pro-vax

This is definitely a heated topic here in the US especially in the NW: immunizations. I am absolutely for patients deciding and being very involved with their healthcare. That is until they start making selfish decisions and possibly putting their children in imminent danger.

I am not writing this to cause controversy, I am writing to instill my stance on the subject. I am also not going to go read the forums about people who are against vaccines for two reasons: 1. I could be reading for weeks and 2. I would just get really upset, but in general I know what people are saying who are against the subject.

Many of you may know who Dr. Nancy Snyderman is. She is an amazing spokes person for the Today Show regarding anything medical, but in this instance: Vaccinations. I have listened to her speak about the subject matter and she is really the one person who puts it plain & simple.

You may hear people say, " I don't need to cause my child pain {from a immunization via needle} for things like measles, mumps and rubella or pertussis, polio and other disease that just aren't around here in the US anymore."

Fact: The reason these diseases are not common or even seen in the US is because we have been vaccination everyone against them for years and years.

Fact: Now that we have parents against vaccinating their children, we see outbreaks of diseases we haven't seen in years. Perfect example: the current outbreak of pertussis in the state of Washington. According to the Seattle Times, there have been over 1000 causes this year which is up from last year.

The state of Washington is one of the only states that does not mandate children to have a specific immunization record in order to attend schools unlike all others in the US. This is why I believe we see this outbreak. And some of you will say, "Pertussis, thats just whooping cough, my kid will get it, it will run its course for a month or so and then they will be better, just a bad cold anddd look, it has to be better than causing pain and trauma to my child by stabbing them with a needle"

Well, folks I beg to differ on that, here is a question for you: do you have about 3- 4 weeks that you are able to take off work to care for you sick child? Most people would not be able to. There are so many therapeutic measures to take when a child/ infant gets a shot. Yes they may have localized pain at the site, but that is only temporary. Isn't that better that your baby possibly dying of a disease where there was a vaccine that could have prevented your child from suffering for weeks on end rather than a few days from a needle poke? Not to mention all the other babies that you are putting at risk who are still to young to get a vaccine. All it takes is one foreign traveler at the grocery store who has not been vaccinated to give something to an unvaccinated child. Diseases can be spread through air and droplets people, not direct contact.

And please don't bring up the Autism issue, we know that the Doctor who did that study is no longer a practicing Physician and his study was very faulty. Many other Doctors and researchers have tried to prove the same theory and cannot. They no longer use the mercury in the MMR vaccine which is what people were saying caused Autism. Autism is still on the rise and that component is no longer in the vaccination ingredients.

I am pro-immunizations. My children will be vaccinated. I strongly encourage all of you to think about how one selfish act could cause serious complications to your child {or the children your child is around} and even death.