The measles outbreak

[rodeosweetheart]

Cathy, the chicken pox vaccine came out maybe mid 90's--my kids had chicken pox in early and mid 80s and they missed it.
My pediatrician said with that one, it was much better to get the real disease, and they did not know how the shots would play out for the kids who got them--if they might in fact be susceptible to chicken pox as adults. He thought they might need boosters?

Don't know about shingles.

[Zoe Girl]

And then there are those children who can't get immunized, because they are allergic to the growth medium or immunosuppressed or the like. They have to depend on "herd immunity"--that enough other children do get immunized so that an epidemic won't start. If enough kids aren't immunized, well, more kids get sick.

that is the case for one of my kids. i lived in the unvaccinated capitol of Boulder when my kids were little so i have been in on this debate, now that it is larger it is interesting.

So my first child got her 2 month shots and then screamed high -pitched for over 2 hours. the Dr figured out it was the pertussis vac. i spent a lot of time researching and delayed her next shots, a very wise Dr who was part of a natural style practice (a group with an herbalist, acupuncture Dr, etc) told me that you can do a lot of healthy living things but in an epidemic nothing would help but a vaccination. So we went on to continue shots for all the kids but i kept up on the literature. when pertussis broke out in Boulder we stayed home, for a long time. i also dealt with schools when i signed waivers for vaccinations because they could not figure out the medical exemption for one shot. i pretty much thought that was done, yeah! and now college students need pertussis boosters. So if my daughter went to a college campus she would have to deal with it again.

For me there have been 2 parts of this, going through the shots and being very vigilant that she does NOT get the shot she had a reaction to, and then being protective of her because she cannot get the shot and has no immunity if it gets to an epidemic.

[pinkytoe]

I recall that a week or so after MMR shots at 4 yrs of age (back in the 80s), DD began to show some weakness in both legs kind of like a mild paralysis. At the time, it was diagnosed as Guillain-Barre Syndrome but gradually went away. It always made me wonder if it was connected to the shots though but at the time I did not correlate.

[Suzanne]

I had chicken pox when I was 10; I was covered with blisters and had a high fever. I very recently had shingles, and it was an appallingly painful experience that has left greyish-brown scars wherever the vesicles appeared. Vaccine would be a blessing.

[catherine]

I think the vaccines are a huge blessing. Think of all the children who have been spared everything from measles to polio. These things were commonplace just a few decades ago, and they've been virtually wiped out.

My kids all had chicken pox when they were young, and it wasn't a huge ordeal, but it's better not to get it at all, because of the potential for shingles later on. As Suzanne said, shingles are not fun. My DH got them last year and he said it was one of the painful things he's ever experienced.

[CathyA]

I recall that a week or so after MMR shots at 4 yrs of age (back in the 80s), DD began to show some weakness in both legs kind of like a mild paralysis. At the time, it was diagnosed as Guillain-Barre Syndrome but gradually went away. It always made me wonder if it was connected to the shots though but at the time I did not correlate.

Oh wow Pinkytoe........I'm glad she was okay. I doubt if she had Guillain-Barre if it went away without mechanical ventilation......or maybe she was just lucky. It moves very quickly.
I definitely would wonder if it had to do with her vaccine. Does she have anything remaining weakness?

About shingles........DD had them last year when she was only 27. Fortunately, I recognized it soon enough to get her on an anti-viral, and it didn't get very bad. Sometimes I wonder if things like this are connected with the Epstein-Barr virus.

[mm1970]

No, by not vaccinating you are putting other people (infants/children, immunosuppressed folks, allergic folks, ...) at risk by your actions, unless you never go out into public.

https://medium.com/the-nib/vaccines-...s-5de3d0f9ffd0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity

I had to shut down a preschool here a couple of years ago, because some of the hippie-granola parents had refused to vaccinate their kids for whooping cough, and insisted on trying to bring their kids in while the county was having an outbreak.

We had a 25 day old baby die here of whooping cough. And the local granola school had about 6 kids come down with it (elementary school where 1/2 the kids are unvaccinated).

[Teacher Terry]

My hubby had shingles of his eye recently & very painful. Plus you can go blind. He got to the doc fast & is fine now. My youngest son had the chicken pox 2x's. I was going to get the shot for shingles but can't because I am allergic to neomycin & my hubby can't get it because he has had radiation. I had all my kids vaccinated for whatever was available at the time 1973. etc. I also have asthma & my youngest had it at 1 yo-seeing a baby struggling to breathe is horrible.

[domestic goddess]

We have just had 5 children at a day care center diagnosed with measles in the Chicago area. They were all under the age of one, so unimmunized. Right now, it is not believed there is any connection to the Disneyland cases, but it could take a bit of time to trace it back, if that could even be done now. I know neither of the first 2 babies who came down with them had to be hospitalized, but not sure about the last 3. It has been on the news daily here.

[Teacher Terry]

I think they should get rid of the religious objection to be immunized. I feel the medical reason is the only acceptable one. Stupid movie stars lent some credibility to the theory that shots cause autism.