Payments for health stuff

[lsm1066]

So, yesterday the government announced plans to pay people to give up smoking. They also talked about paying people to feed their children more healthily, as well as making payments for vaccinating children. In the light of this, I bring news.

The school in South East London at which my sister is a teacher has a measles epidemic. Only 7 children in a school of 350 are unvaccinated and they are from one family (and of course, the theory is that they brought it into school). However, every other child in the school has all their vaccinations up to date. One child currently off school had his MMR booster only 2 weeks ago and has full blown measles, not a mild dose.

As my old English teacher used to say, discuss.

Lynne
Lighting the blue touchpaper and retiring now.

[Milims]

It seems to me that the health system in this country is in a complete mess and few people have faith in it so they have to resort to bribary to try and gain faith and trust. If they put more effort and money into the important stuff - like making people better and doing it properly as well as appropriate education for all, then they wouldn't have to resort to cheap tricks.
Here is my personal example.
2 1/2 years ago my OH was diagnosed with RA. The gave him drugs which damaged his liver so they took him off them. 6 months later the put him back on and surprise, surprise they damage his liver again. So they took him off. 6 Months later they give him the same drug in a lower dose with 2 others, one of which he reacts badly to so they take him off it. Please note that in each case no alternative is offered. It seems that the reason for this is that they have a "system" that needs to be followed - a system that doesn't take the individual needs of the patient into consideration - only how much it costs for the treatment. In the meantime the patients quality of life is reduced to about nil, and in order for them to have some kind of life at all they have to take control of their own treatment and seek alternatives, all the time knowing that somewhere in a different post code area there are people in the same postion who are receiving treatments that actualy work!

Surely it would make more sense to invest time money and effort into effectively educating the public about the health benefits of health diet, giving up smoking and immunisations etc, so that we can make more informed choices, rather than giving out any old carp and hoping that it either kills or cures!

[lsm1066]

There is actually a book called "How to stop your doctor killing you" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Stop-Your-D ... 1898947147). Fascinating stuff.

My personal experience is that I have one perfectly fine and one vaccine damaged son. The "problem boy" as he calls himself has cysts in his lymphatic system as a result of having a vaccination too soon after having chickenpox. He was under Great Ormond Street as a baby but as there seemed to be no change and the cysts were benign, he was put on an open appointment list with the proviso that I should phone and take him back in if it flared up. Well, it did over the weekend. My beautiful little 9 year old boy has a lump the size of a large grape in the side of his neck. Only thing is, this time it hurts him, which it never has before.

So I phoned GOS, who said that because it was more than 18 months since his last appointment, I had to get a re-referral from the GP. I got an appointment with a GP who's not my own because he was in pain and I wanted him seen quickly. What a mistake! I went in for a referral to GOS. What I ended with was a shouting match about vaccinations (they're different now, no-one was ever killed by a vaccine, they're 100% effective and my personal favourite when he tried to use 3rd world statistics to prove his point, mal-nutrition has nothing to do with the immune system) and a prescription for penicillin (which he's allergic to) for an unspecified infection when he didn't even take his temperature or check for elevated white cell count, or ask if he'd been exposed to any viruses (which wouldn't require anti-biotics). Just said he must have an infection from the head lice bites he's had recently, which is why only the gland in his neck is up!

So I got home and phoned them back and managed to speak to my own GP. We're seeing him again this afternoon and he'll do the referral. After all, it's not his glands that are up. A cystic hygroma in his neck has become inflamed. Not the same thing at all!

I've also had a doctor at our old surgery refuse to diagnose him with Rubella (which he had) on the grounds that the spots came up in the wrong order. Basically, he couldn't be bothered to do the paperwork.

Lynne

[barefootlinzi]

We are fast approaching Ollie's first MMR jab. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. I think vaccinations are good as they prevent killer childhood diseases that used to kill and maim children. But, I am a carer and I work with an 18 year old who has very severe epilepsy caused by a reaction to the whooping cough vaccination when she was 3 months old. They epilepsy is so severe that she would have 100+ fits a day, and is now left with serious learning disabilities. She no longer has 100 fits a day, it's down to 2 a week due to an amazing device like a pacemaker that help regualte the electrical activity in her brain. I don't believe that MMR is the cause of autism. I think that we will get Ollie vaccinated but I will worry about it.

[Shirley]

one question. How can there be a measles epidemic if only 7 children in the school of 350 haven't had their vaccinations? How much help is the vaccine then??

Interested.

My son hasn't had his MMR - not for reasons of risk of autism but all to do with timing and his ops as a baby/toddler etc.

[Clara]

I don´t think paying people to vax would work (i.e. encourage more people to vax). Those that take a stand against it, do so out of principle not poverty, surely the government is insulting our intelligence to think that parents principles can be bought off. If they believe there is greater good than harm from vaxxing, then why don´t they put their efforts into winning the argument with FACTS? Oh right yeah.........

And in the case of the school, that´s not an epidemic. And dare I suggest the child who is in danger is the one with measles who has been recently vaxxed? Those unfortunate to naturally (but very rarely) contract measles and mumps in the same year have a much higher chance of developing problems, this poor child has just been injected with live strains of both (and rubella and he´s a boy for crying out loud) and now he has been exposed to measles too......that´s one hell of a load on his immune system, I´m not surprised he is sick.

[Clara]

I think that we will get Ollie vaccinated but I will worry about it.

DON´T WORRY. Whether you decide to vax or not, the chances of your child suffering any serious long term consequences of either course of action is very very unlikely.

[Annpan]

I think that we will get Ollie vaccinated but I will worry about it.

DON´T WORRY. Whether you decide to vax or not, the chances of your child suffering any serious long term consequences of either course of action is very very unlikely.

I agree with Clara here, please don't worry about it.


I do agree with vaccinations and E has had all of hers and has never suffered more that a dozey day and a few runny nappies.
My feeling is that if children are immunised they won't pass the disease on to children or adults who have not had the immunisations. This is why IMO boys should be included in rubella vaccinations - not because he will suffer from it badly but he could pass it on to a pregnant mum.

[Jobi1canobi]

one question. How can there be a measles epidemic if only 7 children in the school of 350 haven't had their vaccinations? How much help is the vaccine then??

Interested.

I'm puzzled too...

[Silver Ether]

Is the country we live in turning into a care home ... constantly being told what to do and how to do it ... These people know smoking is bad for them 12.50 a week wont make any difference to them I wouldn't stop drinking for 12.50 a week I know its supposed to be bad for me but for goddess sake some times we need to be in charge of ourselves ... Also the money could be put to much better uses...

[DominicJ]

If these payments went to none smokers rather than "quitters" I'd be less likely to complain, as it is they punish good behaviour and bad behaviour, but reward those claiming to be moving towards good.

I'd guess most people who dont have children vacinated dont do so because they were two hung over to pick up their dole money AND go to the doctors in the same day.

[MKG]

Running for cover.

[Annpan]

following MKG

[DominicJ]

I said most!!!

Meaning most in general, not most on here

[Clara]

I disagree....I don´t think people don´t vax out of laziness (which is the basic premise behind the government "reminding" people to vax by giving them payments), they do so out of principle. As far as that comment goes.....I suspect the vast majority of non-vaxxers probably belong to the educated middle classes.