Immunisations gone wrong...

[{sarah}]

I think it's a hard one to call Kim. The main reson being that children with autism tend to reach milestones etc at the same rate as other children, but stop or go downhill at around 18 months which coincides with the MMR injection. Some children will develop autism without the MMR immunisation as well, so I'm not sure personally about the link.

[BeautifulMadness]

Hm thats a tough one. I think you just have to weigh it up. ITs a chance you take and i personally have been jabbed with every jab i can as has my son who is 19mths old. I just wanna give my son the best chance of not getting seriously ill

[Muppity]

I agree that it is a really hard one too. I am not sure that we will ever have a conclusive answer because research on humans is so difficult and fraught with ethical dilemas.

I do, however, have a friend who has a younger brother who had a serious reaction to the measles jam (granted 30 years ago). He was a happy normal child the day before his jab and hours hours was convulsing and unfortunately has a mental age of about 3.

But even after knowing this I still think that the benefits outweigh the possible risks. If they didn't we wouldn't get into a car and drive on the roads.

[Mumma2three]

Iv'e immunised both my girls but after learning some things I will not be immunising number 3 until after they turn 2. One thing I was amazed to learn is that Japan do not immunise their bubs until 2 and they have the lowest infant mortality rate in the world! That alone is enough for me. xoox

[Chocaholic]

We have just had 2 confirmed cases of measles in Townsville after 10 years of being measles free. It is a brother and sister (2 yrs old and 1 yrs old). I don't know how serious the particular cases are but it is such a contagious illness.

You have to decide whether the cons outweigh the pros for you personally.

IMO I prefer to have my children vaccinated as I don't think I could live with myself if they caught a preventable illness that caused permanent damanage. Personally I believe the risks associated with the MMR vaccine (i.e. autism etc) are relatively low but you can delay the vaccination until after the child is 2 years old. Vaccinations have virtually irradicated some illnesses (such as polio and measles) but they are now making a comeback due to unvaccinated children and countries where vaccinations are not common.

[MantaRay]

WM, I think delaying vaccination can be a good option if you are worried about doing it younger. However bear in mind that delaying vaccinating is not likely to be a significant reason for the low mortality rate. I think you will find that there are lots of contributing factors.

I have to say that I have researched this thoroughly and I definitely don't have the answer. I chose to immunise the boys, as I felt that on the balance of probablities it was the lesser of two evils, but I can easily see why people make the other choice. The one time I was very grateful for my decision was when there was a case of menningicoccal at Jack's day care. Knowing that he had been immunised (even though it doesn't cover every strain and isn't necessarily 100% effective) gave me some peace of mind.

[Jesswith6]

Immunisation is a hard thing to talk about because everyone has their own opinions.
My eldest son has a form of Autism. He was diagnosed at the age of two with PDD-NOS. Up til the age of two we never had any troubles with immunising him, and then he had his MMR injection. Now I'm NOT saying that it was caused by this or if it was an already predisposed thing, but after he had this one injection, he was different. One morning about 3 weeks after his injection, he couldn't walk, talk or do anything, he was like a newborn again!There are no proven studies that the MMR injection caused autism but it has been linked towards it. BTW he is 12 yrs old now.

[visitor1]

IMO I prefer to have my children vaccinated as I don't think I could live with myself if they caught a preventable illness that caused permanent damanage

Thats what my mind keeps saying too...yet ive delayed DD2 6 months needles and she is now 8 and half months old.....i think i just have to bite the bullet and get it done....id feel bad if anything happened. Still tossing up DD1 18 month chicken pox....not sure how valid that one is....most kids get chicken pox sometime in their life and the vaccine doesnt stop them getting it...so why get it!!

I find the whole debate interesting....so im glad i posed this question and everyone is right...there is no right or wrong answer....there are facts that yes it was vaccine...and then theres the side it could have been the vaccine (co-incidence) not proven though.

[MantaRay]

Kim, if it helps you at all, I asked a GP who I really trust about the cp vax, as I also seriously considered skipping that one. He said that he recommends it because cp can have very serious complications (including death in very rare cases) and also that it is really one of the most innocuous vaccines (fewer reported complications etc).