Personal stories about vaccinating your kids? Opinions?

[Crim]

My thoughts exactly.  I'm not a doctor, and I trust my kids doctor, so I'm going to defer to their advice over random people on the internet when it comes to my care and the care of my family.

The problem comes when other doctors, even the pediatrician I trust says things like "well, this vaccine isn't all that important compared to the others" Then I read the potential but rare side effects of it and it becomes a numbers game.

Thanks everyone, we're going to start on the vaccines but I still have questions like why does some vaccines only protect against 13 out of the 70 strands of a particular virus?

[newtogolf]

The problem comes when other doctors, even the pediatrician I trust says things like "well, this vaccine isn't all that important compared to the others" Then I read the potential but rare side effects of it and it becomes a numbers game.

Thanks everyone, we're going to start on the vaccines but I still have questions like why does some vaccines only protect against 13 out of the 70 strands of a particular virus?

In many cases we're fortunate in the United States to not be exposed to many of the diseases we're inoculated for.  Part of the reason we don't have the problem here is because of inoculations.  My wife and I always considered that the potential side effects were lesser evils compared to the potential of catching smallpox, measles and the rest.  We don't do a lot of travel, but we did / do take cruises and fly on airplanes where the potential to be infected is greater due to the higher number of non US citizens and close quarters.

With regards to the strands, I was told that some strands are so rare that the cost to produce a vaccine is prohibitive with regards to the threat.  Let's also remember pharmaceuticals is a business, and they'd rather develop a better Viagra that they can sell for $20 a pill than a vaccine that will have to be produced at minimal profit for distribution.

[Crim]

With regards to the strands, I was told that some strands are so rare that the cost to produce a vaccine is prohibitive with regards to the threat.  Let's also remember pharmaceuticals is a business, and they'd rather develop a better Viagra that they can sell for $20 a pill than a vaccine that will have to be produced at minimal profit for distribution.

That's actually what I figured, I figured the 13 strands it protected against were the most common. Thanks for that!

[dsc123]

Don't take this the wrong way--i mean no offense, but I have to say that I think the premise of this thread is problematic.  Its one thing to just be wondering what other people think, but personal stories about vaccinations should not play any role whatsoever in your decision.  Anecdotes by non-doctor strangers shouldn't be a factor in your decision.  That's sort of the problem with this debate in the first place--its a debate between people who know what they are talking about on the one side, and people who don't on the other.

That being said, my kids get every vaccination the doctor recommends.  I pay them for their expert opinions.

I jokingly told my best friend, who is a pediatrician, and my sister who is a pediatric nurse, that I was considering not having my kids vaccinated because of something a former porn star and MTV VJ said about them causing autism.  They were both very upset with me until I came clean.

[Gunther]

Don't take this the wrong way--i mean no offense, but I have to say that I think the premise of this thread is problematic.  Its one thing to just be wondering what other people think, but personal stories about vaccinations should not play any role whatsoever in your decision.  Anecdotes by non-doctor strangers shouldn't be a factor in your decision.  That's sort of the problem with this debate in the first place--its a debate between people who know what they are talking about on the one side, and people who don't on the other.   That being said, my kids get every vaccination the doctor recommends.  I pay them for their expert opinions.   I jokingly told my best friend, who is a pediatrician, and my sister who is a pediatric nurse, that I was considering not having my kids vaccinated because of something a former porn star and MTV VJ said about them causing autism.  They were both very upset with me until I came clean.

Theoretically true; however, not all medical professionals agree, hence, the debate. All agree immunizations are necessary but there is some question around which, when, etc. Which is why the gov't shouldn't get involved. Folks should be free to heed the advice of those they trust.

[dsc123]

Theoretically true; however, not all medical professionals agree, hence, the debate. All agree immunizations are necessary but there is some question around which, when, etc. Which is why the gov't shouldn't get involved. Folks should be free to heed the advice of those they trust.

I'll be honest--I don't think twice about any of this.  If a doctor tells me, its time for vaccine A, I say thank you and that's about it.  I don't research this stuff, partly because I trust the doctor and partly because I don't have the training or skills to evaluate the issue.  I know that they follow the AAP schedule, and as I suspected, it sounds like AAP put some thought into it:  http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/Documents/Vaccineschedule.pdf  I'd be suspecious of a doctor who disagreed, not because I favor herd mentality but because I would wonder whether that doctor has the resources of AAP and has conducted as thorough an analysis.

I'm not sure to what extent the government is involved, and I tend to lean libertarian, but vaccinations have significant externalities that probably justify some level of government intervention.

[burtonda]

Theoretically true; however, not all medical professionals agree, hence, the debate. All agree immunizations are necessary but there is some question around which, when, etc. Which is why the gov't shouldn't get involved. Folks should be free to heed the advice of those they trust.

You are free to follow whatever vaccination schedule for your child you like. No one is forced to vaccinate anyone. The government only gets involved when you enroll your child into a public school (which you also have the freedom to not do).

Because an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence supports the current immunization schedule, the vast majority of competent physicians recommend following it and public schools require it. It's sad that a fraudulent researcher, a moronic quasi-celebrity, and vague anecdotal evidence can trump the experience and opinion of trained physicians. It's even sadder when children get needlessly sick because of it.