Every state has a religious and/or philisophical exemption EXCEPT for Mississippi and West Virginia...if ya live in one of those two states you are virtually screwed. I fought for years before giving up and finally just moving out of MS.....and what a beautiful thing that move has become *sigh*...wish I'd done it years before.
I am against getting kids vaccinated for the major reason that it isn't NATURAL. Also, a child who eats healthy and lives a healthy lifestyle isn't going to to need vaccinations.
I had to go through scarlet fever at age 12. It was five weeks of pure hell. Please get your kid vaccinated so s/he doesn't have to go through that!
You don't get autism from vaccines! I happen to work with autistic children, so I know a bit on the issue. Autism is something you're born with, just like spina bifida. It just happens that autism isn't diagnosed until certain vaccines are given. And even then, which would you rather have: An autistic child or dead child?
Some vaccinations NEED to be given. I have a friend who lost most of his hearing because of a very, very, very bad case of scarlet fever because his parents refused to let him have a vaccine for it when he was younger. I don't know the details on it, but somehow he had complications and lost one of his eardrums. Yes, the flu shot and the chickenpox shot are pretty stupid, but complications are pretty rare and unless you or the father of your children has ever had complications with a vaccine, then go through with it. Leading a healthy lifestyle does NOT protect you from disease. You could be the healthiest person in the world and still become sick. Being healthy won't stop you from getting tetnus if you step on a rusty nail...
One other thing they don't tell you, specific to tetanus. I had a vaccine for tetanus as a babe, then at 10 got cut by an old fence and had to get shot again. Apparently, the tetanus shot only protects you for up to five years. So you'd have to be a pretty paranoid preventative parent to get a tetanus shot before you needed it. Why put the babe through the pain of a tetanus shot before they've ever cut themselves? I say wait until an accident that might cause tetanus happens, then take the kid in for a shot. May teach them a lesson, too. My son had all his shots. Being my first, I went along with it all and had that confidence that my baby would be perfect, healthy, and a part of the majority (not the minority that has complications) My daughter then came out as a delicate, precious, miraculous, unplanned little person. I fear much more for her safety, and read extensively about vaccines. I am firmly against subjecting infants to shots if you plan to keep them in a stable home environment. If day care is in the child's future, I would say it makes more sense, unless of course you are in a stable child care environment with American born kids who mostly are vaccinated themselves. Then again, the risk is low enough as to be less likely for the disease to surface than for complications from the vaccine. If you're looking at those odds, if there is a better chance your little one will suffer complications from the vaccine than the disease itself, why on earth would you do it? I am waiting to get my girl vaccinated until I feel she is stronger. Until then I am not taking her into risky situtations. Even in my future camping these next months she will be "pampered" with filtered spring water, a bath every day, frequent hand washing, her own sterilized place to potty, and fairly limited contact with strangers. I plan to do a selected regiment of vaccines in her third year. She may remember the shots more, but I feel it's worth the wait for her physical health. Babies are notoriously hard to diagnose symptoms anyway. If a baby suffers a complication from a vaccine it can appear to be colic, fussiness, or a common cold. If an older child suffers a complication they can tell you how they feel, and the symptoms are more easily diagnosed and understood. That's my 2 cents.
I hate to tell you this Purple, but they don't vaccinate for Scarlet Fever. And yes you can and do get autism from vaccines. Not the vaccines themselves but the mercury that is used to preserve them has been linked to autism. Do some research. I'm glad you work with autistic children. But working with them doesn't tell you how or why they got it. I think that you're right in that we are born with a predisposition for it. But the mercury has been linked as one of the things that makes it develope in one person and not another. And please Bobbin, tell me what you mean by "American born kids". My Guatemalan born son is quite healthy and will definitely not contaminate your precious little American born. Kathi
Now that we're on the subject, I thought I'd share this little bit of info I got in a monthly E-newsletter called "Healthy E-news YOu Can Use". Here's the link if you want to check it out further: Dr. Mercola's E-Newsletter How America Was Blinded by Merck's Vaccine Lies As if Merck hasn't caused enough damage to the public's health with its painkiller drug Vioxx, found to increase cardiovascular risks, more evidence questioning the company's credibility has surfaced. It turns out Merck continued to supply the infant hepatitis B vaccine, which was contaminated with thimerosal, a mercury preservative, for two years after announcing that it had eliminated the toxin from the vaccine. It was September 1999, in the midst of concerns about the risks of mercury in childhood vaccines, when Merck stated that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved a preservative-free version of the vaccine. And despite Merck's news release that stated, "Now, Merck's infant vaccine line is free of all preservatives," the company still distributed the vaccine containing thimerosal until October 2001. Thimerosal is: Fifty percent ethyl mercury Still present in most flu shots, though eliminated from most routine childhood vaccines Used as a sterilizing agent to prevent bacterial contamination (due to repeated insertion of needles into multidose vials of vaccine) A Merck spokeswoman explained that the company continued to supply the preservative-containing version of the vaccine during the transition period to make sure there was enough vaccine to aid in protecting the nation's children. Regardless, both parents and doctors were severely misled; more than 4,200 parents have filed claims in the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Due to the mercury present in the shots, the parents argue their children have suffered from autism or other neurological disorders. However, vaccine makers and health officials claim there is no solid evidence to prove that small doses of mercury, once widely present in children's shots, caused such harm. Los Angeles Times March 8, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Mercola's Comment: I ran an interesting article about a 1991 Merck memo uncovered by the Los Angeles Times that expressed concerns babies were receiving elevated amounts of mercury--as much as 87 times higher than the maximum daily "consumption" of mercury from fish. Now, we find out Merck lied about this potent neurotoxin being present in vaccines and allowed it to be injected in millions of unsuspecting newborns There are only two words I can think of for this-- reprehensible evil. I am highly challenged to understand how Merck can get away with this. How can any company say that a potent neurotoxin is not present in something that is mandated by law to be injected into helpless infants and then not be penalized for the crime it committed. Folks something isn't right here. Before you decide to vaccinate your children, I strongly recommend you do them a favor and closely examine the serious risks and side effects associated with vaccines. Doing so could very well mean the difference between life and death for your child. If aid in your research you might want to consider: Dr. Sherri Tenpenny's amazing two-hour DVD video: Vaccines: What CDC Documents and Science Reveal, which tells the truth behind the vaccine issue. The video is the culmination of Dr. Tenpenny's three-year investigation into the true story behind vaccines and is presented in a very easy to understand lecture format. I really love this video for all the useful information present and the way Dr. Tenpenny transforms difficult to understand concepts into simple easy to understand language. Recent reports by Drs. Donald Miller and Russell Blaylock. Dr. Tenpenny's insightful cassette tape: The Dangers of Vaccines, and How You Can Legally Avoid Them, which is a 90-minute teleconference interview I conducted with her. If you are a parent, a medical practitioner, or are otherwise interested in how to exercise your freedom of choice to bypass vaccines, you should definitely consider this tape. If, after researching and reviewing the sources listed above, you are not convinced of the value and safety in avoiding vaccines, you should, at the very least, avoid exposing your child to vaccines from multi-dose vials. Inform the physician or nurse that you want the single-dose vaccine container and request that you want to actually witness them removing it from the vial and would like the empty vial to take home with you as proof that your child did not receive the mercury-contaminated vaccine. This way, you will at least avoid one of the problems associated with vaccines. If you want to look into this topic further, I suggest you click on the link at the beginning of this post. There's some interesting stuff there. Peace, Lena
Just wanted to back Kathi up. THERE IS NO VACCINE FOR SCARLET FEVER. Scarlet Fever is a form of blood poisoning from the Strep bacteria. There certianly IS treatment, (one of my kids had it, and with treatment the damage to the child is Nil) and if you treat the Scarlet Fever, no one is going to have long term effects from it. BUT it cannot be prevented. Also, Scarlet Fever is NOT comminicable. The Strep is, but SF is a personal reaction to the toxin that strep makes. When my dd got Scarlet Fever, the entire family got Strep, but only she got SF. It can't be prevented with vaccines. You must be mistaken, as there is simply no way to refuse a vaccine which doesn't EXIST! In this day and age, with the range of antibiotics we have, there is NO REASON for someone to have had Scarlet Fever for 5 weeks!!!! A shot of pennicillin (or an other antibx if you are allergic to it) and 7 days of oral antibx and you will be fine. This is one illness where antibiotics really are a miracle cure. Kids USED to get heart damage and deafness ect from Scarlet Fever, but there is simply NO REASON to have this happen anymore.
My son was NOT "born" with autism. He developed it because of MERCURY toxicity in his vaccines. We have undergone chelation treatment with him. (pulling out heavy metals) Mercury load in his body was incredible. So was alunimum. (both present in vax). Educators are tought the typical govt "brainwashing"... they don't live with it, for the most part. They don't witness a child's developmental changes post vax. They flat out don't know what parents go thru to watch this decline. A once verbal talkative child, who cuddled 2 days post vax is throwing screaming fits and no longer can talk. Coincidence? Hardly. Some kids may be born with autism.. some. But most no. Go to the Autism Research Institute website (don't have the URL right now) and read the paper that compares mercury toxicity to autism down to the cellular functioning level. Overwhelming the comparrisons. They are identical. One day the truth will be unsurpressed.
I have to say, I do think some vaccines are extremely important. In the city where I live (i mean actually live, not right now away at uni) we have a HUGE rate of unmonitored/illegal immigration, and though I'm not trying to point the finger, the truth is a lot of them come from countries that don't vaccinate, and haven't found treatments for some of these diseases, and now these diseases are finding their way back to a first-world country. That's the scary part. I certainly wouldn't give my child a flu shot or a chicken pox shot (i only get the flu shot because my grandmother lives with us and her health is unstable...I don't want to get her sick) and the chances of a child DYING from the chicken pox is pretty darn slim. But the city, in the last five years or so, has reported drastically increased rates of "old-school" illnesses you hardly see anymore, like polio for example. That's scary stuff. I certainly believe in a parent's right to choose whether they innoculate their child...I think I would probably choose yes.
Cher, there has been absolutely NO wild strain Polio in the USA in over 25 years. The ONLY cases have come from older people being exposed to a child who received the ORAL polio vaccine (which is a live vac) But almost all doctors now give the dead vaccine (the injected one) now. You must be mistaken, because NO ONE has seen polio in the USA in a very long time. and those are.......the only one I can think of is Tetanus, which even a lot of people who selectively vaccinate use. What else isn't treatable?
Here is a chart of polio cases since 51, Decline of Reported Polio Cases in the USA 1951-2000 Incidence Rates of Poliomyelitis in the USA Year Paralytic Nonparalytic 1951 10,037 18,349 1961 988 324 1971 17 4 1981 6 0 1991 10 0 2000 0 0 Most of the cases in 61 and 71 were vaccine induced (meaning it wasn't someone "getting polio" but someone exposed to a child who had the vaccine (these children carry live virus for months) or some who got the vaccine them selves getting the illness FROM the vaccine. Few were "wild strain" or actual polio. In 81 ALL of the cases were vaccine induced cases. There have been NO cases since then, as most doctors don't use the LIVE vaccine. Here is from an article by Jay Gordon MD, a pediatrician, about polio
Interesting stats...but I don't live in the USA so ours are definitely different. I'm not saying the diseases in underdeveloped countries aren't treatable, I'm saying they're not being treated IN those countries, and then being brought here. And sure, we can treat them here, but why not prevent it altogether?? I actually have to have all my shots updated before I start my placements next January...I wonder what they would say if I refused? Not that I'm planning to, but out of curiousity I mean. There are probably a lot of parents who wouldn't feel comfortable leaving their kids where the people taking care of them weren't vaccinated... interesting. The whole discussion is interesting. PERSONALLY (I say "personally" because it's a personal choice) I would rather prevent these diseases than wait for them to come get me...and yes I've read about the risks..personally I'm willing to take them.
PS/ they don't "record" the cases brought over by immigrants because a lot of the time, the government/health agencies/etc don't know they're here. That's what I meant by "unmonitored" immigration. Just a thought...I'm not trying to argue here.
The sheer amount of medical misinformation among adult parents simply amazes me! I've been a single dad rearing two kids since 1992 and some of this makes me laugh. The vaccination for smallpox, once a deadly communicable disease, converts the virus to something less severe called CHICKENPOX. Having chickenpox, which almost EVERYONE gets simnply means you were immunized against smallpox and will live. The same is true of german measels, formerly known as Rubella. And Mumps is now considerably less damaging (no longer causes sterility in males). That's what the MMR vax is. MMR = Measles, Mumps, Rubella. You get less severe, non-life threatening versions of these diseases if you are immunized. And as far as a link between heavy metals and autism is concerned, I'll let CG talk about that. There hasn't been a concrete link made. And autism IS a birth defect. If your child's illness is caused by heavy metals, it might look like autism but chances are it's brain damage. I'd get a second opinion. Hey I believe in natural everything. That includes CONTINUING TO LIVE. Gotta draw a line someplace. They that stand unwavering will smash when the fall comes. Wish I could remember who said that...
this is a great debate...I surely don't know where I stand but I probaly swing to one side more than the other. I actually have got my daughter vaccinated as I think that the "net" idea of vaccines is probaly what is most effctive about them, the fact the populaton as a whole protects each other...on an indivdual level I don't know but I have definitely seen stuff that rebutes what has been said in here about the MMR immunisation, and from people that know thier science, not just little me...sorry I do not have it at hand and I defnitely don't have a medical degree but I will go ahunting... here in Aus we still do the live polio vaccines...it is not the liveliness of the vaccines or the exposure to those that have been exposed in the past that is causing a resurgence in polio amongst not only our country but other ones too who thought they had erradicated it, rather the movement of people and the holes left in the immunisation web by people who do not immunise their children means that the incidence of this is increasing in not only our country but other ones too. I have no problem with you choosing not to immunse your children but I do feel that those who have immunised thier kids have provided a safety net to you that would not be there if we all chose not too immunise. There are plenty of people n thier fifties (not so old) that are suffering the effects of polio that would have greatly benefitted in thier lives from not being exposed to this. However I still have this personal choice thing rocketing round my brain and I fgure that if you choose not to then you live by the consequences of not doing so...maybe just don't travel too much or mix with anyone from anywhere else and this isn't a problem...but who wants to live like that nowadays?
Quote " The vaccination for smallpox, once a deadly communicable disease, converts the virus to something less severe called CHICKENPOX. Having chickenpox, which almost EVERYONE gets simnply means you were immunized against smallpox and will live." End Quote If anyone is interested in medical information regarding chickenpox and smallpox, the following comes from the Mayo Clinic. This red, itchy rash is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is part of a group of viruses called herpes viruses. Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by Variola virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family. Smallpox vs. chickenpox In the past, smallpox was sometimes confused with chickenpox — a childhood infection that's seldom deadly. Yet chickenpox differs from smallpox in several important ways: * Severity and location of lesions. Chickenpox lesions are much more superficial than are those of smallpox and occur primarily on the trunk, rather than on the face, arms and hands. * Types of lesions. You'll often see a combination of scabs, vesicles and pustules in someone with chickenpox. In smallpox, on the other hand, all of the lesions in a given area are at the same stage. * Timing of transmission. A person infected with chickenpox can unknowingly transmit the virus to others before symptoms ever develop. But smallpox becomes infectious only when symptoms appear and remains contagious until scabs fall from the pustules. According to the WHO, smallpox is most contagious after the fever starts and during the first week of the rash. You're less likely to become infected if you're exposed to someone in the later stages of the disease. Hope this clears up a thing or two. Kathi
