Strollerderby : vaccination

Mom Tells State Don't Make Me Vaccinate

JeanneSager — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:04:00 GMT

It's one of only two states that won't allow parents to use religion as an excuse to avoid vaccinating their kids, and now West Virginia is facing a lawsuit from a mom who says she doesn't want her six-year-old daughter to receive the shots.

Jennifer Workman says it's a "sacrilege" to expect her to vaccinate her daughter. But wouldn't you know, this so-called religious excuse is coming from a mom who claims vaccines cause autism.

I say so-called religion in this case because it sounds awfully convenient. Workman describes herself as "bapticostal," a mix of Baptist and Pentecostal religions, and she's asked a federal judge to overturn the state's demands that her daughter be immunized before attending public school based on religious freedom.

But her real problem? Her elder daughter, teenaged Susanna, has autism. And she's afraid of vaccinating Madison because she believes the vaccines are to blame. Never mind the long line of studies that have discredited that theory. That's only a small portion of the problem here - because Workman isn't presenting this as a medical case.

She's clearly using religion to push through her agenda. And she's not alone. Two years ago, Babble reported on a hike in religious dispensations being requested by parents who didn't want to vaccinate.

But where our forefathers were talking the right to assemble and pray to your own God (or G-d or Allah . . .), to circumcise your kids, to not eat pork, to string a cross around your neck, they were also talking about personal rights as they affect one person. They weren't, however, talking about excuses couched in religious belief that void the social contract. Just as ritualistic killings can not fall under the guise of religion because it's an express harm to others, an unvaccinated child walking into a school building is a public health risk. Allowing these types of dispensations only increases that risk.

Should kids in West Virginia be forced to bow to a mother's attempts to skirt the law?

Kid Dies After Parents Said No to Hib Vaccine

JeanneSager — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:31:00 GMT

It's a disease entirely preventable, but a sudden burst in diagnoses of Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B) in Minnesota kids has led to the death of one seven-month-old. His parents, along with those of two other infected children were in the growing group who have opted out on vaccinating their kids.

The fourth child infected was in the middle of the three-part vaccination process, while the fifth had an immune deficiency.

Despite the low number of infections, the CDC has gotten involved, concerned that parents choosing not to vaccinate their kids are putting other children at risk. Five kids, they say, is the highest number of cases in one area since 1992, when vaccinating against Hib became common practice in pediatricians' offices.

"The situation is of concern," Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease at the CDC, told CNN. "It could be happening elsewhere, and of course it's tragic that one of the children actually died from a preventable disease."

Since vaccinating against Hib became the norm for American children in the early 1990s, the CDC has seen a ninety nine percent drop in reported cases (from as much as twenty thousand before vaccinations).The disease primarily strikes kids under five, and it kills one in twenty. Of those who survive, ten to twenty percent end up with brain damage, many more go deaf.

What's troubling to me are the children infected despite their parents proper attempts to vaccinate - because other parents refusal to do so has allowed the disease to once again flourish. It's something very few people in the anti-vaccine community focus on - what happens to everyone else's kids. They argue that they are protecting their children from supposed toxins in the immunizations. But as a recent study proving the efficacy of the meningitis vaccine points out, the "herd immunity" provided by immunizing children protects the community as a whole.

By refusing to immunize their kids, these parents are putting society as a whole at risk - including the fourth and fifth kid in Minnesota, who were at special risks.

Image: CNN

AAP: Delayed Vaccines Too Risky for Kids

What Will Tainted Peanut Butter Really Do To Our Kids?

Organic Dreams or Toxic Nightmares? You Pick

FDA Asked to Approve Gardasil for Boys

They Say -- Vaccines Work

Brett Singer — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

We do a lot of stories on Babble about the potential dangers of vaccines, and about people who are trying to raise awareness of those dangers. Nothing wrong with that. But sometimes it’s a good idea to show the other side of things.

A recent article in U.S. News and World Report points out that deaths from measles declined by 74 percent from 2000 to 2007. The article actually used the word "plunged", which for once was not hyperbole. A 74 percent drop is big. The data comes from a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, which stated that "the number of deaths fell from 750,000 to 197,000." In some countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan) the drop was as high as 90 percent.

Now here's a stat to make you cringe – "worldwide child deaths from measles have dropped to 9.2 million," according to Ann M. Veneman of UNICEF.

What's cringeworthy about that? Later in the same article, Veneman puts it another way: "It is estimated that 500 children a day die of measles. This is an unacceptable reality when there is a safe and effective and inexpensive vaccine to prevent the disease." Unacceptable? No kidding.

While there are very few measles deaths in the United States, the disease is on the rise here, with 130 cases reported in 2008. Says U.S. News and World Report: "Almost half of these cases were among children whose parents declined vaccinations."

I wonder about that last line. "Almost half" implies that more than half of the cases were from vaccinated children – right? Which would seem to conclude that the vaccine is less than perfect. But let's look at it another way – the more parents refuse to allow their children to be vaccinated, the more measles cases there are, and so on. Is there a point when the potential dangers of vaccines outweigh the potential risks?

I feel strongly that the devil lies in the details – for example, is it possible to make vaccines without mercury, one of the substances many people feel is dangerous? Rather than a "vaccines or no vaccines" debate, we could have a debate about the particular vaccine itself. But that doesn't make for an easy headline.

The link to the U.S. News and World Report article was suggested by a commenter on this post by Hannah about a toddler who died after an MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination. The parents blamed the vaccine for the 18 month old's death; the coroner's report later found "no link" between the tragic death and the vaccine. While stories like these can inspire parents to refuse to get their children vaccinated (regardless of what the coroner's report said), it is worth remembering that vaccines have enormous benefits as well as risks.

Source: U.S. News and World Report (Thanks to commenter gpgirl for the link.)

Image: helpyourautisticchildblog.com

Defying Doctors, Parents Blame Toddler's Sudden Death on MMR Vaccination

No Christmas Specials for Some Jewish Kids

Grieving Chinese Parents Not Allowed To Sue

They Say – Raise Kids Who Care

Boy Saves Brother's Life With Bone Marrow

Tell Obama to Overturn the Global Gag Rule Sooner Rather Than Later

Shannon LC Cate — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:34:00 GMT

The Global Gag Rule, originally put in place by Ronald Reagan, makes U.S. aid dollars available only to health clinics that refuse to discuss abortion with their patients, regardless of the abortion law in their countries. As a result, helath clinics that provide basic services to poor people with little to no other options for health care have been closed due to lack of funding. Will Barack Obama overturn this rule (as Bill Clinton did during his years as president before GW Bush reinstated it)? Sure, he probably will. But let's be sure he knows that health care for poor women and children around the globe is a priority for us. This video from Engender Health tells you how to help:

Defying Doctors, Parents Blame Toddler's Sudden Death on MMR Vaccination

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Bereaved parents in the U.K. are desperate for answers after their 18-month-old son, George, was found dead in his crib 10 days after he received the vaccination for measles, mumps, and rubella. George's parents, Sarah and Christopher Fisher, believe his death was tied to the vaccine, while a leading British infant health specialist says he believes George was the victim of a rare form of seizure called Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood.

Although George had suffered an epileptic fit four months before the MMR vaccine, doctors say it was safe to administer the shot. However, George’s parents should have been told to carefully monitor his temperature in the days following the shot, since the MMR vaccine can cause a “febrile convulsion” (a fever-related seizure) in one of about two to three thousand children who receive the vaccine. Still, experts say they know of no case in which a child has died as a result of a MMR-related febrile convulsion.

George’s parents claim they were not warned to carefully monitor George’s temperature and health in the days after the shot. The day before his death, George had diarrhea, red eyes, and wasn’t eating as much as usual, but since he was otherwise healthy and in good spirits, his parents simply made a doctor's appointment instead of taking him to the hospital.

Regardless of the actual cause of George’s death, it is highly disturbing that medical staff did not stress the importance of monitoring any post-MMR vaccine reactions. Even if this would not have saved George’s life, it would have given the parents the invaluable peace of mind of knowing that every precaution was taken to save their son.

UPDATE: Coroner Finds No Link Between Toddler's Sudden Death and MMR Vaccine

Photo: Telegraph

They Say: Get Your Kid the Flu Shot

JeanneSager — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:40:00 GMT

My mother used to roll me over early in the morning and poke a needle in my arm. "Good morning, honey, you've just been vaccinated against the flu." Welcome to life as a nurse's kid.

It's no wonder I've been lining up each year to get my daughter her flu shot since her first shot at 7 months. Yes, 7 months - her summer birthday set her up to hit the minimum approved age for the vaccine in the heart of flu season, and I wasn't taking any chances. So I was one mom who was happy to hear the CDC extend the recommended age for vaccinating kids against the flu this year.

For us, it's just in time. Recommended before for kids 6 months to 2 years and only to kids older if they're at a heightened risk, this would have been the first year I would have had to pay for her shot out of my own pocket. Then the word from the CDC - get a shot for every kid, age 6 months to 18 years. Which means my insurance company should pony up. It also means I'm pressing harder on other parents to follow suit.

What makes the flu vaccine so important? The flu is rampant. It's easily transmitted from person to person, and it puts 20,000 American children in the hospital every year. And every year, 36,000 Americans die from the flu. From the flu? Yes, from the disease I hear people tell me year in and year out is "no big deal. It's just a like a bad cold."

Wrong!

Sorry, I think something that kills people is sort of a big deal. Something that sends 20,000 kids to the hospital every year sounds like more than a bad cold. The flu is symptomized by high fevers, nausea, diarrhea, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, sore throat, stuffy nose - none of this is fun stuff.

Second claim I hear from moms (and dads) who don't get their kid vaccinated? "You can get the flu by getting the shot - so what's the point?"

Wrong again.

The flu shot contains an inactivate (dead) virus. As your body builds up antibodies to the virus, you can experience low grade fever and muscle aches. Now compare that to the list above of what the flu can do to your body. Do they really compare?

The flu shot doesn't always work - some people still get the flu. But anyone who's just sent their kid to school or just put a child in daycare knows how fast the bugs spread from kid to kid and then from your kid to you. So let one flu germ loose on a school and every kid is going to have it, and so is every parent of every kid.

So it's up to you - do you want to run the risk of being one of 200,000 Americans sent to the hospital every year because they got the flu? One of 36,000 who die? The parent of one of the 20,000 kids sent to the hospital? Or do you want to suck it up, call the pediatrician and get your kid a flu shot?

Image: Health News-Stat

We Know Some Toys are Infectious, but This Will Put a Pox on You

Party with the Pox, but Don't Say We Didn't Warn You

US Panel Recommends All Kids Get Flu Shots

Cole Gamble — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:29:00 GMT

A Federal panel is advising all children, all the way up to age 18, get flu vaccines. Up to this point the general medical recommendation was for children in the highest danger zone, 6 months to 5 years of age, but now the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices sees fit to have them get their shots all the way up until the day they can vote.This decree could place a great strain on the country’s flu vaccine supplies, adding 30 million more children to the ranks of the vaccinated. On the other hand, a full out effort could cut drastically back on child sick days, which would bring up test scores and force less parents to take time off of work.

Photo: www.pearlandisd.org

Shots Without the Shot? Where Do I Sign?

Madeline Holler — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:15:00 GMT

Show of hands: Which of you parents actually teared up the first few times your babies got shots? Me, me, me. I'm embarassed to admit, that I even got a little weepy when our dog got his rabies booster. Clearly, I suffer some kind of imbalance.

So imagine how delighted I am to read about this development in the world of innoculations: a flu vaccine that is administered orally!

Korean researchers say the new vaccine worked in mice, avoiding not only the painful prick but also the discomfort some people feel from the inhaled vaccine.

With the success of trials in mice, they'll now be testing it on humans.

Of course, this is the flu vaccine. No word on all the other shots kids get. But hey, it's a start. My now 6-year-old still screams and flails when she gets shots. Only I don't cry for her anymore. All the tears are for me.

Vaccines and Autism: Hell, What Do I Know?

Kelly Mills — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:55:00 GMT

So, there's a couple posts on the CDC's study of thimerosal exposures and neuropsychological outcomes--related perhaps to the issue of whether vaccines caused autism, ADHD, and other disorders. One post says the study results indicate a relationship between boys developing tics and exposure to mercury, but also that the report glosses over this fact and the study was flawed anyway. The other post says the study is further evidence that there is not a link between thimerosal and autism, but that the anti-mercury activists who were involved in the study rejected the results when they weren't to their liking. Same study. I say: Damn, well, glad we solved that once and for all.

I vaccinated my daughter. Like many folks, I was not convinced there was a causal relationship between vaccines and certain disorders, but we do know that the diseases we vaccinate against are real bad news. And we all gotta vaccinate for it to work. The government told companies to take thimerosal out of many vaccines. But you know what? With half this kind of shit I often feel like I'm swimming in opinions and agendas, with very little to help guide me. Mostly because nobody knows these things absolutely; but also because there's too many folks waving their arms for me to know who makes the best case. And not just when it comes to vaccines, but also for the costs and benefits of everything from medicines to household products to where we live and what we eat.

Look, I don't trust our government officials to look out for me, I don't believe most industries care about my safety. Money and greed trump health, and so many of our regulations are so friggin' toothless we don't have much in place to protect us. Yet that doesn't make me run towards some advocacy groups and health crusaders, who use hysterical rhetoric and make sweeping claims. I just want the relatively objective, reasoned analysis on so many health issues, but for the life of me I have trouble finding it.

Update: I was just reminded of this article on vaccination, which I think is super. Hope it helps.

Why I'm Going to Vaccinate My Unvaccinated Kids

Karen Murphy — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:28:00 GMT

I'm coming to the conclusion that I've been hiding my head in the sand for several years now when it comes to certain parenting issues. My happy little parenting Bubble Of Goodness. I think a lot had to do with being immersed in a Waldorf school community and all that went along with it: the Attachment-Parenting, no-circumcision (I haven't changed my mind about that one), no-vaccinating, organically-grown parenting ideals that many in that lifestyle, myself included, subscribe to.

I'm finding though that as my kids get older or as I chill out a bit or maybe both, that some of these ideals aren't as ideal as I once thought.

For instance, no children sleep in my bed ANY. MORE.

And the vaccination thing. My youngest son has respiratory issues anyway simply because of Down syndrome-related anatomy, and for him, dealing with a serious illness like whooping cough could be difficult if not fatal.

And it turns out that there's a measure of social responsibility involved here. If the majority in a group vaccinate, those who choose not to can rely on the group to protect them from the disease the rest of them are vaccinated against. But when a large number in a group fail to vaccinate, things fall apart. Which is why the largest whooping cough outbreak in recent U.S. history occurred in Boulder, Colorado, the city I recently moved away from (not for that reason) and a city where a large number of folks don't vaccinate their kids.

But don't take my word for it. Julie Marsh at The Imperfect Parent explains it oh so well. And I'm okay with you making the choices you feel are best for your kids, truly I am. I still worry for my own kids about some of the issues that kept me from vaccinating in the first place. But I no longer feel that those issues outweigh the larger one of social responsibility.

What's your stand on vaccinations? Yea or nay, and why?

Gardasil Mandate Vetoed by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

Patti — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:02:00 GMT

The latest state to make a decision on whether or not to make Gardasil a required vaccination for public school students is New Mexico, and the answer is "no". The vaccine has been the center of controversy as various governments face the question of whether or not to add it to the standard list of immunizations.

Governor Bill Richardson stated that he would veto the measure, which would make the vaccine required for all female students entering the sixth grade unless their parents signed an opt-out waiver (as with other vaccines). Richardson did follow through on legislation requiring insurance companies to cover the vaccine, and the New Mexico Department of Health will be continuing the launch of a program making the vaccine available to New Mexico's girls at no cost.

Several other states are debating similar legislation, and most recently Texas was in the spotlight when Governor Rick Perry issued an executive order stating that girls over twelve were to have the shots administered. The US isn't alone in this, though. It's on the table in the UK, and in Australia where the vaccine was developed, it will be prescribed for women ages 12-26, and scaled back to 12-13 year olds thereafter. Incidentally, Gardasil has also been approved for males in Australia, though the government is not yet funding a vaccination program for boys and men.

Keep Your Laws Off My Kid: When is Government Too Intrusive?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:31:00 GMT

Government programs designed to help children frequently succeed at providing early education (Head Start), nutrition (Free Lunch Program), and health insurance (Medicaid), but when does help become unwanted intervention? According to a Chicago Tribune op-ed, that line has already been crossed.

In the debate over required vaccination against cervical cancer, which is being hotly contested in several states, opponents feel the rights of the parents are being overrun by government interests and that ultimately parents should be able to decide what is best for their children.

The problem always rests in legislating childrearing practices for everyone. The laws that are meant to protect children in those cases where the parents are unfit or unwilling to do so provide protections that we as a society cannot live without. But at what point are these helps a hindrance to personal liberty? Personally, I prefer to err on the side of over-helping than neglecting an issue, especially where children are concerned.

Strollerderby : vaccination

Mom Tells State Don't Make Me Vaccinate

We're Not Judging You, Pinky Swear

Playdate: Breastfeeding Bonds for Better Mom-Kid Relationships?

Out of the Mouths of Families

Pregnant Cop Denied Light Duty Sues Department

Kid Dies After Parents Said No to Hib Vaccine

They Say: Meningitis Vaccine Actually Works

AAP: Delayed Vaccines Too Risky for Kids

What Will Tainted Peanut Butter Really Do To Our Kids?

Organic Dreams or Toxic Nightmares? You Pick

FDA Asked to Approve Gardasil for Boys

They Say -- Vaccines Work

They Say – Most Toys Are Toxic

Defying Doctors, Parents Blame Toddler's Sudden Death on MMR Vaccination

No Christmas Specials for Some Jewish Kids

Grieving Chinese Parents Not Allowed To Sue

They Say – Raise Kids Who Care

Boy Saves Brother's Life With Bone Marrow

Tell Obama to Overturn the Global Gag Rule Sooner Rather Than Later

Defying Doctors, Parents Blame Toddler's Sudden Death on MMR Vaccination

They Say: Get Your Kid the Flu Shot

US Panel Recommends All Kids Get Flu Shots

Shots Without the Shot? Where Do I Sign?

Vaccines and Autism: Hell, What Do I Know?

Why I'm Going to Vaccinate My Unvaccinated Kids

Gardasil Mandate Vetoed by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

Keep Your Laws Off My Kid: When is Government Too Intrusive?