I am glad polio is a thing of the past. However, people who were damaged by disease in the past have very little to do with the vaccination being done now. And if you DO believe in vaccines, why worry about the children who are not vaccinated? Won’t your child be covered by the vaccine you believe in? How does a (theoretical) unvaccinated child endanger your vaccinated child if that vaccine works?

Medical “science” as it is practiced today is a faith-based religious cult. The “science” on which most of the practices and procedures are based is flawed. Many times your doctor has only half the information on which to make his/her recommendations. You won’t be aware of this until you or your child is damaged by it. I would not wish this life on ANYONE. Check it out beyond believing your prophet, i mean doctor, when that person tells you it is safe and effective.

Trent, i am very sorry for your loss in the passing of your wife’s aunt. She sounds as tho she was an incredible person.

As far as Hep B, I wanted to wait until closer to the teens year to do it, but I’m sure I’ll have to also do that one for school admission.

That is only true if you’re celibate.

Cervical cancer is life-threatening, but if you get HPV, I don’t have reason to worry for myself.

Problem is, vaccines only work somewhat on an individual basis. The real benefit is in herd immunity – where the vast majority of people are vaccinated, the few for whom the vaccines don’t work, and those who are too young, too old, or immunocompromized remain protected because the disease cannot gain a foothold.
This makes it a public health issue – not just an individual decision. When enough people choose not to vaccinate their children, yet continue to interact with society, the society loses that herd immunity. We are starting to see this now, and measles, whooping cough and the like are showing up again and killing children.

When it comes to the chicken pox vaccine or gardasil, make your own decisions for yourself and your children. When it comes to life-threatening issues, please think beyond yourself.

A few technicalities – vaccines are not free at my health department, although they may be at some. If I were low income, some would be free or at a reduced rate. Otherwise insurance has to pay for it (not really free), or, in my case, I have to pay out of pocket, since we are part of the self-employed under-insured.

Regarding those who have said that people who choose not to vax must not have been alive when these diseases were running rampant, to those who say anti-vaxers must not know anyone who died as a result diseases that could have been vax’d against – check your assumptions at the door. I know people who have chosen not to vax who were indeed alive, and suffered from a variety of the diseases we can now vaccinate against. I know people 65+ who suffered along with classmates, who now wish they hadn’t vaccinated their own children (although the now-grown children have not suffered any obvious side effects). I know people who choose not to vax who have family members who died as a result of vax-preventable diseases. Don’t paint all non-vaxers with such a broad brush. There are reasons (whether we agree with them or not) that people choose not to vax, which can include “religious” reasons and obvious medical contraindications.

Very well said.

This is a public health issue, not simply whether you want to risk you or your child getting a certain disease – nor is it a marketing success by bigpharm. The vaccines were implemented to avoid devastating epidemics with truly dire consequences. By refusing a vaccine solely on principle, you’re putting yourself AND everyone in your community at risk.

I am old enough that I remember getting the measles and chicken pox, and taking those diseases home from school to my younger siblings. This younger generation has no idea how destructive these now easily prevented illnesses can be.

However, I think the issue of vaccination should be a choice made by parents on a family by family basis. There are also side effects and sequelae from the vaccines themselves, which can be just as devastating for the families who have to face them (and I’m not talking about autism).

Each vaccine should be weighed on an individual basis with the risks and benefits of that particular disease considered as a separate issue.

Vaccination is definitely something that all people and parents should educate themselves about, but forcing one’s opinion and decision on another goes against the principle of informed consent.

Those who would risk this happening to their children are fools.

Your comment about vaccinations struck home with me, too. Far too often I hear parents spouting about their perceived risks and how they have opted-out because everyone else has their children vaccinated.

At risk of being a jerk, to me this is one of the worst kinds of free-loading imaginable. It would be different if they declined vaccination for themselves; but they are making that choice for someone who relies on them for safety and health.

Ok, time for me to get off my soap-box before I work myself up too much.