Cyn427- I really agree with the comment that the choice to not vaccinate is not to not take a risk but rather to take a different risk. When speaking with those who I know who choose to not vaccinate it seems they say that the risks of the vaccine are not worth it to them and that they feel the risks of not vaccinating are a better risk to them. I truly feel for anyone who does have an adverse reaction to any vaccine or medical treatment for that matter. Anything we do, or do not do, has it's risks. Regarding the PBS issue... I don't think anything these days is untouchable. There is always somebody, some group, out there that will find something wrong with anything. Regarding OP. It is always good to have new info brought to our attention and it is always good mental stimulation to have discussions here. Even if I feel someone is being "mean" or "rude" or "downright spiteful" I still think it is good conversation. I always take each posters comments as their own opinion that they are entitled to. I never "read into" anything as it is the typed word. There are many times when I wonder what someone meant by what they typed but always try to remember it is just a comment amongst "friends".

My three children received all their vaccines and I definitely believe all cases of Autism can't be attributed to childhood vaccines. In fact, when the 'Autism might be linked to vaccines' theories all started, I strongly urged everyone I knew to continue vaccinating their children because of the danger these diseases can bring to unvaccinated children. However, when my own children entered secondary school, I began working at a Daycare. In the 17 years I worked there, I personally witnessed two children (not related) who had been bright, active, verbal children, suddenly begin losing their vocabulary, within 48 hours of being vaccinated. I'm talking going from about 100/150 word vocabulary, to being able to say less than 10 words within about two weeks. These two children lost interest in things they had previously enjoyed, would no longer engage in play and even stopped making eye contact when spoken to, which was very disturbing. In both cases the parents suspected the vaccine, as their children had become very inconsolable in the hours after the shot (unlike their previous vaccines which caused no reaction) and their 'strange' symptoms followed so quickly. One child made remarkable progress after a year of intense therapy and today seems happy, is intelligent and holds a decent job. He is rather reserved and somewhat less socially/emotionally engaged with others than your average person, but seems otherwise 'normal.' The other child unfortunately was more severely affected and did not make great strides even with therapy and dietary changes. He never recovered his speech or social/emotional connectivity to other people and remains severely autistic. Do I still believe in vaccines? Absolutely. They save millions of lives. Do I still insist that Autism is just something a child would have developed at that age, even if they hadn't been vaccinated? No. One only need witness firsthand, a child lose almost all their vocabulary within two days of being vaccinated to believe that it CAN happen. It baffles me that the studies will publish the rare side effects of "lowered consciousness and permanent brain damage" which basically IS the very best description of Autism, but they still refuse to use the tabu "A" word itself! Numerous scientific studies now acknowledge the sudden increase in Guillain Barre Syndrome occuring in some patients who received the Swine Flu shot in 1976 and in some people who received the 2009/10 H1N1 flu shots. They confirmed that previously assumed 'fail-safe' flu shots were directly responsible for the development of Guillain Barre to a minority of people who were sensitive to the components in the vaccine. My cousin was one of them. He survived after being on a respirator for a month and having to relearn how to talk, walk, eat, etc. I still want my grandchildren vaccinated, and I still get my flu shots. But I now no longer preach to others about getting vaccinated, because I couldn't take the guilt if their child happened to be one of the very few children who developed Autisim as a result, or their child/spouse/parent developed Guillain Barre from a flu shot. I still believe that the odds are so greatly against an adverse reaction. But now I say a prayer before and after every shot.

We're trying to start a family and I'm already committed to not leaving the house with my newborn. According to a New York Times article from a few days ago, some schools in my area (southern Orange County) are reporting that 50%-60% of kindergarteners are not fully vaccinated, and up to 40% of people are claiming personal belief exemptions to vaccine requirements. That is alarming for those who are too young, old or sick to be vaccinated. I feel like I can't take a newborn out to public areas without a risk with so many unvaccinated kids running around, especially with the measles outbreak in my county. I'm not thrilled with the idea of giving my kid vaccinations. I am the granola sort who tries to avoid all possible chemicals and like to do my own research regarding medical guidelines, but I think it's way more dangerous not to vaccinate. Kids are getting a lot more these days than they used to. I think I read that there are 26 shots for the first 2 years of life. I will probably do a selective approach with my doctor and vaccinate against the most dangerous diseases and discuss the others, like the flu shot. I think the generation of parents who are choosing not to vaccinate are doing so because they grew up in the 80's and 90's when people in their communities didn't get polio. They haven't seen family and friends die or suffer lifelong complications. I guess in their minds they are vaccinating against something they don't see as a threat, even though vaccinates are WHY it's no longer a threat, and these threats come back very quickly when a significant portion of the population is not vaccinated because these diseases are still a threat in much of the world. I get that people care more about the health of their child than society as a whole but I also think that if they insist on not vaccinating, they also shouldn't have access to other societal rights such as emergency services, public schools and doctors that they have access to by living in a community. You shouldn't be able to refuse to do your part but still get all the benefits, but I suppose that's not constitutional. And really it's the kids that suffer from selfish parents, and no one wants that. I have been seeing a lot of pediatricians who will no longer see unvaccinated kids because of the risks to infants and others in the shared areas. And schools are sending unvaccinated kids home. This pressure is causing some parents to smarten up and get their kids vaccinated. I'm hoping all the media attention and exposure will help eradicate this trend! Here is a link that might be useful: NYT Article

Peter, even if you were vaccinated, you can lose immunity. I received a full compliment of vaccines as a child (born in 78) but when they ran titers when I was pregnant, it turned out I was no longer immune. They ran titers when pregnant with my 2nd child, and after having 2 shots, I still was not immune. Now after having 3 shots, I am again immune. Vaccines are an important tool but I think it is easy for people to think they last longer than they do. Some require boosters and that is why it is now being recommend that adults be boosted for whooping cough and why we still need to get tetanus boosters (which I am guilty of not getting updated and really should do because tetanus scares me).