Most parents vaccinate kids, trust docs' advice on shots

[aGameOfThrones]

About 93% of parents said their children either had or were going to get all of the recommended vaccinations, and more than three-fourths said they trusted their doctor's advice on immunizations, two new surveys find.

Pediatricians and infectious disease experts say this is good news. After years of hype about a supposed autism/MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) link — a claim that has been roundly discredited — it seems parents are heeding the advice of medical experts and protecting their children from potentially devastating diseases.

It's reassuring that so many parents place a lot of trust in their child's physician, more so than any other source," said study author Dr. Gary Freed, director of the child health evaluation and research unit at University of Michigan.

Yet, there is still cause for concern. About 24% of parents surveyed said they place some trust in what celebrities say about vaccines.

One prominent vaccine skeptic is Jenny McCarthy, the American model and actress whose son has autism. McCarthy continues to promote the autism/MMR theory, despite the British Medical Journal retraction of the study that linked the two, according to news reports.

"Celebrities have no expertise in childhood immunizations or infectious disease," Freed said. "There is a danger in the media of putting up celebrities as experts on any topic for which they have an opinion, and giving them a platform to share their opinions that is presented as equal to true experts."

In the first survey, published in the May issue of Pediatrics, researchers used data from a 2009 nationally representative sample of about 1,550 parents of children aged 17 and younger.


http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/story/2011/04/Most-parents-vaccinate-kids-trust-docs-advice-on-shots/46419186/1

[specsaregood]

After discussing the topic with our pediatricians I came to the conclusion that they don't know squat about the subject and just recommend all the vaccines the WHO recommends because in the end they aren't gonna lose a malpractice case for recommending them.

[Zippyjuan]

And aiside from growing obesity most kids are fine too.

[MelissaWV]

I would think this the kind of decision a parent *should* make after speaking with their pediatrician and doing some research.

Incidentally this thread made me recall something I heard on the radio during the week. It appears there is now another study being funded, but with a different slant. Basically the premise is that some people have a heightened sensitivity to some chemicals, and that some of the autism we're seeing amounts to a severe, sustained allergic reaction that changes the brain to a great extent. That's pretty much what I've suspected as far as the vaccination thing. I don't think it's that the vaccinations are inherently bad for everyone. I think it's that some people are sensitive to some of the chemicals (and there are so many damned chemicals...). When you have so many shots right in a row, you're giving these kids a higher and higher level of these same substances, so if they really are sensitive to it, they wind up poisoned to some degree or another.

The study's also supposed to look at toxins we encounter in other portions of the environment as children.

I have no hope for impartial interpretation, or widespread release, of this study if it finds we're all being poisoned.

Search out information on autism being a neuroimmune disorder. It's an interesting find. If your family has a history of serious allergies, it's even more important of a read.

From "Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2010-2011":


There have been numerous studies and papers that support this proposal. One study investigated infants born in California between 1995 and 1999 and reported that maternal asthma and allergies during the second trimester of pregnancy were correlated with a greater than two-fold elevated risk of autism in their children. In another study, 30 percent of autistic children had a family history of allergies as compared to 2.5 percent age-matched “neurologic controls.” A more recent study reported that immune allergic response, represented by the frequency of atopic dermatitis, asthma and rhinitis was increased in 70 percent of Asperger patients compared to 7 percent in age-matched healthy controls.

A recent preliminary report of 362 children with autism in Italy also indicated that the strongest association of autism is with history of allergies. In a National Survey of Children’s Health, parents of autistic children reported symptoms of allergies more often than those of other children, with food allergies being the most prevalent complaint. Another study reported an increased prevalence of non-IgE mediated food allergy in the autism group compared to normal controls. It is also interesting that a recent study conducted in Germany reported an independent association between atopic eczema and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which as considerable phenotypic overlap with autism.

[specsaregood]

When you have so many shots right in a row, you're giving these kids a higher and higher level of these same substances, so if they really are sensitive to it, they wind up poisoned to some degree or another.

It isn't just "in a row" but at the same exact time. The standard vaccination schedule calls for 6 freaking vaccines each time at 2 and 4 months of age and 7 at 6.

After researching it in depth and discussing it with our ignorant pediatricians, we decided to go with the delayed schedule layed out Dr. Sears book. This was the happy compromise decision for us.

[awake]

Not long ago a child received 6 vaccines before the age of 6 years old ( in 1970's) to almost 40 before the age of 6 years of age today. Do the math, there are incidents of bodily harm with vaccines, this is the indisputable truth. One side blows the amount of harm off, the other side over blows it, I myself am for the market.

Vaccines are not market goods, no one buys them with their money (the market test), they are bought and administered primarily by government funded programs. It is all too easy to simply add another vaccine to the control schedule and up the government enforced profit.

Just like government mandated insurances, the industry simply uses the guns of government to profit and destroy the market process.

The pressure a parent feels in considering whether to vaccinate or not is the direct effort of the state and its health industrial complex at work to make sure that their "goods" are never put to the test of being freely chosen ; absent intimidation and fear.

[amy31416]

The hospital vaccinated my daughter for hep B right after birth, and we didn't even sign the consent form. Now why is a newborn likely to get hep B, when neither one of us is exposed in any way?

[Agorism]

After discussing the topic with our pediatricians I came to the conclusion that they don't know squat about the subject and just recommend all the vaccines the WHO recommends because in the end they aren't gonna lose a malpractice case for recommending them.

They will get sued to the trailer park by the parents when the kids get die from a preventable disease.

[moostraks]

They work mostly on herd mentality and the mysticism of medical knowledge paired with trust that the doctor has the patient's best interest in mind. (not necessarily true esp. considering the incentivization that occurs.)

Case in point regarding pregnant mothers I have just witnessed. Doctors are recommending (*see requiring) many pregnant women to vaccinate against pertussis. Now the CDC states that there is no data on taking this vaccine during pregnancy AND that by taking it they may interfere with the infant's immune response when they later receive doses thus leaving them LESS protected.

Peer pressure (begun at the doctor's office by medical professionals) has these ignorant parents say its okay, I took it and I'm fine! Don't you love your baby? You want them to be protected and there is an outbreak going on. (Never you mind they are still pregnant and have no idea of the adverse effects or experience to base their response on. They just know they haven't miscarried or gone into preterm labor yet.)The CDC runs ads imploring parents to do it for the children. Young parents are bombarded from all angles and think they are doing what's best when by taking it the infant in utero may be in the long run adversely affected AND they have no data for effects during pregnancy.

By telling them to read the warnings they blow you off as paranoid and a bad parent because no news=good news in their limited experience. I wish someone would have apprised me before we learned the hard way. The medical community made the risk seem so minimal and blew off any attempt for me to question the number being forced on us.

It wasn't until child 6 started to regress following a double dose put in her against my wishes because we were two weeks late for an appointment and they didn't want to spread them out that I started to really research how numerous and varied the complaints were regarding these vaccines. (They took the shot schedule and gave her what was recommended + the next recommended set not scheduled until the appointment which was to follow) I will always regret that decision to trust they will do what is in the patient's best interest.

[specsaregood]

//

[amy31416]

none, whatsoever. The hospital my wife delivered at has stopped giving that shot; because they said all parents refused it anyways. But sure enough, on our first visit to the pediatrician, there he was recommending it. I got him to admit that it was unnecessary and not worth the risk of reactions though. :)

Have you guys gotten a copy of Dr. Sears book? "The vaccine book"

No, not yet...but I'll check it out soon since they want to give her another round of shots in a month.

[Anti Federalist]

There may be something to this.

My contention has always been that there is a autoimmune response that overwhelms the body and nervous system, due to the fact that vaccines are given a such an early age and all at once.

Severe allergic reactions may be a trigger or may, in fact, be a symptom of this autoimmune response.

Which, while giving an insight into the explosion of autism, may also help explain why so many children and adults have deadly peanut allergies where none existed 30 years ago. Or at least I never heard of any kids I knew falling over dead because of a peanut allergy.



I would think this the kind of decision a parent *should* make after speaking with their pediatrician and doing some research.

Incidentally this thread made me recall something I heard on the radio during the week. It appears there is now another study being funded, but with a different slant. Basically the premise is that some people have a heightened sensitivity to some chemicals, and that some of the autism we're seeing amounts to a severe, sustained allergic reaction that changes the brain to a great extent. That's pretty much what I've suspected as far as the vaccination thing. I don't think it's that the vaccinations are inherently bad for everyone. I think it's that some people are sensitive to some of the chemicals (and there are so many damned chemicals...). When you have so many shots right in a row, you're giving these kids a higher and higher level of these same substances, so if they really are sensitive to it, they wind up poisoned to some degree or another.

The study's also supposed to look at toxins we encounter in other portions of the environment as children.

I have no hope for impartial interpretation, or widespread release, of this study if it finds we're all being poisoned.

Search out information on autism being a neuroimmune disorder. It's an interesting find. If your family has a history of serious allergies, it's even more important of a read.

From "Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2010-2011":

[jack555]

I'm going to have my doctorate of pharmacy degree in about a year. In my experience the truth is somwhere in the middle of the medical establishment and the anti vaccine people on forums. There is no denying that vaccines have tremendously reduced disease. However, there are risks associated with vaccines and sometimes new vaccines come out that end up being unsafe. I can tell you that as a student in pharmacy school about 80% of the teachers will tell you they are completely safe and you are just supposed to believe it (without looking at clinical trials). 20% will have an opinion more like mine that vaccines can be a good thing but you have to be careful. I remember a flu vaccine statistic they gave us "its between 0 and 80% effective but always give it." I like that one : D For those worried about thimerosal and other preservatives often times if you ask there are 2 batches of vaccines, one with and one without. They have taught us that thimerosal is safe but I have not yet looked at trials myself and don't yet buy it 100%.

[specsaregood]

//

[BlackTerrel]

Has Dr. Paul ever given his opinion in vaccines? I;m sure as a Congressman his view is that it is not governments business.

But as a doctor does he recommend it to his patients? His kids? Has he ever spoken about this?

[Freedom 4 all]

Has Dr. Paul ever given his opinion in vaccines? I;m sure as a Congressman his view is that it is not governments business.

But as a doctor does he recommend it to his patients? His kids? Has he ever spoken about this?

He's a gynocologist, not a pediatrician. He delivers babies, but doesn't really do anything with them after that. I don't think childhood innoculations would be his area of medical expertise.

[Golding]

He's a gynocologist, not a pediatrician. He delivers babies, but doesn't really do anything with them after that. I don't think childhood innoculations would be his area of medical expertise.As a gynecologist, he's involved in the HepB vaccine that is indeed given at birth.

Within this post, I find that my contention is somewhat similar to jack555's.

I don't inherently see it a problem that most parents vaccinate kids and trust their doctors' advice. That said, the people posting about their experiences with doctors being unable to defend their vaccination suggestions are doing the right thing. Definitely challenge your doctors to the point where they provide you evidence for their medical decision-making. If they can't rattle the literature off the top of their heads, that's forgivable. But if they don't know and refuse to look through the literature for the benefit of your understanding, then that should be unacceptable. There's plenty of information involving the risks and benefits of most vaccines, and if the risks indeed outweigh the benefit in your opinion, then I'd be fine with parents refusing the vaccine.

That said, I find most routine vaccines to be acceptable. I plan to certainly have my kid (one day) vaccinated with Hepatitis B, MMR, Varicella, DTaP, Hib, and Polio vaccines. The polio vaccine has been well demonstrated to just about eradicate the disease from the US. The Hib vaccine has made Haemophilus Influenza meningitis (formerly the most common cause of bacterial meningitis - a very dangerous disease - in kids) exceedingly uncommon. Measles, Varicella, Mumps, Diphtheria, and Pertussis are diseases that traditionally had been seen in kids, and each have potential for unpleasant side-effects (encephalitis, infertility, death). I accept Rubella as a suitable vaccine since I wouldn't want my pregnant wife to happen to be exposed if my kid is infected with it. It's self-limiting in kids, but can destroy fetal life. Hepatitis B is a virus that can cause liver cancer as it skips the step of cirrhosis.

[Mach]

You can be for or against vaccines all you want, just think of the continuously increased number of vaccines that get on "the list" as political kick-backs, not something given to your kids for safety, we only let our kids receive the vaccines that are required by law (school). That's the joke, the nurse sits there and tries to sell all of the not required by law vaccines that we have said no to, it turns into a downright guilt session.

[Anti Federalist]

Always remember that there is an exemption in all 50 states for "mandatory" school vaccines.

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/statevaccexemp.html