[miss_crayon]

News1130 recently sent out a tweet asking if vaccinations for kids should be mandatory and I thought this was a great topic to discuss.

I, for one, tweeted back yes and a nurse came guns blazing after me saying how we shouldn't let the government bully our kids into getting shots. To make a long story short, we got into it but I would love to hear what other parents/guardians think about this who have or take care of children. I understand some people fear the major side effects or feel like they don't know exactly what is going into their children so I'm really curious what others think about it.

IMO, I think vaccinations should be mandatory and correct me if I'm wrong..but aren't they already with certain shots from the time you are a baby up to the time you are in highscool? Now I'm not talking about something like the flu shot...but the big ones like Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio are given to Kindergarten students, then Tetanus again, Hepatitis B, Measles and now HPV are given to girls in highschool (A GREAT addition IMO as it is insanely expensive)

This reminded me of an Law and Order:SVU episode where this baby contracted measles from a boy who had the virus in his system but was never vaccinated because his mom didn't believe in it; however it didn't stop the mom from bringing her son to the park to play with other kids despite knowing the boy could infect other kids who might not be old enough to get the shot. Anyways, the mother got sued because of her negligance to the people around her (and the baby died from it). I mean, this was from a show so I don't know how true it is but just some food for thought.

Again, would really love insight from the parents or guardians out there. Or even healthcare professionals that can shed some light.

[Xu.Vi]

As you said, there will always be people who fear for side effects which may occur if their child is vaccinated (leading them to opt out). I think that's completely fine, as we all should ultimately have the choice. Also, seeing as how vaccinations are strongly enforced among young children in school now a days, you can't really say the odds are high for contracting illnesses such as measles. But if more and more parents start coming to the assumption of "oh, i'm sure everyone else is vaccinated from ____. What are the chances of my non vaccinated son(s)/daughter(s) falling ill?", then we have a problem.

I for one would vaccinate my future children, putting them out of risk. Not only would it keep him/her safe, it would also keep individuals around them safe also.


I mean...vaccinations is the biggest reason as to why we don't see a occurrence of diseases in society today.
http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/files/2012/04/y1.jpg

[dinosaur]

That infographic is pretty cool.

My friend had her son almost 3 years ago and was all "I'm not immunizing my child"...she took her boy to her family doctor for a random check-up and the dr was talking about scheduling immunizations. My friend did her whole presentation about not getting them done and her doctor literally said, "If you chose not to immunization, you can leave my office and never come back".

They spent the next 30 mins discussing and she booked the appointment.

I know a lot of people place blame on immunizations for the rise in autism, but studies have yet to find a direct correlation. Coincidentally, just this week I read an article about how autism is being linked to defective cellular processes in DNA sequences. From what I understand these results are very new but provide a promising explanation to the origin of autism along with other cognitive deficiencies.

But back to the question posted my the OP and News1130, I do think the parent has the choice at the end of the day.....but that child should not be allowed to attend public/private school, day care, or any other public institution where there is exposure to other children. Yes, this could be near impossible to monitor seeing as you don't need your medical records to go to the Aquarium but the child should not be exposed to others.

[tiger_handheld]

would like to hear the nurse argument. gov't shouldn't bully kids. I guess the way she sees it ...

No vaccinations
More people get sick
Get sick go to hospital
Requires nurses
More sick people = more nurses
current shortage of nurses = more OT for current nurses
more OT for current nurses = bargaining chip at next labour meeting
next labour meeting = request higher wages
rinse and repeat?

[dinosaur]

would like to hear the nurse argument. gov't shouldn't bully kids. I guess the way she sees it ...

No vaccinations
More people get sick
Get sick go to hospital
Requires nurses
More sick people = more nurses
current shortage of nurses = more OT for current nurses
more OT for current nurses = bargaining chip at next labour meeting
next labour meeting = request higher wages
rinse and repeat?

I think you are reaching a little bit...

[GLOW]

shoulda said to the nurse: "are you a doctor? didn't think so..." :troll:

on a serious note yes to vaccinations. unless the doctors tell me otherwise my kids get vaccinated.

[Excelsis]

if you're into vaccinations take a DOUBLE DOSE just to make sure it gets into your system..

otherwise, please study its effects on neurological damage done on cases before.

[urrh]

wait wut?
nurses are against vaccination?

[miss_crayon]

^no, just a woman (who happens to be a nurse..or was...don't remember) that didn't believe in having vaccinations being mandatory