Immunize or not?

[sequeena]

I'm not sure how dangerous chicken pox is as I've never had it so this may be a bit off topic when talking about rubella etc. but when Thomas was ill, before they found out what it was we thought he had come into contact with chicken pox. I was still BF at the time so in theory he should have got immunity from me, but because I'd never had it they had to give him chicken pox antibodies. So immunity from the mother isn't always a given xx

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Can I join you?

Indeed. I find it hard to believe ALL parents blindly vaccinate their children.

 

[BrandiCanucks]

you cannot expect people to base their thoughts about their childrens well being, with YOUR personal experience and thoughts.

Just as we as non-vaxxers cannot expect people to base their thoughts about their children's well-being on OUR personal experience and thoughts. I would NEVER EVER EVER in a million years tell a parent not to vaccinate their kid because they might end up triggering microcephaly and some other life-threatening disease. I simply encourage them to do their research and make an informed decision based on what they feel is best. I do think parents shouldn't just accept what Big Pharma says as truth, but to research for themselves, and if a parent researches and STILL decides to vaccinate, I'm not going to condemn them for it, and I expect the same courtesy in return. But I am SO GRATEFUL to those who DO vaccinate, so that my children have some sort of protection when they CAN'T be vaccinated.

 

[MrsPOP]

you cannot expect people to base their thoughts about their childrens well being, with YOUR personal experience and thoughts.

It is a choice we (as parents) make for ourselves and thats how it should be.

The difference is, people who vaccinate tend to label none vaxers as 'irresponsible' whereas you see very little of that the other way.

my experience has taught me to proceed with caution, and i have. If yours have taught you different then thats YOUR choice to make based on your circumstances and your child.

Your right to vaccinate is not something i appose, its the idea that others are irresponsible for not vaccinating, this is ignorant of the risks involved i believe. There are reasons both ways...

Well I guess can, given that I am a Doctor and regularly discuss immunisations with patients so... of course Im not saying I am the Great Know It All and All Should Bow Down To Me (t'would be nice but.... ) but given that I have puh-lenty of medical training and my job is to do my best for my patients then yeah, I think my experiences can be helpful to those making a decision. I dont push, or scaremonger, I advise to the best of my knowledge or ability.

I would never push vaccination on a parent. Yes Im a Doctor but I dont presume to know a child as well as their mother does. But my job is to put the patients best interests first and my training and experience means that I will always advise vaccination in the face of no contraindication to a mother who chooses not to because in my opinion, she is doing her child a disservice if she doesnt vaccinate if there is no reason not to.

 

[MrsPOP]

I'm not sure how dangerous chicken pox is as I've never had it so this may be a bit off topic when talking about rubella etc. but when Thomas was ill, before they found out what it was we thought he had come into contact with chicken pox. I was still BF at the time so in theory he should have got immunity from me, but because I'd never had it they had to give him chicken pox antibodies. So immunity from the mother isn't always a given xx

Chicken pox can be very dangerous. Im not immune to it so when I was pregnant I wasnt allowed to see any children with a rash in work just in case. Chicken Pox Pneumonitis can kill. Hence why I will be getting the vaccine again before I go back to work. I was thinking of leaving it and catching it with Alice when she inevitably gets it but if she gets it when Im pregnant for example...well...the shit could hit the fan.

 

[BrandiCanucks]

I'm not sure how dangerous chicken pox is as I've never had it so this may be a bit off topic when talking about rubella etc. but when Thomas was ill, before they found out what it was we thought he had come into contact with chicken pox. I was still BF at the time so in theory he should have got immunity from me, but because I'd never had it they had to give him chicken pox antibodies. So immunity from the mother isn't always a given xx

My aunt exclusively breastfed all four of her kids until their first birthdays, no solids whatsoever, and her youngest son STILL caught chicken pox from his two older brothers. My son was breastfed too and caught chicken pox at 17 months from my aunt's youngest daughter.

 

[feeble]

you cannot expect people to base their thoughts about their childrens well being, with YOUR personal experience and thoughts.

It is a choice we (as parents) make for ourselves and thats how it should be.

The difference is, people who vaccinate tend to label none vaxers as 'irresponsible' whereas you see very little of that the other way.

my experience has taught me to proceed with caution, and i have. If yours have taught you different then thats YOUR choice to make based on your circumstances and your child.

Your right to vaccinate is not something i appose, its the idea that others are irresponsible for not vaccinating, this is ignorant of the risks involved i believe. There are reasons both ways...

Well I guess can, given that I am a Doctor and regularly discuss immunisations with patients so... of course Im not saying I am the Great Know It All and All Should Bow Down To Me (t'would be nice but.... ) but given that I have puh-lenty of medical training and my job is to do my best for my patients then yeah, I think my experiences can be helpful to those making a decision. I dont push, or scaremonger, I advise to the best of my knowledge or ability.

I would never push vaccination on a parent. Yes Im a Doctor but I dont presume to know a child as well as their mother does. But my job is to put the patients best interests first and my training and experience means that I will always advise vaccination in the face of no contraindication to a mother who chooses not to because in my opinion, she is doing her child a disservice if she doesnt vaccinate if there is no reason not to.

unless they have a massive reaction to that vaccine and then it would be safe to say she is doing her child a disservice if she does

its not black n white, by any stretch and i do not agree for a second that people who, after much research and study, choose not to vaccinate are doing anyone a disservice.

 

[feeble]

wow, literally Everyone i know has had chickenpox, i dont know anyone thats died from it!

i believe thats why they do not offer the vaccine on the NHS, because its considered a mild childhood illness

 

[sequeena]

wow, literally Everyone i know has had chickenpox, i dont know anyone thats died from it!

i believe thats why they do not offer the vaccine on the NHS, because its considered a mild childhood illness

Except there are people like me who have never had it and are now adults. I have been told chicken pox is worse if you catch it as an adult but I had no idea it could be so bad.

The only infectious illness I've ever had is impetigo. I've never broken a bone or anything else. I was quite lucky as a child.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

She won't see it, but adults can die from chicken pox cause it changes into shingles.

 

[feeble]

wow, literally Everyone i know has had chickenpox, i dont know anyone thats died from it!

i believe thats why they do not offer the vaccine on the NHS, because its considered a mild childhood illness

Except there are people like me who have never had it and are now adults. I have been told chicken pox is worse if you catch it as an adult but I had no idea it could be so bad.

The only infectious illness I've ever had is impetigo. I've never broken a bone or anything else. I was quite lucky as a child.

Would it not be best then, to just offer the vaccine to those adults that had not caught it in early life? it would be more effective as vaccine immunity are notorious for not lasting forever, so it would make more sense really... than vaccinating everyone for a disease which in childhood is both harmless and provides lifelong immunity...

 

[beccad]

I will be vaccinating according to when they're due. I had whooping cough when I was about 7/8 years old and I remember every horrific moment of not being able to breathe. I was ill for two months with it and that's one of the milder illnesses. There's no way I'd deliberately put any child of mine at risk of contracting that, or any of the other diseases (I am aware that the vaccines sometimes aren't 100%). I wasn't vaccinated against some diseases because my brother couldn't be vaccinated because of allergies. This was the late 70s/early 80s and most vaccines were egg-based with no alternatives.

Herd immunity is the reason many of these diseases are virtually unheard of nowadays. If fewer people have vaccines then illness rates rise. This happened when there was all the hoo-har about the MMR and many people didn't vaccinate their children.

 

[MizzDeeDee]

She won't see it, but adults can die from chicken pox cause it changes into shingles.

That's very painful too from what i understand.


As for the chickenpox things... infants I think have more of a likelihood of dying from chicken pox then an older kid or adult.

 

[cosmicgirlxxx]

She won't see it, but adults can die from chicken pox cause it changes into shingles.

It can also damage eyesight in children. I recently saw a young child who had some nasty pox around his eyes, which then got infected and caused bilateral corneal abrasions and scarring

 

[sequeena]

She won't see it, but adults can die from chicken pox cause it changes into shingles.

Ah, that's what I'd been told, thanks for reminding me

I wonder can Thomas get chicken pox now he's had antibodies? If so, I'm buggered

 

[BrandiCanucks]

I have never had the chicken pox. My mom tried multiple times to get me infected as a child and it never happened. I had a test done when I was pregnant with my youngest and it said I was immune. I had never heard of being born with an immunity before.

Regardless, it was recently found that the chicken pox vaccine doesn't offer enough immunity (or so it's said), so a booster is recommended. The Canadian government just changed the vaccine schedule to include a second chicken pox vaccine.

 

[MrsPOP]

wow, literally Everyone i know has had chickenpox, i dont know anyone thats died from it!

i believe thats why they do not offer the vaccine on the NHS, because its considered a mild childhood illness

Like a lot of illnesses, chicken pox has a wide spectrum of complications....from a mild childhood illness to chickenpox pneumonitis/enchephalitis.

Like measles...a mild childhood illnesss to encephalitis, pneumonia to sub-acute sclerosing pan-encephalitis which can occur years later. Tis rare, but happens.

The complications occur mainly in immunocompromised individuals...hence the need for the 'herd immunity' term you dislike.

 

[MrsPOP]

I have never had the chicken pox. My mom tried multiple times to get me infected as a child and it never happened. I had a test done when I was pregnant with my youngest and it said I was immune. I had never heard of being born with an immunity before.

Regardless, it was recently found that the chicken pox vaccine doesn't offer enough immunity (or so it's said), so a booster is recommended. The Canadian government just changed the vaccine schedule to include a second chicken pox vaccine.

Thats true, I had the vaccine in my 2nd year of medical school and didnt realise I would need a booster hence my lack of immunity 8 years later.

 

[MizzDeeDee]

wow, literally Everyone i know has had chickenpox, i dont know anyone thats died from it!

i believe thats why they do not offer the vaccine on the NHS, because its considered a mild childhood illness

Except there are people like me who have never had it and are now adults. I have been told chicken pox is worse if you catch it as an adult but I had no idea it could be so bad.

The only infectious illness I've ever had is impetigo. I've never broken a bone or anything else. I was quite lucky as a child.

Would it not be best then, to just offer the vaccine to those adults that had not caught it in early life? it would be more effective as vaccine immunity are notorious for not lasting forever, so it would make more sense really... than vaccinating everyone for a disease which in childhood is both harmless and provides lifelong immunity...

I think you miss the point that infants have a different immune system than an adult, therefore they are more susceptible to not only get sick but to die from some of these illnesses. That is why we vaccinate so early.

RSV is a prime example of this. RSV for an adult is a cold. That isn't necessarily true for babies. My niece was in the hospital for this about a month ago. For a cold.

 

[lindseymw]

I have vaccinated both of my children....I saw no reason no to tbh.

With regards to chicken pox, I always thought it was more deadly if you get it as an adult, as Ozzie said, it can turn into Shingles & that's the reasoning behind 'Pox parties'.....i.e when one child has chicken pox, children that haven't had it go in contact with them in order to catch it young.