un-vaccinated children

[Henwoman]

I've had all the jabs. I was very ill after the diptheria jab when I was a baby. The doctor was called and my nightdress had to be cut off me as my body was so swollen, but I got better. I have had problems with tetanus in the past, as it was made from something to do with horses and I had an allergic reaction, but have had tetanus since with no ill effects. My children had all their vaccinations except for whooping cough, as I didn't have the medical history of the fathers. The children got German measles and chicken pox. I tested negative to the immune test for rubella with each pregnancy, although I had actually had German measles as a nine year old and when the children got German measles I caught it from them and had the resulting arthritis complications as well for five to six years. I had an adult friend who contracted Chicken Pox and was extremely ill, hospitalised for several weeks, it is not a harmless disease for adults.

So - I believe that vaccinations should be taken up and that possibly they should be compulsory unless there are medical contra-indications agreed by the GP.

I feel almost as strongly about nits and the parents who refuse to treat their little darlings, thus allowing the whole class to suffer the treatment week after week.

If you don't want to do what's acceptable to the majority then maybe you shouldn't be taking part in the life that the majority enjoy. Why should others be put at risk because the minority are too thick or too selfish to care?

[Henwoman]

Not sure what date this is from the BBC website - but I think RiffRaff was talking about France with regard to MMR:

In France MMR vaccination is compulsory in pre-school children yet total coverage stands at only 85%.

Like every other MMR-using country, France does not recommend the injection be divided into three separate jabs.

However, a separate measles vaccine is used for nursery school children at risk and a single rubella vaccination is given to some pregnant women - like other European countries - and a number of British parents are known to have travelled across the Channel in order to take advantage of those jabs.

[Rosendula]

What is really bugging me about this thread is that some of those who believe vaccinations should be compulsory are calling those who are against it "stupid" and "thick", when clearly the objectors have thought about it a great deal and have their reasons. Debate all you like, but name-calling does your argument no favours and in my opinion goes against the basic Ish rule of "be nice". Surely, we can have a decent debate without resorting to playground tactics?

[demi]

it is not the parents fault that they are paranoid, the blame lies with the media for throwing arround misinformation and conspiricy theorys about vaccines, amoung other things, just to get a good story and sell papers.

[oldjerry]

What is really bugging me about this thread is that some of those who believe vaccinations should be compulsory are calling those who are against it "stupid" and "thick", when clearly the objectors have thought about it a great deal and have their reasons. Debate all you like, but name-calling does your argument no favours and in my opinion goes against the basic Ish rule of "be nice". Surely, we can have a decent debate without resorting to playground tactics?

Don't worry,'stupid' 'irresponsible' 'an island of one',now paranoid oh,and I nearly forgot,I deserve to die!...but hey we're all happy!!

[julie_lanteri]

Demi, being patronising isn't helping...
Can you not simply accept the fact that some educated, sensible people can have a different opinion to yours? We are all here to discuss and share our opinions. We do not need to be lectured, thanks!

J (stupid, irresponsible, selfish and paranoid future mum :p )

[JuzaMum]

My daughter has just had her 8 week vaccinations at 9 months and I am still not sure I have done the right thing. I believe vaccines work but I don't know how safe they are - Thailidomide (not sure on spelling) and X-rays were once deemed safe for pregnant women but now we know better.

I don't think it is right to write off alternatives to mainstream medicine - personally I spent a large part of my childhood unwell and unhelped by mainstream medicine. In desperation my Mum took me to a herbalist and he sorted my problem (dairy intolerence) in one consultation. Once I took my nasty medicine and followed his dietary advice I was a different child. So much for quackery.

JuzaMum

[Odsox]

X-rays were once deemed safe for pregnant women but now we know better.

How true, I remember when I was a lad
Seriously when I was of school age most "posh" shoe shops had X-ray machines to view how your feet fitted your new shoes.
Amazingly I can still walk.

[gregorach]

I don't think it is right to write off alternatives to mainstream medicine - personally I spent a large part of my childhood unwell and unhelped by mainstream medicine. In desperation my Mum took me to a herbalist and he sorted my problem (dairy intolerence) in one consultation. Once I took my nasty medicine and followed his dietary advice I was a different child. So much for quackery.

JuzaMum

Herbalism is a venerable and highly skilled profession. I certainly wouldn't class it as quackery, and I'm pretty hardcore for my science-based medicine. Of course, there are good herbalists and bad herbalists, but the discipline itself seems entirely legitimate, and indeed forms the basis of much of modern medicine.

If you want to tell the difference between legitimate forms of "alternative" medicine and outright quackery, a really good guide is to ask whether their treatments can ever have any adverse effects. If they answer "no", it's a pretty safe bet that it's quackery - anything that has real effects has the potential for side effects.Any herbalist worth their salt knows at least half a dozen ways of fatally poisoning you, so it's definitely real.

[MKG]

Seriously when I was of school age most "posh" shoe shops had X-ray machines to view how your feet fitted your new shoes.
Amazingly I can still walk.

Oh yes! - what a prod in the memory! Clarks in particular. My mum wouldn't buy shoes for us kids until we'd been suitably irradiated.

Mike

[Green Aura]

I knew I was younger than you two!

I always wondered what the big wooden box in the corner of the shoe shop was - I knew you had to put your feet on the step thing but it was never on.

I bet my brothers had irradiated feet too then.

[MKG]

I knew I was younger than you two!

Scanning ... scanning ... scanning ... FLYING PIG DETECTED, SIR.

Mike

[Green Aura]

Cheeky

[Millymollymandy]

Bloody hell, you guys really ARE old. I've never heard of such a thing!

[oldjerry]

Old and well off, I can't remember ever having a pair of shoes my brother hadn't already worn................................


mind you the box was useful for living in ('int middl ut rawd').