Poll: Opinion of Vaccination?

[Sonicron]

it's not vaccinations that's the problem, it's being overly clean... seriously, fuck you Hygiene Hypothesis! let our children eat dirt!

Give this man a medal. Seriously, people are surprised at the insane percentage of people with autoimmune diseases or the growing number of superbugs?

OT: House said it best. Parents deciding they'd rather let their kids die horribly rather than cough up a few bucks for a vaccination may be bad, but at least it'll knock the price right down on those cute little baby-size coffins.

 

[Ironman126]

snip

While my heart goes out to you and your friends, it's important to realize that serious complications from vaccines are much more unlikely than dying from the actual diseases themselves. The H1N1 vaccine, for example, was associated with only 11 deaths in the US in 2009. The actual flu, on the other hand, killed about 10,000.

From your point of view it would certainly seem like the vaccine itself might be more dangerous, but statistically it's quite a different matter. That's why it's important people check the actual facts before crusading against something that saves many more lives than it takes.

Clearly you failed to actually read what i wrote, so let me say it again.

Vaccines are a mixed bag. Yes, MOST are good. SOME others, not so much.

Or, if you prefer, without vaccines, we'd still be dying of smallpox. That said, if the vaccine is improperly made or uses ingredients that are harmful in low doses, they tend to cause complication and problems. Such as in the case of my dysgraphic friend, he was not an isolated case and that vaccine was quickly discontinued. If you'd like, i can find out which vaccine it was, i don't know off the top of my head.

I'm not some blind neo-conservative who believes that only what God made is good. I realize that vaccines do more good than harm AND THAT'S WHAT I WROTE. I'm also not some bleeding heart, science can do no harm, liberal who would rather die than question a doctor. Vaccines are created by humans and we have a tendency to make mistakes. Thus, we have a tendency to occasionally make vaccines that do more harm than good.

 

[Lilani]

So, I was doing my homework for my infectious disease class, in which we are currently learning about vaccines. Apparently whether or not people should get their children vaccinated is a pretty controversial topic in this day and age. So I was wondering, what do the people of the Escapist think of vaccination, or, more specifically, getting children vaccinated?

I think the standard ones like tetanus, smallpox, chicken pox, HEP A, HEP B, and the flu are just fine. However, I do think that something needs to be said about the kids who are never, EVER allowed around germs. Sure we need to do what we can to keep serious illnesses like smallpox and polio at bay, but kids do need to be around germs to build up their immunities. If they spend their first 5 years in completely sterile conditions most of the time, then their immune systems will take a pounding when they hit elementary school.

Also, I heard on the news a few years ago that kids who are kept too clean are at a higher risk for allergies and asthma because their immune systems don't develop properly.

So do what you can with vaccines, but also let your kid roll around in the dirt sometimes. Let them play in the sandbox and run around outside. And make sure they're around plenty of other kids so their immune systems can get primed.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

I am 100% in favor of vaccines. Those very few that have a bad reaction are very much in the slim minority, so in all truth, the risk is fairly minimal.

And, those parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids aren't only putting their own families in danger. True, this was the plot of an episode of Law & Order: SVU, the situation is not unbelievable: A mother refused to vaccinate her school-aged son, and he contracted the measles. Measles is highly contagious before showing any outward symptoms, so his mother took him to the playground, thinking he was fine. An infant he came in contact with (too young to have received the vaccination) contracted the measles, and died from it.

 

[boholikeu]

Im not vaccinated, and i live in Canada, where it's a free service. I see very little point in getting vaccinated as im a perfectly healthy individual without it. my other friends who have been vaccinated get sick all the time while i remain healthy, i even made out with a girl who had strep throat and i was perfectly fine the next day. I DID NOT CONTRACT IT maybe they should just make vaccines out of my blood O.O

Please stay away from children and the elderly. You are actually a serious health risk to those around you. Please read the following if you haven't already:

And, those parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids aren't only putting their own families in danger. A mother refused to vaccinate her school-aged son, and he contracted the measles. Measles is highly contagious before showing any outward symptoms, so his mother took him to the playground, thinking he was fine. An infant he came in contact with (too young to have received the vaccination) contracted the measles, and died from it.

snip

While my heart goes out to you and your friends, it's important to realize that serious complications from vaccines are much more unlikely than dying from the actual diseases themselves. The H1N1 vaccine, for example, was associated with only 11 deaths in the US in 2009. The actual flu, on the other hand, killed about 10,000.

From your point of view it would certainly seem like the vaccine itself might be more dangerous, but statistically it's quite a different matter. That's why it's important people check the actual facts before crusading against something that saves many more lives than it takes.

Clearly you failed to actually read what i wrote, so let me say it again.

Vaccines are a mixed bag. Yes, MOST are good. SOME others, not so much.

Or, if you prefer, without vaccines, we'd still be dying of smallpox. That said, if the vaccine is improperly made or uses ingredients that are harmful in low doses, they tend to cause complication and problems. Such as in the case of my dysgraphic friend, he was not an isolated case and that vaccine was quickly discontinued. If you'd like, i can find out which vaccine it was, i don't know off the top of my head.

I'm not some blind neo-conservative who believes that only what God made is good. I realize that vaccines do more good than harm AND THAT'S WHAT I WROTE. I'm also not some bleeding heart, science can do no harm, liberal who would rather die than question a doctor. Vaccines are created by humans and we have a tendency to make mistakes. Thus, we have a tendency to occasionally make vaccines that do more harm than good.

Sorry, I was responding more to your implication that the H1N1 vaccine was one of the "bad" vaccines. It wasn't. Anyone that looked at the statistics of it could see that the likelihood of dying of the vaccine was far lower than the likelihood of dying of the actual flu.

I purposefully didn't comment on the other vaccine you mentioned because I didn't know the name of it, but as you mentioned it was new, and was quickly discontinued after the complications started popping up. The bad vaccine was stopped when it became clear there was a problem.

Also, why are you bringing politics into this? America must be worse off than I thought if an issue like this is being divided into "liberal" and "conservative" sides.

 

[smurf_you]

I would do some vaccines, like the basics, polio mumps etc etc, however after they're four I will NOT be giving them flu shots or anything like that, mostly because I want my children to have a freaking immune system....

 

[PwnSt0nes]

Todays vaccines carry huge amounts of mercury, which are used as a "preservative". That mercury causes mercury poisoning which is now known today as autism.

I have an autistic nephew...

 

[boholikeu]

Todays vaccines carry huge amounts of mercury, which are used as a "preservative". That mercury causes mercury poisoning which is now known today as autism.

I have an autistic nephew...

I'm sorry to hear about your nephew, but the mercury-autism connection has been debunked by several studies.

There was even a study in Japan that showed higher incidences of autism when the children didn't get the mercury vaccinations.

 

[Ironman126]

Sorry, I was responding more to your implication that the H1N1 vaccine was one of the "bad" vaccines. It wasn't. Anyone that looked at the statistics of it could see that the likelihood of dying of the vaccine was far lower than the likelihood of dying of the actual flu.

I purposefully didn't comment on the other vaccine you mentioned because I didn't know the name of it, but as you mentioned it was new, and was quickly discontinued after the complications started popping up. The bad vaccine was stopped when it became clear there was a problem.

Also, why are you bringing politics into this? America must be worse off than I thought if an issue like this is being divided into "liberal" and "conservative" sides.

Fair enough. My comment there was rather ambiguous. And i know the statistics fairly well. Tho, i never got the vaccine, was in contact with people who were infected and didn't get sick. Come to think of it, i don't think I've ever gotten the flu at all, even in years where i wasn't vaccinated.

That's the issue with experimental anything, there is a high likelihood that it either won't do anything or it will have negative side effects.

Gonna be honest, this HAS become a political issue. Which, i agree, is sad. The left (and not all of them) wants vaccines, something to do with health care. The right (again, not all of them) doesn't want them either to be contrary or because they don't fully grasp that without them people would die of a lot more diseases and because someone, somewhere linked vaccines and autism and it's just all batshit crazy after that. I honestly don't fully understand why someone wouldn't want a vaccine for a virulent disease, like meningitis, polio, etc. Even the flu shot saves lives.

 

[infohippie]

Todays vaccines carry huge amounts of mercury, which are used as a "preservative". That mercury causes mercury poisoning which is now known today as autism.

I have an autistic nephew...

So many things wrong with this point of view...

In the first place, there is no evidence whatsoever to link mercury with autism. Mercury poisoning is a completely different condition, with different symptoms. Epidemiological studies have shown that occurence of autism is almost completely genetic, and if there is a tiny environmental component to it there is no evidence that exposure to mercury can cause it or make it any more likely.

Second, thiomersal (the mercury compound that was used as a preservative) does not make the mercury biologically available. That is, mercury in this compound cannot be absorbed by the body.

Third, even though there is no evidence that thiomersal poses any dangers, there was enough public concern that it was phased out of vaccines, and as of ten years ago nearly all types of vaccines contain no thiomersal or any other mercury-containing compound at all. Despite this, prevalence of autism has not gone down at all over the last decade.

Fourth, autism still occurs in children who have not received any vaccines, with the same prevalence it occurs in the general population.

I am sorry to hear about your nephew, but his autism would have been caused by genetic factors and would have nothing to do with any vaccines he has been given.

 

[SuperUberBob]

Next thread!

 

[Bobbity]

I can't really see how anyone could see vaccines as a bad thing...
Get injected with a half-dead or weaker strain of a disease so as not to suffer the effects of it if you were ever in a position to catch it? Seems like a win-win to me.

 

[boholikeu]

Gonna be honest, this HAS become a political issue. Which, i agree, is sad. The left (and not all of them) wants vaccines, something to do with health care. The right (again, not all of them) doesn't want them either to be contrary or because they don't fully grasp that without them people would die of a lot more diseases and because someone, somewhere linked vaccines and autism and it's just all batshit crazy after that. I honestly don't fully understand why someone wouldn't want a vaccine for a virulent disease, like meningitis, polio, etc. Even the flu shot saves lives.

Ah, that's too bad. I'm usually pretty neutral, but this is one issue where one side is just objectively right. Sad that conservatives decided to associate themselves with the losing side.

Anyway, sorry if I came on a bit strong earlier. I've just known a lot of people that have put their children in danger without listening to any of the facts, and so this subject kind of gets to me.

 

[Ironman126]

Ah, that's too bad. I'm usually pretty neutral, but this is one issue where one side is just objectively right. Sad that conservatives decided to associate themselves with the losing side.

Anyway, sorry if I came on a bit strong earlier. I've just known a lot of people that have put their children in danger without listening to any of the facts, and so this subject kind of gets to me.

I'm usually fairly leftist myself, more in terms of free speech and such. This issue tho is odd because one side really is extremely wrong. Normally, such as the case with economics, there are two or three method/ideals that can work. Here, not so much. And while i see no need to force vaccines for the flu or chickenpox on people, as they are easily survivable, there is no excuse to not vaccinate for more dangerous diseases.

And it's no problem you came on strong. If an issue incites passion, express yourself, there's no crime in that. Just be sure to see both sides before you say something. I've made the mistake of being completely biased and it has gotten me into trouble in the past. In this case, all i hope you take away is that vaccines, while excellent, aren't perfect. Glad i got all my shots, tho.

 

[muckinscavitch]

People freak out about vaccines for kids because one doctor said it wasn't healthy and published a bunch of research on the subject. It was discovered at the end of last year that 99% of his data was forged or mis-stated, and his analysis of the data was very subjective.

 

[SkyeNeko]

if they can die or become disabled by the disease: sure heres a shot

if they will just get sick and have a good chance of recovery: suck it up im not paying for that

EDIT: i got chickenpox before my mum could get me vaccinated, and ended up giving it to my dad (chickenpox is worse for adults). needless to say they got my bro vaccinated asap.