It’s easy to argue about vaccinating kids in the hypothetical. But while doing some Christmas baking last week, I was enthralled by a radio segment on “This American Life,” about an outbreak of measles in San Diego that terrorized the community earlier this year. An unvaccinated 7-year-old boy traveled to Switzerland and unknowingly contracted the virus. Almost 100 children (including babies who were too young for the MMR vaccine) were quarantined or hospitalized after they were exposed at the pediatrician’s office, Whole Foods or day care. In all, 11 children caught the measles. As it turns out, the boy who spread measles is a patient of Dr. Bob Sears, pictured at left, a member of the famous San Clemente pediatrician family and author of “The Vaccine Book.” He’s featured briefly in the 20-minute segment. Have a listen and let us know what you think.
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 OC’s Dr. Bob Sears discusses measle outbreak on NPRDecember 29th, 2008, 6:00 am · 8 Comments · posted by Courtney Perkes
Should parents be required to vaccinate their children?
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Vaccines, like any pharmaceuticals, carry with them the risk of very serious injury for some people. So much so that the federal government has set up a vaccine injury compensation fund for those who are seriously harmed or killed by vaccines.
As such, every parent has the right to informed consent in vaccinating their child.
Much has been made of the measles outbreak this year, despite the fact that no children died or even sustained any long term effects.
Several children have died this year from vaccination.
While herd immunity is a nice idea, you cannot achieve it by violating the rights of individuals to decide what medical interventions that they will and will not receive.
Parents are allowed to make health decisions for their children based on the individual child’s risk factors.
… and for some children vaccination is a greater risk than catching the illness.
Herd immunity is more than a nice idea, its a life saving theory that has saved millions upon millions of young lives. Parents that don’t immunize their children should be prosecuted for child abuse. Measles alone has dropped from killing 750,000 in 2000 to killing 200000 in 2007 thanks to immunization programs.
As an American living in Norway, we were given a ‘choice’ as to whether or not we wanted to vaccinate. This was an eye opener for me growing up in the US where there was a social pressure to vaccinate.
As a new parent, it was not a decision to be taken lightly so i found everything I could read about the pros and cons before I made my decision to not vaccinate, As it has gone 14 years since the birth of my first child, I am so glad that I was given the choice and certain that I made the right decision.
I continue to follow this topic which has become more and more in the spotlight as more parents are starting to question the side effects of vaccines and debate as to whether or not the benefits of vaccinating really outweigh the risks.
With regards to measles, the Norwegian government has admitted that although they do vaccinate against it, it is purely economic reasons that they do so. They do not feel that measles is the killer epidemic that it is painted to be in the USA, but that it is just easier for the country to vaccinate the kids so that their parents will not have to stay home to babysit sick children.
I am grateful to have had my children in Norway where I was not subjected to the fear campaign (that is common propaganda in the USA) and was allowed to make a responsible and knowledgeable decision with regards to vaccination.
Biologicals are the easiest and safest to transport (just inject someone with the stuff). Ask any terrorist. Or people could just contract a given disease AND, before vaccinations, many more people died of the DISEASES than ever have as a result of the vaccinations (and check out the results of polio b/4 Salk). Getting your children vaccinated is a no-brainer, people!!!
I have a son with cancer, if there were a vaccine I would have given it. The chances of dying from something that you can prevent are small. The odds are low. So is a having a kid w/ cancer. It is the card I was dealt-and, I wish that I could have just given him a shot, and the worry and pain would never of happened. I was a proponent of vaccines before, and now I think people that don’t vaccinate are selfish and stupid.
I am wary of the day some child contracts a vaccine preventable disease and passes away. In the society that we live in… blame will be sought after and who will take the blame for this? Who will end up in court? The pediatrician who said it was OK not to vaccinate? The parents of the child who spread the disease to the child who was unable to overcome it? Once this happens, like in business, I feel, for fear of litigation, everybody will vaccinate again without question. Although I believe it is important to vaccinate and, everybody should be vaccinated… this should never have been the reason.
Ginger says:
“Several children have died this year from vaccination.”
Really? Source?
You are flat out making that up.
What Dr. Sears explains in his book is that for a small group of children the current vaccine schedule is unsafe. That a vaccine schedule that is safe for ALL children is necessary. People who choose to not vaccinate do not make this decision lightly. My first son became very ill from his 15 month vaccinations and at 2 1/2 is just really begining to recover. Until you are in are our shoes you will not begin to understand. Parents need to educate them selfs and make the best safest decision possible.