all vaccinations in the late 80’s early 90’s and no longer poses a threat to our children. If the combination of multiple drugs scares you, then talk to your Dr about breaking them up. If he/she will not support you, then find a Dr who will! Many Dr.’s do not believe that vaccines are the root cause of autism, however they do understand a parents concern and I have found that many are very supportive of an alternative vaccination schedule. I also caution you though to still start vaccinating right away and not wait until you child is older to begin the routine. Although there has been no proof that a child with a mild fever or that has recently been on antibiotics may cause a different outcome when receiving a vaccine, I would also recommend holding off till your child is completely well. Then if you had the unfortunate outcome of your child having an adverse reaction to a vaccine you would know right away.
I am not a medical professional, I do not conduct any types of medical studies, nor do I deem myself fit to make decisions for you and your family. I am just another concerned parent who wants what is best for my child as well as all the children he will know and come in contact with. I believe that autism is something that is scary and very real. I believe that it very well could be genetic, environmental, chemical, or a mix of all three, but I also believe that until we know what or why we should protect our children from what we know we can.
This is why I believe in Vaccination’s and will continue to vaccinate my child, and my future children.
http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20081226/alternative-vaccine-schedule-stirs-debate
http://geriatricmama.wordpress.com/2008/01/02/our-alternative-vaccination-schedule/
http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/features/child-vaccines-some-parents-ill-at-ease
http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/immunization-charts-for-children-and-adultshttp://www2a.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00273
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