The Vaccine debate

I am probably going to cause a few waves on this topic but I am 100 % PRO vaccines and the vaccinations of children, I believe 100 per cent that is should be mandatory for all parents to vaccinate their children at least again the ones that are listed as a requirement by our government.

I remember watching a program one day while I was pregnant with Loghan, the topic was vaccine’s and discussed the pros and cons of vaccinating your child, it followed in particular the story of a British family that included 2 little girls.

The eldest little girl was completely disabled, she will never walk, talk or function normally, she just sits around all day in her chair lost in her own mind when they explained why I was both horrified and bough to tears.

This little girl was only several months old when she contracted German measles- she was too young to get the vaccine and contracted it from a little boy in her day care whose mother was against vaccinations, it made me so angry to see how this little girl must now sit for the rest of her life with that existence for what I truly believe is selfishness upon that other mothers behalf, and yes I know that vaccinating your child does not mean they will not get the illness but it does lessen their chances dramatically and if they do get it; it is usually very mildly and will not result in fatal consequences.

It is one thing to not believe in something but when you choose to put your child as well as anyone else’s child at risk that is not right, vaccines have been created for a reason and there is absolutely no proof to substantiate the link between vaccine’s and autism, however most woman who believe there is a link if you read their stories express how their child had flu or some other symptoms before having their vaccine’s.

Children should not be taken for their vaccine’s when ill, their immune systems are already suppressed and the vaccine’s introduce the ‘germs’ into their systems ie of course it can and will make them seriously ill which can lead to complications and fatal consequences.

Yes children who are vaccinated should be fine but what about all those babies who are too young to have the vaccines, its not their fault and keep in mind that most of this illnesses have their 'catchy' period a week or so before symptoms are displayed so you cant even say well if my child gets it I will keep them home.

I have chosen to vaccinate all my children and it is something I will not regret- Loghan has had chicken pox, Gabriel has had baby measles and chicken pox as well as the rota virus, all mildly except for the rota virus which hit Gabriel badly but considering most children end up in hospital with it I think we got off lightly.

I was vaccinated as a child and have not had one childhood illness, look if its chicken pox or something non threatening and you believ your child is better off building a natural immunity fine but why take the risk with the ones that can cause severe affects.

In south Africa Government schools also have a mandatory requirement that you produce an updated vaccination card when enrolling your child in school so it’s a good thing to bear in mind.

Honestly on most topics I am very firm in my belief that a parent needs to make what they feel is the best decision for them and their child and if you decide to risk your child and others then well that’s your choice but then be prepared to accept any consequences that come with it.

I will say that I think the non-mandatory vaccine’s should be a choice because they vaccinate against non-life threatening illnesses but that’s a choice you need to make as a mom, these vaccines are of course not provided for by our government and therefore are quite expensive when paid out of your pocket, there are some medical aids that do cover them.

Here is a bit of information I found interesting from: http://vaccines.procon.org/, this is not a South African website but I found the information and debate interesting regardless of this as the grounds are the same, and a healthy debate is never a bad thing so it lists both the Pro and Con arguments for you to look at.

 I also found a great link to a brochure on childhood illnesses that can be vaccinated against their symptoms etc which I thought was a great guide for any moms who want more information.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/Parents-Guide/downloads/parents-guide-part1.pdf

I'm also going to state one more thing and that is that is that you must always remember that when a vaccine or any medicine is tested, whether that group consists of 50 people or 500 if 1 person states that they had a symptom or side effect that must be listed as a possible side effect on the bottle or leaflet, so if 5 children out of 5000 had an adverse effect it has to be listed.

Whether you are for or against make sure you are informed, whether you choose to vaccinate or not or even delay certain vaccinations which is also very interesting.