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The person with lupus cannot protect herself because vaccines aren't going to work for her. Stop telling her to protect herself and stop relying on other people for her protection. Also, "shit happens" is not a good enough reason to leave something undone - like 90% uptake of mandated vaccines - that could save her life. "Shit happens" is what you say when you've done everything you can and it still doesn't work.

Your immune system may actually be better than everyone else's. It's possible. I don't want to be you when it fails and nobody around you is vaccinated, though. Also, refusing to get certain vaccines, like tetanus, pertussis, and diphtheria, when your children have no medical reason not to get them, is just plain stupid. Tetanus kills a large percentage of people whose jaws end up locked and maims a lot more, and it's present in the dirt in which your kids play. Diphtheria and pertussis both can kill within days of getting sick, and have a relatively high mortality rate amongst certain populations.

Someone mentioned the vaccination schedule for adults put out by the CDC. According to that, I'm up-to-date, because my most recent tetanus was also a booster for diphtheria and pertussis. So, to the lady asking how many adults screaming "You have to get your kids vaccinated to keep mine safe" were up on their shots - I can't speak for the others, but I am. (Note: if you or people close to you have regular contact with babies and your last tetanus shot was a few years ago, ask your doctor about that combined shot. Once every ten years, just like a regular tetanus shot.) It was interesting to note that one to two doses of varicella vaccine are recommended in certain circumstances for adults younger than 65; after that it's a Zoster to help prevent a shingles outbreak.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-11 12:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyperegrine.livejournal.com
Now I'm kicking myself because I just got a booster not long ago, but I don't know if it was DTaP or Tetanus.

It's a good response, I think. It makes me glad we're all caught up. :-)

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-11 04:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] snobahr.livejournal.com
You can always ring up your doctor's office and ask for clarification :) Especially if you're not in a rush to find out, most clerks/receptionists will be happy to get back to you later with that info.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-11 07:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
It was actually a response to three different people - the less-politic version of the responses I posted in the community.

It was probably the DTaP, because it's replaced the Tetanus-alone shot almost entirely. But yeah, I'd call and check.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-11 05:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] morpheus0013.livejournal.com
I was supposed to get a booster at my appointment last week and Kelly forgot. Need to call the office.

Using your own "superdeedooper immune system" as evidence of anything drives me a little crazy. The Cheat has the most remarkable immune system I've ever seen, and he was fully vaccinated on-schedule and combination fed. I don't pretend that either of those things is related to his immune system; it strikes me as a combination of luck of the draw and not protecting him from ever damned germ in the universe as an infant. I do like to watch the heads spin when I mention this to people who maintain that vaccinations and forumla cause various diseases and asthma and whatever else they cause this week.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-11 07:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
What drives me crazy is that they seem to think the immune system is a fairly static thing - that if they have an overall good one, they're in good shape to deal with anything. That's just not true. Immune systems react to every germ that comes along, and they react slower or faster based on your state of being at that precise moment in time. Didn't get enough sleep last night? Your immune system is weakened. Ate nothing but crap all day? Ditto. Work nights? You're screwed. Hormones getting you down? You're more likely to catch something. And so on, and so forth.

You can't depend on a strong immune system from one day to the next, so it's silly not to help it along as much as you can. Coming in contact with germs strengthens immune systems, and vaccines are a controled, safe way of introducing germs to an immune system.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-11 08:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xx-kitty-kat-xx.livejournal.com
Pertussis is the vaccine that I get most up in arms about. I'm strongly in favour of vaccination, but parents who choose not to vaccinate for pertussis make me want to strap them to a chair near me for the duration of winter so they can see and hear the lasting effects it had on me - and I had it mildly because I'd been vaccinated but my immunity wore off. The whole "they'll get it and they'll be fine once it's over and done with" mentality makes me so angry. I've had to live with a weakened respiratory system for 15 years now because I got it - I just wasn't 'fine' afterwards. Maybe people need to have closer contact with the effects of these diseases so that they can understand how serious they are.

I, too, am fully up to date on my vaccinations and plan to ensure that my children are too.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-11 08:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
Most people who get pertussis end up with mildly-damaged lungs - in fact by the time the cough starts, the lungs are already sustaining permanent damage.

Furthermore, the vast majority of kids who get pertussis catch it from an asymptomatic adult whose immunity is out of date. Booster shots for pertussis are absolutely essential for every adult, so as to prevent the spread of the disease to small children who can easily die of it.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-12 12:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amarafox.livejournal.com
This reminds me, I'm due for my tetanus shot.

(no subject)

Date: 2009-05-12 01:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] velvetpage.livejournal.com
Ask about the multiple one! They'll probably offer it anyway, but it's worth checking to be sure.

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