Dear Baby Sideburns, you are NOT totally cray cray about this measles thing, and here’s the proof
(a phone call I just had this afternoon)
NURSE: Hi, is this Mrs. Alpert?
ME: It is.
NURSE: You called to see if your kids are up-to-date with their MMR vaccines?
ME: Yes.
NURSE: It looks like Holden had his first one, but he can’t get the second one until he’s four.
ME: Alright, that’s what I thought.
NURSE: Zoey had her first and oh, and it looks like she’s due for her booster now.
ME: So does she get that at her six-year appointment in May?
NURSE: With what’s going on, I wouldn’t wait. I’d have her come in now for it.
ME: Oh, okay.
NURSE: Wait, no, I’m wrong. I was looking at the wrong page. She actually got it already. Yup, she got her MMR at her five-year appointment.
ME: So she’s all set?
NURSE: All set.
Okay, so I’m not sharing this because I want to get everyone all in a panic or anything. And I’m not sharing it to defend what I wrote the other day. Even with all the a-holes writing a-holio comments to me, I still stand behind it 100%.
It’s just that I debated even calling the pediatrician’s office in the first place because I thought they were gonna think I was being a total cuckoo-head hypochondriac mom. I thought she was gonna roll her eyes at me over the phone and poo-poo me and say that my kids are healthy and that I shouldn’t worry about this silly measles shit and that the media is blowing it out of proportion.
She did not.
In fact, she did the opposite. I mean she didn’t freak out or anything, but before she realized Zoey is all set, she suggested I get her in right away for her MMR booster. Thank God Zoey didn’t actually need it, partly because she’s protected, but mostly because I can’t stand schlepping her to the hot zone of nasty cold-cough-flutopia. I mean this is already like the worst season for germs and right now as I’m typing this, I’m watching her in gymnastics and she literally has her hands in her mouth and I want to bang on the glass and be like, “Nooooooo, get your germy hands out of your mouth before you catch toe-cheese disease!!!” But I digress.
Anyways, here’s my point. The nurse thought it was a good idea to make sure kids are up-to-date with their MMR vaccine in light of what’s going on. They’re not freaking out about it, but they’re taking this shit seriously. And I don’t really know about adults, but it seems like it’s a good idea to call your doctor and make sure you’re up-to-date too, since I think even adults need boosters at some time. Sorry, I’m lazy and don’t have wifi right now so you’ll have to do the research on that one. I know they told me to get it when I was in the hospital after having Zoey.
And MOST OF ALL, please have your hubby check with his doctor to see if he needs a booster because we all know what men are like when they get a cold, so I can’t even imagine what they’d be like if they got the measles.
HUBBY: Honey, I have a red dot on my forehead so I should probably stay in bed all day and watch football and not help get the kids ready and you should give me a bell to ring in case I need anything.
ME: That’s a zit.
P.S. If you’re not one of the people who hates me right now, you might like to check out my hilarious New York Times Bestselling book.
I love every single one of your posts. Continue on, girl, and Be Fearless!
I completely disagree with your post yesterday but that doesn’t mean I hate you, or even dislike you, or that I will even think about unsubscribing to your blog! The thing is, I don’t judge you. I would LOVE to have that same respect. That’s all. Super simple.
we would respect if you if you did put our children, us, and everyone else at risk. that’s like saying we should respect drunk drivers. sorry.
I agree with Lindsay. Its not super simple when your decision could hurt many other people.
If you already have the shots you shouldn’t be at risk, right? I mean if the shots don’t protect you from people like me, then what’s the point? It’s kinda like saying a drink who rides in a cab will still cause an accident.
Except there are many kids, like my niece, that have compromised immune systems and can not get the vaccines. They depend on herd immunity for survival. The measles affected 3 million people in the US every year before it was vaccinated against. 160,000 people died in 2008 from the measles worldwide. This can be found on the CDC website. This attitude is very self centered considering we are talking about sick children who’s lives you are putting at risk.
Herd immunity is the point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuiHFg_nfnE
I’m fine, but what about the kid who has an autoimmune disease and legitimately can’t be vaccinated? What about the baby who isn’t old enough? What about the small percentage of people who are vaccinated but naturally don’t develop immunity? By choosing not to vaccinate (for literally NO reason as all science disproves the idea that vaccination causes autism) you put people who legitimately can’t be vaccinated and rely on herd immunity (which is a real thing) at risk. When little kids end up in the hospital with the measles, a disease that had been all but eradicated before This nonsensical trend, you are to blame, lady. You’re not a drunk in a cab. You’re behind the wheel.
Said like a boss!
Well said.
Because there are so many people who CAN’T get the shots. Babies… who are too young to get a shot, but still go with their mom to the grocery store. People who have kidney problems or autoimmune disorders and diseases that prevent them from being able to get immunizations. You may think, “Eh, if I get the measles I’ll have a rash and feel like crap for a week. Whatever.” Except, if you sneeze in the grocery store or on the street before you find out it’s not just a cold, and this baby is nearby n catches it, they die. You’re sick for a week. They die.
So it’s more like the drunk who walks into the road, slips, and falls, while the car swerving to miss him slams into a pole and kills themselves and their infant in the backseat.
Well said, Kelli!
If you read her whole post yesterday she stated that for those kids who can’t have the shot (to young to receive it, kids with cancer or other issues that prevent them from receiving it). So that was her point!! You are putting those children at risk! Because all of you moms now believe you have PHD now!
Because people “like you” can kill my daughter so no I don’t respect your decision. My daughter cannot have her MMR because it could kill her and if she gets the measles that could very well kill her too because she is allergic to ALL ANTIBIOTICS. So nothing you say is going to convince me that what you are doing is right. People like you put MY CHILD and so many others who CANNOT AFFORD TO CATCH THESE DISEASES at risk and trust me when I say…IT’S NOT BY MY CHOICE. All of my other children, my husband and myself are all vaccinated. Hell all 3 of my dogs have every vaccination you give them too. I don’t respect your CHOICE AT ALL.
You don’t treat measles with antibiotics, it’s viral..not bacterial. Just fyi.
Antibiotics aren’t used to treat measles but they may be used to treat the potentially deadly complications caused by measles. Measles, itself, is rarely deadly. It is the complications that arise from measles that are deadly.
Megan you are right, the measles, mumps and Rubella are all viral but there are other complications that can come with each that may require her to be on antibiotics and she can’t be. Not to mention what if she makes it to her adult years and then catches one while she is pregnant? Then her fetus suffers and potentially dies. It’s so not fair. I would give anything to be able to protect my daughter…especially in a world where people are choosing less and less to vaccinate every day. We don’t have that option. We have been to see many allergy specialists. It’s too risky to her.
95% covered against a disease becomes like 99.9% covered if the whole herd of people around you are also 95% covered. If you imagine it as a group of concentric rings with one break in each circle and a bug is trying to get to the centre as they randomly spin. Less immunised people means there is a scattering of 0% protected persons. They become like sections of some of those circles being absent . It is a profound change even if you are looking at basic percentages (though its a little more complex than that but still it helps it make sense). So whats the point? 17 years ago measles/whooping cough tetanic spasms(and this in reality makes the writhing of the girl in ‘The Exorcist’ look like a walk in the park), were things I was taught about as ‘gone from the Australian Medical system’ because they had not been seen by my senior colleagues in so many years. All those 95% ‘s added up to nil cases at all. We had what is called “Herd Immunity’ so an at risk person could not be reached because too many 95% chance of immunity persons were around as buffers. Now I get to see babies with whooping cough because they are too young to be immunised. Babies who cough so hard against an almost fully blocked airway so they pop their tiny ribs . Many of them survive. A 10 year old arched on the bed with her feet on the bead her head on the bed and the rest of her body arched over as she literally screamed in agony from tetanus. And her mother when asked if she would immunise her kids now – ‘hell no they could get autistic!’
There are some awesome alternative medicines and strategies that exceed in all sorts of ways. But we should not ignore science , as it is what got us to this point intact in the first place. Skepticism is healthy, but ignorance is a bliss we can ill afford. John its more like saying a drinker who is in a cab can still die in an accident. The chances are 95% less than if he is driving with his 0.14 blood alcohol rating . If a casino had a win chance of 95% who would not take that chance? So, why do you choose not to ?
See, that’s the thing… You’re demanding respect for a decision that shows complete disrespect for not only your own children’s health, but that has been shown to have an effect on many, many other children, both vaccinated and not, and which is based on flawed reasoning and a complete lack of the understanding behind the science.
Respect is earned.
Completely agree with you.
Me And you both.
I cannot give anyone respect for this decision. I am severely immune compromised. I have to work to pay my bills. I depend on people being vaccinated so that I can stay as healthy as my body lets me. I have had a booster shot but my doctor says with my medical conditions it is not a guarantee that it would work. I do not appreciate my life being put at risk because of your decision.
What about all the adults who don’t stay up to date with boosters? What about ppl who travel or immigrate? What if you travel? Are you equally angered by them?
I can respect you choices, unless they place me or my family at risk. It is no different than shooting someone dead. If your kid had a peanut allergy, you should respect my choice to send my kid to school with peanut butter sandwiches even if they are in the same class.
Precisely why I did vaccinate my kids at the appropriate ages- because my ped, whom I trusted with my own life, as well as my kids’ (she was also my obstetrician through two very difficult pregnancies), gave me the information on risks and benefits and her advice. I chose to trust not the anonymous squawkers via the ‘web, but someone I knew had the training and experience.
I could not agree more. I chose a ped specifically bc he was so good at calming me down during my mommy freak outs with my first boy (ahem and my second). I trust that he has my babies’ best interest at heart; I don’t think he’d do anything he felt was unsafe.
I love that you wrote yesterday’s post and today’s post. You’re not crazy about this. At all.
If any readers out there aren’t sure if they’re up to date, you can call your doc and either just schedule a booster (because it won’t hurt anything), or they can do a blood test to see if you still have the antibodies (and then get the booster if you need it). If you were born in the 60’s to the early 80’s, you may not have gotten a second booster, so it might be worth checking (especially since they now have a confirmed case in Chicagoland, the proud home of Baby Sideburns)
I am so grateful that you had the courage to post your comments today and yesterday. I have been worried about the anti-vax epidemic for the last several years as my daughter moved into public school for the first time. The school could not even tell me what percent of children currently were enrolled without vaccines. I think this information is a matter of public health and safety. I might make different decisions about a school based on the disease outbreak potential.
I shared your article and hope that it will help someone make a better decision for everyone.
https://leviquackenboss.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/dear-mom-who-thinks-i-need-to-vaccinate-my-kids-against-measles/
Annnnnnd there it is. The pseudo-scientific blog rant from someone who’s “done the research” and believes the CDC is a giant government conspiracy out to give us all autism.
Ok I’m going away from the comments now, before I get any further into this. I learned a long time ago that when people reject scientific fact, logic, and reason, there’s just no sense in wasting breath.
Peace.
Crapo, another global warming, cooling, climate change believer. Cause scientists know everything and are never wrong. Wait, they are always wrong, that why science is always changing.
Those are some mighty fine strawmen you’ve built there, Mr. Haerle! It’s easy for a skilled debater like yourself to refute an argument your opponent isn’t making, hmmm?
Your broken clock was right about one thing, though – science is always changing. Guess why? Because, unlike pseudoscience, real science HAS to try to be right. And guess what improves flawed science? No, not blog posts. Nope, not magic potions. No, not even sky wizards! It’s BETTER science, every time! Doesn’t that just chap your backside? 😀
As a mom of an Autistic child, let me thank you for being outspoken on this issue! I have had anti-vaccine tell me that I damaged my son when I vaccinated him and created a burden on society, so don’t I feel guilty.
Um, no. I caused his autism with my genetics, but I did not damage him and he is not damaged – he is neurodiverse and a lot better human being than the people who have told me this.
Amen! Autism moms rock. Although I may be prejudiced since I am one. I’m also immune compromised, so I have zero tolerance for anti-vax selfish idiots.
I think you’re awesome! I just found you today!!♡♡
Love this post. Just wanted to chime in that if you’re really concerned, you can give the second booster earlier than 4 years. They pushed it back to space them out a bit, but according to my ped you can give it as early as 18 months (6 months after the first dose). I’m getting my daughter her booster early.
I think we can see where the majority stands here & I am quite certain with the recent outbreaks that there will be fewer people on the fence on this urgent public health issue. So thanks for just coming out straight with it, Baby Sideburns! I’m calling to check on my kids vaccines tomorrow, along with my doc to probably get a booster since I sem to barely keep up to date with my tetnus shot, AND my hubby’s doc to schedule his WAY overdue physical (while he, too is a total baby when he’s sick, he avoids doctors at all costs – bad!) to include an MMR booster. THANK YOU!!!!!
There needs to be a like option..
Like.
There was a confirmed case of measles in Cook county last week. In Palatine I believe. The measles have officially arrived in Chicagoland. That is why the nurse did not blow you off. Take care my Chicago peeps.
i can’t believe you just posted this and there are already 40 comments!! that is so crazy. btw science rocks. i’m a scientist. i hate it when people decide they can’t trust science because it changes. well if you’re not going to vaccinate your kids, i guess you shouldn’t wash your hands with soap, either, since some shyster scientist “invented” that a few hundred years ago.
All those peeps are justad cuz they secretly know your right…F-them!!!
Please go to youtube and search for #hearthiswell. There are hundreds of videos of parents who say their children were vaccine injured. ALso, there were 288 cases of measles in the US in 2014. 0 deaths, 0 cases of encephalitis caused by measles. I would be suprised if the writer of this blog could name 3 ingredients in mmr vaccines without googling it.
What?! Um, measles, mumps & rubella??
First, anecdotes on YouTube don’t make scientific fact. Second, there are systematic ways to report “vaccine injury” through the CDC. Third, encephalitis from measles many times takes years to develop; it’s not necessarily an acute condition. Finally, I have personally SEEN CHILDREN DIE OF MEASLES in sub-Saharan Africa. Just because it’s not your neighbor doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
I don’t see a “like” option in this comment thread. I just wanted to write that…..if there was one, I’d click it a billion times.
You are AWESOME. As a nurse, a mom, a fellow human… Thank you. And as for what adults can do to better protect themselves, ask to get titers to find out your immune status, get the second dose of MMR if you didn’t have it as a kid, ask for it if you want to just be safe… The first dose should provide 95% protection (good to know for my toddler and yours), the second boosts it up to 98-99%.
You’re awesome.
And s**t, you’re d**n funny to boot.
For every 1 negative there are at least 10 positives. I understand not wanting the MMR, BUT there are 3 separate injections you can have. That way you don’t have to worry about autism and still get your child vaccinated. There used to be a rule here in the UK, that said if your child wasn’t up to date on all of their vaccinations then they weren’t allowed to attend school, unless you had a valid reason why your child wasn’t vaccinated. I doubt it’s still in place, pc brigade would have put a stop to it, but I wish it were still law.
I don’t always completely agree with you, but we are totally on the same page about this. Also, I always laugh or at least smile even when I don’t agree. Keep keeping it real! 😉
If an adult received the full schedule of MMR or other measles-contraining vaccines as a child, they should be protected for life and generally do not need a booster.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/adult.html
I totally agree with you and what your doing for you and your family! With that being said who cares what the haters say…..they need to wrap their heads around this and do the same!!!! Get you and your vaccinated people, this is no joke!!!!!
Love Baby Sideburns but sorry can’t agree with you on this one. My kid is vaccinated, but I see both sides. There is scientific evidence that vaccines do contain harmful substances (Formaldehyde, MSG, etc) and there are doctors and other experts that acknowledge this.
What really baffles me is the viewpoint that people that don’t vaccinate are selfish. What?! And expecting (or guilting) others into getting vaccines isn’t selfish? I think everyone has a right and responsibility to protect themselves the way they see fit. To some that means washing hands and steering clear of germ-fests. To others, that means getting vaccines. To each his own.
Ok to the people who are choosing to not vaccinate . Because the amount of you are growing. … the herd thing is less effective. And just because we get the vaccine doesn’t mean we cant still get it. Expecially since your non vaccinated munchinkins who arent unlike normal kids and touch everything and stick their hands in their mouths…. but i have a infant that is too young for the vaccines. .. so i think its highly wrong to be that inconsiderate of the community around you. Its not just a cold.
You can’t rely on herd immunity when our borders are wide open to travelers, both legal and illegal, who arent immunized and who bring it with them. If you or your child can’t get the vaccine, be responsible and limit exposure to highly populated areas. Especially international destinatiins LIKE FREAKIN DINSNEYLAND.
The issue with this statement is the immuno-compromised or the children too young to be vaccinated don’t even have to touch foot in DisneyLand or other highly populated areas if parents are insisting on not vaccinating their kiddos and they don’t think twice about going. Their non-vaccinated kiddo takes it back to school or to daycare and bammo the too young and immuno-compromised are at risk. Amazing how that works, yes? I mean to each his own, but really don’t be surprised when society shuns kids who are becoming little petri dishes for no really good reason. Which may include refusing to admit them to schools where these kinds of diseases could spread like wildfire. We all are free to make our own choices, but some of those choices have consequences.
Good try. But i recently read where an immunocompromised family wants ro require immunization for all, except of course for their kid who can’t be, or you dont attend school.
It’s simple, if your kid cant have the vaccine, they shouldn’t be allowed on school either.
Why? Well, how is anyone to know if THAT non-vaccinated kid’s parents felt entitled to go to Disney or six flags, or the grocery store with their kid, and that unvaccinated kid picked up the measles, is asymptomatic yet contagious, and spreads it to vaccinated kids who fall into the 3% for which rhe vaccine doesn’t take, or the teacher who thinks they are protected, but the antibodies are no longer present, etc.
There is always clamor for “different” people to be treated the same. Then outrage when they are treated the same. Someone who cannot be vaccinated is no different from one who chooses not to be vacvinated, from an epidemiological perspective.
It is different, though, because the numbers are different. The odds of a vaccine preventable disease entering a school system, keeping in mind the 3%, the teachers, or the immuno-compromised where there are a high percentage of non-medical related non-vaccinators is much higher than a school that doesn’t allow them. One is stacking the odds in the favor of the 3% and the immuno-compromised and the other is flooding it to the negative. Even if one immuno-compromised child went to DisneyLand and caught Measles, the odds of it being caught before they came into contact with another immuno-compromised student or someone who falls in the 3% is much less if you take out the kindling of needlessly non-vaccinated children from the equation. Also keeping in mind that the siblings and parents of these immuno-compromised or 3% are also vaccinated, cutting down on the chances of them getting the disease. As well as the fact that immuno-compromised parents tend to be more aware of keeping their children out of disease warzones. We could also look at DisneyLand and what happened there. The disease was brought in from overseas, and it wouldn’t have been a big issue at all if not for the non-vaccinated children and workers catching it. Suddenly one, maybe two, people who could have had the disease in the park spread to (made up number) ten. Your odds of catching a disease from one person versus ten is much higher. The same would happen in a school. One un-vaccinated child could catch Measles and in their daily routine they may come into contact with 50 other kids, maybe, and out of those kids only 3% could potentially catch the disease. Let’s change those odds to greater than 10% by adding in the nonsensically non-vaccinated. Suddenly at least five children are exposed versus the one child exposed in the other scenario. You can’t tell me that people who purposefully blow holes in systems set up to protect our citizens deserve the same respect as children who have fought cancer and had their immune systems shot to hell. The lovely thing about the world is that it isn’t black and white and we can make exceptions for the minority who physically have no choice.
You know who I’d love to hear from? Someone whose child just got Measles because they didn’t vaccinate. I’d especially like to talk to a parent whose child suffered a complicated outbreak of Measles. I’d like to ask them how they feel about vaccines now. I’m curious if their thoughts have changed at all. Especially considering Measles is one of the least deadly diseases prevented by vaccines. What about anti-vaxers whose children have contracted Polio or Pertussis in infancy? What would they have to say about vaccines, I wonder?
Jenn, that is EXACTLY what I have been waiting for. You hit the proverbial nail on the head right there. I’m waiting….
We really do need a “like” button. Good comment, Jenn. I would also like to know the opinion of such a parent.
I’m an ER nurse and let me say how important it is to be up to date on this vaccination. Shortly after flu season the measles start rolling in the door. This can be lethal!!!! If your child has a high fever with respiratory symptoms followed by a rash that begins on the hairline, face, trunk and reddish tiny bumps…don’t ignore. Better yet….get your child vaccinated and don’t be an idiot. I agree with you 100%. Can I get an AMEN?!
Dr. Bonnie S. Dunbar
Molecular Biologist
Baylor College of Medicine
May 18, 1999
Good morning and thank you for this opportunity to discuss these critical health care issues. My name is Bonnie Dunbar, and I am a research scientist and medical and graduate student professor who has worked in the areas of autoimmunity and vaccine development for over twenty five years (the past 17 years at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston).
I have been honored by the National Institutes of Health as the first Margaret Pittman lecturer for my pioneering work in vaccine development. This honor was special for me because Dr. Pittman’s contributions were instrumental in early aspects of vaccine development and because I understand the impact that some vaccines have had, and will continue to have, on our society. My ongoing research in the area of vaccine development continues to be a major commitment. I have worked extensively with the US Agency for International Development and the World Health Organization programs and have a life long commitment to carrying out research to understand, and hopefully, to help solving problems associated with world population as well as disease problems.
As I have been invited to speak to this distinguished subcommittee, it is important to discuss my experience with the clearly apparent severe adverse effects of the Hepatitis B vaccine. About five years ago, I had two individuals working in my laboratory who were required to take the Hepatitis B vaccine. Both of those individuals developed severe and apparently permanent adverse reactions as a result of the vaccine. Both of them were completely healthy and very athletic before this vaccine and have now suffered severe, debilitating autoimmune side effects from the vaccine. I have studied the complete medical history of my brother, Dr. Bohn Dunbar, who developed seriously chronic joint and muscle pain, fatigue, and multiple sclerosis-like symptoms. And now he has further been diagnosed with POTS (an autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neurological problem) and subsequently with chronic inflammatory, demyelinating polyneuropathy. His problems have been attributed to the Hepatitis B vaccine by over a dozen different specialists around the United States of unquestionable medical expertise. He has now been rated permanently and totally impaired at greater than 90%. His health care has already cost the state of Texas about a half million dollars in the Texas Worker’s Compensation Program to date, and that figure will continue to rise given the severity of his health condition.
My other student went partially blind following her first booster injection, a medical condition that was markedly exacerbated by her second booster that resulted in hospitalization. Personal communications are that her eyesight is continuing to deteriorate. Because she is in medical school she has been, understandably in my opinion, afraid to pursue investigation into her medical problems because of her concern that they might affect her medical career.
I am extremely sensitive to the need to evaluate the risk vs. benefits of any vaccine. Because of my experience in this area, it became intuitively clear to me that these two active, healthy individuals working in my laboratory developed autoimmune syndromes within a predictable immunological time frame following their booster injections of the Hepatitis B vaccine. After carrying out extensive literature research on the nature of this virus and this vaccine, it became intuitively obvious to me that there is a significant scientific probability that the vaccine is the cause of those adverse reactions. Both the published studies of reactions to viral infection and the temporal relationship of vaccine administration to adverse events suggest strongly that these adverse reactions are related to the nature of the viral protein, the recombinant surface antigen of which is the principal component of the vaccine.
I have been in contact with numerous physicians and research scientists from several countries who have independently described identical severe reactions to the vaccine in thousands of Caucasians. Their observations have been, for the most part, denied or ignored by the public health systems, as is evidenced by the serious charges against healthcare officials and pharmaceutical companies brought recently in France. The reversal of the vaccine mandate for children in France was not based on lack of documentation. I have now been contacted personally by hundreds or more individuals (including parents of infants and children) who have reported deaths, severe health problems and life long disabilities, resulting in major medical costs following the administration of this vaccine. It appears that the adverse events related to this vaccine are within a gene pool that is capable of genetic definition. I respectfully submit that rigorous scientific studies into the possibility that the vaccine can cause severe autoimmune disorders is necessary.
Bonnie S Dunbar (not to be confused with the Astronaut Bonnie J Dunbar The Amazing American and outstanding Hero Type Lady ).
Again the thing about pseudo research is that you make it look better if you create a pseudo researcher. The key is to use a name that is already famous and tweak it – so that bonnie S Dunbar is interspersed with numerous Bonnie J Dunbar hits. It looks like there is far more about it than there actually is . If you look up Bonnie Dunbar and fish,what you find is 2 things . You find variations of this letter sent by Bonnie ‘S’ Dunbar to different doctors but with absolutely no wording changes as if it were magically cut and pasted. But there are about 20 posts – they are all either the same letter or reference to it just reposted. You will find a Wiki about her. She may have existed even 🙂 There is also a wiki of my son’s World of Warcraft Character with a shade more history and life achievements. Despite more credibility, I am fairly sure She does not exist in reality (the WoW character that is).
Absolute worst case was this a poorly stored batch of vaccine(possibly stored at said lab causing issue at that location).
Now iirc Tylenol had a poisoning scare once long ago. Would that be a reason to eschew the use of all Paracetamol ever? If we eventually ban this drug it will be for more substantial reasons than that.
Immunisation = 95% protection people – if you had a chance of winning with a ticket – a 95% chance? – and you choose to not take the ticket that is provided to you for free….. Genius !
Soon when the governments realise that all you have to do is to give schools a compulsory vaccinated pre requisite (as many private schools are doing after the measles problem), our children at least will be safer.
And please please remember! If you are having a baby and you are allowing people who are not immunised to visit your baby … we just may see you at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit 🙁 good luck with everything.
This is great!!! I found you yesterday and I love your blog…wow!! I am PRO vaccine for obvious reasons, I have done my research also. I do NOT believe it causes autism, nor do scientists, as studies have proven. You will always have people stating why they are right or their choices are right but in MY opinion, when YOUR choice potentially kills, maybe it’s not your choice to be making. The side effects associated with vaccines are minute compared to what could happen and sorry, but as parents, it IS our responsibility to protect OUR kids. To the ones that say, I am protecting MY kids by NOT vaccinating, good to see you selfishly think of ONLY your kids. Vaccinations help ALL, not just MY kids, so why be crazy and take a chance your child may become infected OR infect another that cannot, for the right reasons, receive the vaccines. I will continue following your post…it’s awesome, blunt and I love it!!!
You rock, Karen! Please don’t ever shut up! 🙂
Let’s not forget that the people who go on vacay to these third world countries and don’t get there shots ( grown a*s adults) and then bring it back to the states and then go on to pass it on! So why don’t u start point the finger at them I mean that’s all u guys want someone to blame but yet u don’t blame them u blame the people who don’t or CANT vaccinate there children. JSYK if u don’t get ur boosters u no are no longer protected so to all those million if adults who have had a shot since high school u are to blame to! Hello people do ur research talk to actual doctors stop pointing the finger when ur to blame to
I live in Mexico. Vaccines are free here. Everyone gets them. Not so long ago that type of disease was still causing deaths and long term disabilities to children. And God forbid you catch one of them as an adult, grown ups usually do much worse than kids. Risks (proven, studied, fully researched by actual scientis, not people sufring the internet without the proper credientials to even comprehend a study) of vax are much lower than the possible side effects. Help other kids. Show some symphaty.
The schools in our county (in pennsylvania) received a letter just yesterday from the Department of Health with a warning that the first case of Measels was discovered in our area. It’s real people and it can be dangerous! Especially with how week everyone’s immune systems are right now with all the other viruses out there! Serious serious serious! Get your kids vaccinated if they can be! I would take autism over a dead kid any day!!!!!
So, I was in the locker room of my local Y today and there were some elderly ladies discussing the outbreak of measles in South Dakota. One lady is blind because of getting the measles when she was a child. The other lady was discussing how her mother had the measles when pregnant, which caused major vision problems in her little boy. They both were discussing how crazy it is that people trust the internet over science because they have seen firsthand the issues that measles causes.
Hey, I resemble that last remark! 😛
But seriously, as a fathers I feel strongly that us men should be taking the lead on this sort of thing. My son is 10 months and when his doctor said it was time to get our flu shots I made sure that we did it the same day. Regardless of your feelings on shots and vaccines it isn’t about you, it is about your child and their safety.
I had never read your blog prior to your original measles post a few days ago. I loved it and bought your book for myself for my birthday. It came today and I’ve read ~1/2 of it since I put my baby to bed earlier this evening. My kid turns one in a few days. This has been a really tough, crazy year. Your book has made me laugh harder than I have all year. I could say it also made me pee my pants, but that’s not much of an accomplishment these days. So anyway, thanks.
I might be late to the party, but here it goes:
I live now in a country where vaccination rates for children are low for various reasons — geographical isolation, funding for the vaccine being hard to come by, low awareness of the government vaccination program. I have seen young children and babies hospitalized for these diseases and many others. And sometimes, honestly, these innocent children die. All of this could have been prevented if the vaccine was simply available.
What some American parents are sorely lacking is the realization that the risk is SO real and the consequences are great. Not seeing the diseases laid out before you makes not believing in them so easy, but remember that children are at high risk of illness due to their underdeveloped immune systems, more so children with cancer and autoimmune disorders such as Lupus.
To those who have not or will not vaccinate your child:
Every child has a right to be as healthy as possible. Don’t take that away just because of some half-baked “research” and sensationalism. Trust me when I say it is not worth the risk AT ALL.
my doc suggested to me to get a MMR booster after my grandbaby was born. Did it immediately
After reading this blog, I feel obliged to provide readers with some evidence of the health risks associated with vaccinations, so that there is a better understanding of why some parents choose not to vaccinate their children. With adequate research, parents can make an educated decision for their families, rather than based on guilt from other parents. Most of this material is taken from ‘Natural Baby-Healthy Child’ by Dr. Murray Clarke, ND, D. Hom, L. Ac. c.2010, and all the facts are referenced in its appendix for further research.
It should be understood that there are inherent risks in vaccinations simply due to the manufacturing process. Firstly, there is contamination from the genetic material on which the virus/bacteria was grown. One example is the monkey virus SV40, introduced into the first polio vaccine, which has been implicated in causing increased cancer and autoimmune diseases in those people who received that vaccine. More recently, several vaccines have been recalled due to bacterial contamination, sometimes years after their distribution to the poplulation. Merck Co., in 2007, recalled 1.2 million doses of Hib B vaccine, and in 2010 GlaxoSmithKline rotavirus vaccine was found to be contaminated with a pig virus. Secondly, ‘Hot Batches’ of vaccines have been found to contain a stronger strain or higher level of contamination (such as DPT vaccines that were found to be associated with convulsions, seizures, inflammation of brain, and cognitive disabilities). Parents simply don’t know if their child is receiving a ‘hot batch’ of a vaccine that carries a higher health risk. Thirdly, there is a risk associated with the additives in the vaccines. The most well-known additive, thimerosal, is a mercury derivative. The US FDA ordered manufacturers to stop using it as a preservative in 2000, yet these vaccines are still being administered. Other additives include ammonium sulphate, latex rubber, MSG, aluminum, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80, human and animal cells, nanobacteria, and the list goes on…
Researchers may have studied the effect of one additive on human health, but haven’t accounted for the risk of all of these additives and contamination risks TOGETHER.
Now add-on the fact that these vaccines are administered by injection so that the virus/bacteria, toxic additives and contamination bypasses all our typical routes of dealing with toxins. If we were naturally exposed to these viruses, we would have the barriers of our mucus membranes and skin, intestinal membrane, blood-brain barrier, and immune cells, but the vaccine is injected past these natural barriers. And we are talking about children here, whose immune function isn’t fully matured yet! Then add other vaccines, at the same time! Would your child naturally be exposed to diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hep B, and influenza all on the same day? Well that is what their immune system is exposed to when multivalent and multiple vaccines are given simultaneously! It stresses the body and confuses the immune response. It has been proven that multiple vaccines increase the detrimental consequences of vaccinations. For instance, vaccination with the MMR vaccine and the chickenpox vaccine together doubles the risk of fever-related seizure among 1 and 2 year olds, compared to giving the vaccines separately. Infants receive 32 doses of at least 12 different vaccines containing additives, chemicals, metals, contaminants and bacteria/virus before the age of 2. By age 6, they have received 48 doses of 14 vaccines! How could this possibly carry no risk? And each child’s threshold with dealing with all these toxins and viruses is different, which is why public vaccination schedules are not recommended for certain children.
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was established to compensate families for severe adverse effects from vaccines (such as life-threatening illness, prolonged hospitalization, permanent disability, and death). This program also protects the vaccine manufacturers from any liability due to their health risks. It is estimated that only 10% of adverse reactions are filed, and yet over $1.5 billion has been paid to families for SEVERE adverse effects from vaccines.
Hep B, MMR and Rotavirus vaccines have highest incidence of adverse effects and reactions. MMR is a live vaccine and as such has the highest degree of risk of adverse side effects. It is a multi-valent vaccine and often adminstered with 5 other vaccines! And it is directly associated with causing inflammatory response in the brain (leading to developmental disorders and autistic symptoms). So if we are talking about the measles (accessible as MMR) vaccination, we are placing our children’s health at risk in order to prevent a rare disease which is not life-threatening, especially if treated correctly.
These health risks should not be taken lightly. In 1996, 872 serious adverse events were reported in children (under 14 years of age) who had the Hep B vaccine. 48 children DIED after injection that year! Died! Between 1990 and 1998, there were 9, 673 serious adverse events and 439 deaths reported from the Hep B vaccine alone. Compare this to the rate of contracting a virus when unvaccinated. MMR has an 80% vaccination rate, therefore 20% or16 million American children are unvaccinated. In 2004, of these 16 million children, there were only 23 cases of measles, 44 cases of mumps and no rubella. There were no fatalities.
It should also be noted that there are many countries that do not routinely administer certain vaccines, due to their health risks. For example, Australia and New Zealand do not administer Hep A. France stopped all school Hep B vaccination programs in 1998 due to it being directly linked to juvenile diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.
Personally, I applaud those parents who are taking a stand to protect their children from the risks inherent in catch-all public vaccination programs. I certainly wouldn’t call them ‘selfish’. The government should be ensuring that the health risks from vaccinations are minimized, yet this is not the case. Why are infants receiving so many vaccinations simultaneously before their immune systems are fully developed? Why don’t parents have access to single vaccinations for their children instead of multivalent vaccines? Why are toxic additives still being used? Why is more research not being conducted to investigate the combined health effects of multiple vaccines/additives/contamination, especially considering that the government recognizes that there are serious adverse health effects? If parents don’t put pressure on their government to change the standards to protect our children, who will?
Measles kills 16 people every HOUR worldwide. It takes measles one day and three hours to kill as many people as your Hep B vaccine allegedly killed in eight YEARS. Most of those measles deaths were children under five. In the 13 years between 2000-2013 the measles vaccine prevented appx 15.6mm deaths worldwide. Assuming a linear relationship that means 1.2mm people per year or 9.6mm people in the 8 year span in which your Hep B vaccine allegedly killed 439. In case you are wondering, that would be a rate of 21,869 lives SAVED for every life lost.
Your post included almost no real statistics. I have chosen to include these statistics to illustrate the point that if your odds are 21,869:1 in any situation with a positive outcome YOU TAKE THAT BET! It’s called math, and it works.
Measles is also a leading cause of childhood blindness worldwide.
I had to drop a note here. The “Dr.” Murray Clarke mentioned here is a naturopath and homeopathic “doctor”. Which means he’s a known woo peddler, crank, and charlatan, with no relevant and meaningful medical knowledge and experience. I’d recommend you find someone who is a real doctor, not a crank.
Really like your blog. I mean, I really likeD your blog before reading this about how you characterize your husband and actually all of them (“everyone knows what men are like when they get colds…..football…..lazy….blah). Wow, that’s just insultingly cliche. Perhaps your husband is lazy and unhelpful and a hypochondriac and perhaps your edgy style is intended to only resonate with other white middle class stay at home moms, but the stereotype you reproduce here are actually insulting to Dads who (omg, yes they exist despite evidence from your own life) do lots and lots of what you would most certainly call mommy work.
Before the measles vaccination, women who had measles naturally would pass their Immunity on to their young children through breast milk. The person who had measles naturally would be protected against the disease for life, and in fact, it would also strengthen their immune system. Well nourished people in America we’re not dying from the measles, it was considered a Rite of Passage. Unfortunately, due to our polluted world and the over zealous vaccination schedule too many children are immune compromised today. Therefore, I am not being selfish with my choice, I am protecting my children from what I believe to be worse than measles.
Love your first book. Looking forward to reading the second ?