Struggling with 4 year old Vaccinations

[~ Mylitta ~]

If he managed to survive the 12 months vax, despite those developmental issues, is there any reason for me to logistically worry about the MMR since he already had it the first time? or is my worry valid given my experience?

With the tetanus, can you give that separately? Does anyone recommend this? I think this one is important because i've had it myself several times in childhood and adulthood (cut from a rusty fence and card accidents). Would like info on this one.

Your concerns are definitely valid. In fact, I believe that any concerns a parent has about their child's well-being is valid When it comes to the link between vaccinations and autism unfortunately the jury is still out. There are many out there that will say that the link has been dis-proven, but there are new studies that have come out just this year that once again suggest that there may be a link.

MMR is the ONLY vaccine that has been linked to autism, rightly or wrongly.

The newer studies are now suggesting that the link is NOT restricted just to the MMR vaccine. It is known (and recognised by both government bodies and vaccine companies) that vaccines can result in encephalopathy, and that encephalopathy can result in autism. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the US has even compensated some parents who believe that their child has become autistic after suffering vaccine-induced encephalopathy.

Whilst most children will suffer no brain damage from vaccines (brain damage is estimated at 1 in 1 million after the MMR vaccine), some people have a mitochondrial dysfunction that can develop into autism after vaccination. Some people will never know they have such a dysfunction, but it can run in families, so someone in a situation might myself who has two brother on the autistic spectrum and a husband with a son on the autistic spectrum, might be more likely to have children with the dysfunction if that is what the other family members also have. It's for that reason that we have not vaccinated at this point in time on recommendation from a specialist.

The current President of Merck’s Vaccines Division, Julie Gerberding, confirmed to CBS News when she was Director of the US Centres for Disease Control that:
"if you’re predisposed with the mitochondrial disorder, it can certainly set off some damage. Some of the symptoms can be symptoms that have characteristics of autism.“

If you decide to give the MMR vaccine I would suggest making sure you DO NOT give panadol before or after the vaccine. Although many health professionals suggest giving it, a 2008 preliminary study found that paracetamol use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was associated with autistic disorder. Ibuprofen was fine though.

Knowing that your child had some form of reaction to his first vaccines is very good reason to have concerns about future vaccines, so regardless of what you decide to do, don't let anyone feel bad about your choice



Just a little bit of a disclaimer: Anything I write is either personal opinion or based on scientific peer reviewed studies. I studied microbiology at Universary and have a Bachelor of Science with first class honours. I only write this because I know there is a lot of information and "facts" on the internet both for and against vaccination and I wanted to ensure you that I don't get caught up in all the non-scientific hype At my last visit to the GP my doctor actually laughed and said he was glad I had a science degree because it made him comfortable that I was fully informed. He then admitted that whilst he is pro-vaccination, that all the information he gets is from the vaccine companies and that I probably know more about vaccines than him, lol. It's nice to have a GP that is supportive rather than condescending

EDIT: Also, I have a number of journal articles on the subject so if you would like any of them please pm me Some are rather loooooooong haha

[~ Mylitta ~]

I forgot to mention last night that I find it really hard to compare the risk of vaccinating to the risk of not vaccinating. While it's not too difficult to find out the incidence of certain diseases, it can be quite tricky to find out the actual numbers when it comes to the risks of vaccinating. Especially when it comes to something like autism which is still debated. And then even when you can actually get a number on something, you have to factor in that some kids might be predisposed to problems due to mitochondrial disorders.

An example is measles. In Australia from 2002-2008 we had between 0.5 and 6 cases of measles per 1,000,000 people. Approximately 1 child per 1,000,000 vaccinated will suffer encephalopathy as a result. That risk looks the same as the risk of getting measles for the general population, but there is no way to tell what the actual risk factor is for those with a mitochondrial disorder. Those kids might make up a large proportion of those that are effected, so their risk factor would be higher. And then you have to weigh up the risk of catching measles and possibly have a very mild case with no lasting effects, versus the risk of permanent brain damage from vaccine-induced encephalopathy. Then to make it an even harder choice, there is also a risk of encephalopathy if a child catches measles (which is 1 in 1000 infected).... Very tricky stuff :/


Flying Butter, sending you the links you requested now

[LadyRose]

Your concerns are definitely valid. In fact, I believe that any concerns a parent has about their child's well-being is valid When it comes to the link between vaccinations and autism unfortunately the jury is still out. There are many out there that will say that the link has been dis-proven, but there are new studies that have come out just this year that once again suggest that there may be a link.



The newer studies are now suggesting that the link is NOT restricted just to the MMR vaccine. It is known (and recognised by both government bodies and vaccine companies) that vaccines can result in encephalopathy, and that encephalopathy can result in autism. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the US has even compensated some parents who believe that their child has become autistic after suffering vaccine-induced encephalopathy.

Whilst most children will suffer no brain damage from vaccines (brain damage is estimated at 1 in 1 million after the MMR vaccine), some people have a mitochondrial dysfunction that can develop into autism after vaccination. Some people will never know they have such a dysfunction, but it can run in families, so someone in a situation might myself who has two brother on the autistic spectrum and a husband with a son on the autistic spectrum, might be more likely to have children with the dysfunction if that is what the other family members also have. It's for that reason that we have not vaccinated at this point in time on recommendation from a specialist.

The current President of Merck’s Vaccines Division, Julie Gerberding, confirmed to CBS News when she was Director of the US Centres for Disease Control that:
"if you’re predisposed with the mitochondrial disorder, it can certainly set off some damage. Some of the symptoms can be symptoms that have characteristics of autism.“

If you decide to give the MMR vaccine I would suggest making sure you DO NOT give panadol before or after the vaccine. Although many health professionals suggest giving it, a 2008 preliminary study found that paracetamol use after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination was associated with autistic disorder. Ibuprofen was fine though.

Knowing that your child had some form of reaction to his first vaccines is very good reason to have concerns about future vaccines, so regardless of what you decide to do, don't let anyone feel bad about your choice



Just a little bit of a disclaimer: Anything I write is either personal opinion or based on scientific peer reviewed studies. I studied microbiology at Universary and have a Bachelor of Science with first class honours. I only write this because I know there is a lot of information and "facts" on the internet both for and against vaccination and I wanted to ensure you that I don't get caught up in all the non-scientific hype At my last visit to the GP my doctor actually laughed and said he was glad I had a science degree because it made him comfortable that I was fully informed. He then admitted that whilst he is pro-vaccination, that all the information he gets is from the vaccine companies and that I probably know more about vaccines than him, lol. It's nice to have a GP that is supportive rather than condescending

EDIT: Also, I have a number of journal articles on the subject so if you would like any of them please pm me Some are rather loooooooong haha

Thank you so much for posting. I don't have the PM function, can i pass my email on somehow if you could send me those articles?

I did read recently in the Daily Mail about them attributing the cause of this boy's *reaction* to the MMR, causing? his Autism... if i understood that correctly.

And thank you so much for sharing the numbers, that's what i was wondering.



We're going in tomorrow and straight out asking for the CO form, either way i'm delaying it for now as I don't want to vaccinate him any further than i already have. I just can't get past this niggling feeling saying don't do it. I wish i'd listened to myself the first time round, so be it though.

I'll keep researching though, I want to be even more informed for our third child. So thank you all for the feedback and suggestions.

[~ Mylitta ~]

You're welcome. I find sometimes that I come across as anti-vaccination, but despite my kids not being vaccinated I actually lean closer to the "pro" side. But I strongly believe that there are some children more susceptible to reactions (both mild and severe) and that the more informed a parent is, the better

Hmm, I guess you could pop your email in here and then as soon as I get it you could edit it out of your post...?

I read about that little boy recently too. I have a feeling that it is the first time a case has been won based on the argument of an underlying mitochondrial disorder. From memory the ruling said that they didn't know how the vaccine caused the autism, just that it did.