Stumble It!Aug 12 2009
The Old Vaccine and Vaccinations Debate
With the end of summer fast approaching, parents everywhere are beginning to turn their thoughts to the back to school madness that accompanies this time of year. Along with the purchase of school supplies and clothes, many parents take the time to make sure their children are up-to-date on their vaccinations. For those living in my home state of Texas, a new vaccination schedule has parents especially concerned with the subject.
Now, I know the debate over whether or not a child should receive vaccinations is often an emotionally charged, heated one. Parents on both sides tend to be rather passionate about their decision and rightfully so. That is why this post isn’t about which side is right and which side is wrong. This post, like many others on Demyelinated Not Destroyed, is about education.
I found out about the new vaccination schedule from an e-mail that was sent from my children’s school. I have to admit, I was pretty annoyed when I read it. I don’t mind that the school sent the e-mail. I’m sure many parents appreciated it. What I do mind is the total lack of any information concerning the fact that parents have the right to waive vaccinations for their children. It also failed to mention or give a link to a website that lists the various side effects the vaccines have.
I firmly believe that if someone is going to go to the trouble of listing a vaccination schedule, they need to include information on the potentially serious side effects or a link to a website that houses that information. Most parents sincerely want to do what they think is best for their child. How can they when they don’t have all of the facts before they make that decision? Thankfully the internet has made it easier for parents to research such things but the onus shouldn’t be on them to seek it out.
Vaccines can cause permanent damage to someone. The flu vaccine has been known to trigger Guillian-Barre Syndrome or GBS which can be downright deadly. Some of them aren’t even all that effective. There are reports that the varicella vaccine is only about 70-80% effective. My oldest child had it and still caught the chicken pox eight months later.
The flu vaccine is even worse at about 20%. Many people don’t realize that in order for the flu vaccine to be ready on time for flu season, doctors have to begin work on it the year before. The flu virus replicates rapidly. It can also evolve into different strains almost as fast. This means that doctors working on the flu vaccine have to basically guess which strains to focus on and how it’s going to evolve from one year to the next. Since guessing is far from an exact science, they often get it wrong.
It is true that the likelihood that a child will develop a serious side effect from a vaccine is slim. Still, parents need to sit down and seriously consider how they would feel if their child suffered one of the more debilitating side effects that vaccinations can cause.
Before my youngest began school last year, my husband and I did just that. While my oldest children received their vaccinations on time, our move to a new state and the worsening of my health made it difficult for us to stay current on my son’s. After doing as much research as I could on the vaccinations he still needed and my CIDP, we sat down and discussed the pros and cons of getting him caught up on his vaccinations and how we would feel if he experienced a serious side effect from them. Ultimately, we decided the risks outweighed the potential benefits at this moment in time. Should that change, such as if someone in the community developed measles or polio, we won’t hesitate to get him vaccinated. Once he’s old enough to understand all of the risks and benefits involved, we are going to let him make the decision on whether or not he wants to get vaccinated.
The decision we made may not be right for you and that’s perfectly okay. What’s important is that you do some research and a heck of a lot of soul searching before you make that decision. In the end, I am neither for nor against vaccinations. I simply want people to be educated about them before they get their child vaccinated.
Since vaccinations are all about creating an immunity to a virus or disease your body hasn’t encountered on its own, you might want to check out the book “Defending Your Health Naturally “. As the name implies, it’s an alternative medicine book that aims to boost your immune system, decrease pain, increase energy, provide ways to reduce stress, and detoxify. You can read more about it at the link below.
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