To Immunize or To Not Immunize???

I'm so vain!

So I know that my topic today will upset some people but it's been on my mind lately and it's my blog, so I get to write about anything I want.....now in saying that, I also have to be willing to read comments that come from people who object to my posts.

Immunizations and vaccines.....

I have thought about this topic since Brinley was born. I always thought that it was something that all parents did, you immunize your children. It is safe. It is the right thing to do. It is approved by doctors and nurses. You just immunize your children and that is that.

First time on my play mat!

So, I didn't REALLY start thinking about it until a couple of friends told me that they don't immunize their children. I think I almost fainted. Why would you do this to your children? Why would you want to put your child or other children at risk? Shame on you. Wait, is there mercury in the vaccinations? Are there harmful toxins that can harm your children? Can your child really develop autism after a vaccination? My opinions started to waiver. I was moving closer to the fence and almost sitting on it. To vaccinate or to not vaccinate? I don't believe in searching the web to find answers. I know that checking out YouTube and Wikipedia are not a good choice. What is a reliable source? I know that the naturopaths have their views and I know that the medical community have their own opinions and views. My friend Jenn posted on Facebook today what is happening in regards to communicable diseases and what is happening when parents don't vaccinate. One of our friends, who is a nurse also joined in on the conversation, this is some of what was discussed....

JM...

Measles have been confirmed in Lethbridge by AHS. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a booster. It is airborne and highly contagious, please think carefully about vaccinations and educate yourselves before you refuse vaccines, it could save the life of your loved ones.

 It wasn't around for a while but it's making a comeback because parents are choosing not to vaccinate. It is a very dangerous disease and has wiped out thousands of people. Thousands. In 2011 there were 158 000 deaths from measles world wide. 430 deaths every day. 18 deaths every hour!! It is the leading cause of child deaths world wide. It is very serious and is only coming back because parents are afraid of what is in a vaccination. Vaccinations are not what they used to be, I just can't fathom taking that kind of risk.

S.....

So many misguided people and now eradicated diseases are coming back and killing children!!! Take it from an ER Nurse. I've seen it and will never forget it.

The amount of mercury that used to be in it was not even a problem but they have removed it completely from the MMR vaccine.

If you go to the CDC website there is valid research showing that there is 100% no link between autism and vaccines. None!! That doctor was disproved and discredited and his license was revoked. People, when you do research please use proper research articles, I cannot stress this enough. YouTube and Dr Google are not valid research.

V.....

I recently weighed in on this issue, on another Facebook post, and I will do so again here because my family has been very directly effected by vaccination. My daughter suffered complete and permanent hearing loss after her MMR vaccination at 18 months old - she is now profoundly deaf. (Interestingly enough, loss of hearing is a common complication with a case of the measles.) In both Europe and the USA, a parent must sign a waiver acknowledging the possible side effects as a result of a vaccination, prior to their child being vaccinated, and one of the listed side effects is “possible hearing loss”. Despite what has happened to my daughter, I believe vaccinations have had global benefits, saved the lives of many, many children, and the good has likely outweighed the bad. There is a risk associated with everything - from driving a car, to eating a hamburger, or even walking down a sidewalk. But I think parents need to be well-informed and educated with OBJECTIVE and impartial information from our Canadian medical system. Maybe then, parents will be able to make the best decision for their child without having to take such a strong stand on either side of this issue. Because right now, both sides of the vaccination controversy feel like they are just being sold a bill of goods from the other side. I can see my daughter has suffered as a result of a vaccination - her hearing loss is a tangible, but all the lives saved, all the children that have become accomplished adults and are contributing something special to this world - maybe they wouldn't be here had society let disease rage on without intervention. It's the intangible side of vaccination, that cannot be measured. Would I vaccinate again? Knowing what I know? Yep, I would.

J.....

I have a son who was diagnosed with autism.  His whole life changed after I vaccinated him at 18 months. I was trying to find answers as to why my child was diagnosed with autism. It happened that the onset was at the same time as the vaccination so with my second child I vaccinated her but only the first set. It was not easy to make that decision. I cried and defended my decision. My daughter is now 8 years old and has no major health issues.  She has a mental illness and no thyroid but we know that this was not caused by vaccines or lack of. We talked about finishing her vaccines and updating our 14 year old son and it will happen soon.  As a parent who didn't vaccinate, I'm not arguing, I'm pointing out that because we didn't, we worry and we are scared and we take precautions.  I grew up in a home and family that vaccinated. I think vaccination talk is as sensitive as the circumcision debate and I think that if I respect others vaccinating their children then maybe others need to understand that the choice we made was never ever easy or a representation of our parenting.

So.....I looked at both sides and I went to a reputable and recommended website. I believe that autism is not caused by vaccinations. I think that the signs and symptoms are starting to show at around the age of 18 months. I could be wrong. Information pulled from the site.....

A new study evaluating parents’ concerns of “too many vaccines too soon” and autism has been published online in the Journal of Pediatrics  [PDF - 256 KB] , March 29, 2013. It adds to the conclusion of a 2004 comprehensive review by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that there is not a causal relationship between certain vaccine types and autism. The results provide relevant data for the current childhood immunization schedule.
The study looked at the amount of antigens from vaccines received on one day of vaccination and the amount of antigens from vaccines received in total during the first two years of life and found no connection to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. Antigens are substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune system to produce antibodies to fight disease.
Researchers collected data from 3 managed care organizations in a group of 256 children with ASD compared with 752 children without ASD.
The study’s main findings report:

• The total amount of antigens from vaccines received was the same between children with ASD and those that did not have ASD.
• Children with ASD with regression (the loss of developmental skills during the second year of life) did not receive an increased number of vaccine antigens when compared to children without ASD with regression.
• The number of vaccine antigens has decreased in recent years. Although the routine childhood vaccine immunization schedule in 2013 contains more vaccines than the schedule in the late 1990s, the maximum number of vaccine antigens that a child would be exposed to by 2 years of age in 2013 is 315, compared with several thousand in the late 1990s. This is due to changes in the vaccines. For example, the older whole cell pertussis vaccine causes the body to produce about 3,000 different antibodies, whereas the newer acellular pertussis vaccines cause the production of 6 or fewer different antibodies.

An infant’s immune system is capable of responding to a large amount of immunologic stimuli and, from time of birth, infants are exposed to hundreds of viruses and countless antigens that are not associated with vaccination. This study demonstrates that autism spectrum disorder is not associated with immunological stimulation from vaccines during the first 2 years of life.
Parents should expect the vaccines their children receive are safe and effective. CDC, along with other federal agencies, is committed to assuring the safety of vaccines through rigorous pre-licensure trials and post-licensure monitoring.

 

I have to say that I support vaccinations and I think that it is also important that others also vaccinate their children. Adele is so young and her immune system is far from developed. We are also supporters of the flu shot. Does it have serious adverse affects?? I remember watching a video....

FLU SHOT GONE WRONG

Was it really the flu shot? I feel that I need to be as healthy as I can be around my girls and I need for others to be healthy around the girls as well...it's such a complicated topic. I see both sides. I really do but I will continue to vaccinate my children and I will continue to get the flu shot.

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. After you have clicked on the badge, you can check out other blogs too. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Special Needs section....I am number 13, I need to get to number 1! I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)