Vaccinating children - choice by parent or state?

[Timsup2nothin]

You could do that, yes.

Whether it's a valid thing to do is another matter.

Anyway, I only typed a sentence out as it occurred to me. I don't claim it's true.

I think it's probably true. Just potentially dangerous, though nowhere near as dangerous as the one I produced. No offense meant.

 

[Borachio]

None taken, I assure you.

And yes, your sentence is a bit alarming.

 

[bhavv]

I was just reading about shingles / herpes zoster. Can that affect anyone thats had chicken pox as a child?

 

[sophie]

I'm intending to do exactly that. I was vaccinated against chickenpox but still ended up getting it in my 20s. At an adult age, getting chickenpox is potentially dangerous, so it is best catched at a young age, especially since the vaccine is hardly airtight.

Conversely both my sister and I got the chickenpox inoculation and both of us are fine and have had no issues.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

So...people who are not infected are blaming people who didn't get vaccinated for this outbreak of disease...which is presumably only infecting people who did not get vaccinated. Other than an opportunity to be self righteous, what exactly is the reason people who are not infected are even involved here?

Because they don't want to get sick?

Canada had several regional measles outbreaks last winter - in British Columbia, a few areas of Alberta (including Red Deer; I live on a family floor in this apartment building and so was very careful about interacting with people, handwashing, etc.), and in Ontario. In all areas there were people who squawked about vaccinating their kids because they figured they'd end up autistic, or thought God would protect them from illness, or whatever other misguided notions they had.

I'd have been grateful for a mumps vaccine. I got it when I was an adult, and it was one of the most painful illnesses I've ever had. It had long-term consequences, too, not to mention my dad caught it from me (he'd never had it as a child either).

I was exposed to chicken pox several times during childhood, when it went around one of the city schools I attended. I didn't get it, so when I was an adult and found myself in a situation of having been exposed (my music teacher's kid had it and she hadn't bothered to tell me until I was already inside the house and the little darling had breathed and coughed on me), it was a scary time while waiting to see if I'd come down with it.

 

[Narz]

Forcing parents to vax will just stir up more drama. If things get too out of hand the results will speak for themselves & will solve the problem. Those who've been vaccinated should have nothing to worry about so no worries.

 

[Zelig]

Those who've been vaccinated should have nothing to worry about so no worries.

That's not the case though, vaccination isn't 100% effective, and if people elect not to get vaccinated without valid medical reasons herd immunity breaks down and puts others at risk.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Because they don't want to get sick?

Theoretically, the people who don't want to get sick got vaccinated, so other people getting vaccinated or not should have no effect on whether they get sick.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Vaccinated people have a higher chance of not being sick as opposed to the unvaccinated.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

I think vaccine for the most dangerous diseases should be offered for free, but that it's a parent decision to opt out.

If forced by the state - how much should be allocated for future compensation due to side-effects, mistreatment, etc?

Pandemrix which was used against swine flu increased the risk of being afflicted with Narcolepsy threefold.

I'm for vaccination, but not all and not forced. I didn't vaccinate against swine flu which like 90% around me did. It was offered for free.

 

[El_Machinae]

I was just reading about shingles / herpes zoster. Can that affect anyone thats had chicken pox as a child?

Yes, once you have zoster, it stays in you. It's just that it flares once your immune system is weak. In the olden days, many people got a second round of expose to high levels of zoster once their kids got chicken pox. This 're-energized' the immune system to fight zoster, and thus kept it suppressed (no shingles).

If you didn't get zoster as a kid, then when your vaccine-induced immunity wears off, you become susceptible as an adult again.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

The challenge is how to discourage non-vaccination without harming the child's welfare. Taking the children away or quarantining them (e.g. school enrollment based on vaccination) is counterproductive.

 

[bhavv]

Forcing parents to vax will just stir up more drama. If things get too out of hand the results will speak for themselves & will solve the problem. Those who've been vaccinated should have nothing to worry about so no worries.

Doesn't always work that way. I had an MMR shot as an infant (got a certificate for it that I still have), and I still got measles at around age 5-6. MMR isn't a one shot perma immune thing, it needs boosters to maintain the immunity, or you need to actually catch the diseases for lifetime immunity.

When I went to university, there was a mumps outbreak and two of my flatmates caught it. I was worried knowing I had caught measles as a child, and at that point thought I hadn't been immunized due to that so I went to the docs for another MMR shot. Later I found the certificate I mentioned above after moving back home. The doctors mentioned that I return after 6 months for a booster which I didn't, and also said if I was already in contact with people with mumps, the shot wouldn't help much by that point, but they gave me one just to be sure anyway.

I didn't catch mumps though, the childhood vaccination still worked against it, but I'm still perplexed as to why I caught measles at such an early age after being immunized.

 

[Farm Boy]

Theoretically, the people who don't want to get sick got vaccinated, so other people getting vaccinated or not should have no effect on whether they get sick.

Vaccination is not 100%

It's been effective enough to prevent large outbreaks. But if enough people don't get vaccinated that the contagiousness does start causing outbreaks the cracks in vaccine effectiveness will show. Those who have been vaccinated or are not able to be vaccinated will get sick, with measles, they may die.

 

[bhavv]

You're supposed to have two boosters after an MMR shot to maximize its effect 6 and 12-18 months after the first shot. I suppose its likely I that I didn't get the boosters as an infant.

But I've had two separate MMR shots plus measles so I shouldn't have to worry about the most dangerous one ... Only thing though is that shingles scares me now.

 

[JollyRoger]

Depends on the vaccination. What Rick Perry was trying to enforce a few years ago crossed the line.

And then you have to be concerned about other government mandates in the name of public safety. Government mandated chastity devices for males except for government-supervised procreation attempts within a marriage to reduce the spread of stds?

 

[Zelig]

The challenge is how to discourage non-vaccination without harming the child's welfare. Taking the children away or quarantining them (e.g. school enrollment based on vaccination) is counterproductive.

Deportation? Execution?

 

[Loppan Torkel]

Depend on the vaccination.

..but for some diseases you should be bound by law to vaccinate your children?

 

[JollyRoger]

Just require proof of vaccination before you allow tax breaks associated with the child.

 

[Narz]

I didn't catch mumps though, the childhood vaccination still worked against it, but I'm still perplexed as to why I caught measles at such an early age after being immunized.

I paid hundreds of dollars for shots (the full series of shots) for my cats supposedly immunizing against feline leukemia & feline AIDS (FIV) and my cat got both anyway (with was in 2001 so perhaps they have improve since then). The onus is on the govt to improve the vaccines & systematically deal with people's safety concerns before talk of forcing them on anyone.