Another vaccination debate.

[velvetpage]

I did enjoy this one. I am continually surprised, however, at how people who have been reading booju for several years still don't know or appreciate things like the value of herd immunity or that vaccinated kids can still get sick. Vaccination is one of the few parenting issues where not-my-kid-not-my-business doesn't apply, because every unvaccinated kid increases the likelihood of an outbreak, the likely severity of that outbreak, and the effectiveness of everyone else's vaccines.

I have no problem with people looking at all the facts and deciding to selectively or delay-vax, especially in the States where kids get an obscene number of shots at each visit. Delaying a few months or a year or two probably isn't going to be an issue, and if you feel better about that for your child, so be it. I'm also okay with people choosing not to vax one child who has medical problems. But I really believe that failure to vaccinate most kids within shooting distance of "on time" is a public health risk and a bad idea.

Comments

[catarzyna.livejournal.com]

Thanks for bringing this topic up. I have no children as you are aware but I am a member of a few communities that are family oriented. Some of my more 'natural' oriented communities/members kinda scare me that they are so militantly against vaccination. Everything I have been taught, medically speaking, has led me to believe that vaccinations are the best option. Perhaps it is as a historian that I understand the significance of plagues and the later polio outbreak. I shudder to think of another outbreak of a preventable disease because of an extreme position. I for one, hope they find a vaccine against HIV/AIDS at some point. For myself I feel I need to do more research about vaccinations before I become a parent. It seems being natural/green needs to be tempered with more common sense and practicality.

I wonder if people take for granted the basically high mortality rate we have here in North America. Like some superman effect, as in vaccines are bad because we are injecting this into our children. I've never gotten sick like that... well yeah... you probably were vaccinated. I'm not saying that everyone is that uneducated but it does come across that way sometimes.

This got a little longer than I expected. :-D

[deliciouspear.livejournal.com]

Yeah, standard here is FIVE shots per visit.

I plan on only doing them one at a time.

Extra trips to the dr. is totally worth it to know what they're reacting to if it happens.

[docmom.livejournal.com]

I'm a physician and mother, and I lurk booju_newju (haven't wanted to give myself the high blood pressure from starting to actually become involved in the arguments--reading them is plenty of stress for me), and I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your educated, eloquent, calm arguments.

Your information about the mindset of the poor versus the middle class a few posts down was wonderfully thought-provoking, as well.

I'll likely friend you, as I can always use a few more educated people provoking thoughts.

I noted your userinfo about requiring a bit more info about people you friend, so no worries; I friend people to follow the meatier posts generally anyway. (Sort of like an alternative newspaper, I guess.)