MMR vaccine... & I'm getting mad

Athough the swine flu vaccine made some people very very rich! But i fail to see the correlation between vaccinating for child hood disease (proven) and the Evil pharma conspiracy. Only the wealthy have this thought line, the poor don't have that luxury.

Just as the pharmaceutical companies have financial interest in sponsoring the research against any links of vaccines to autism or other issues Except they didn't. All the research worldwide which failed to find any connection between MMR and autism was government-sponsored because it was potentially a serious public health issue. Wakefield was a fraud, plain and simple. There is no other side to the story. And before anyone comes up with the usual tiresome conspiracy theories about the amount of money the pharmaceutical companies make from vaccines, bear in mind that they actually make by far the bulk of their profits from ongoing treatments for long-term conditions. Most standard vaccines are given once or twice per person, and that's it. They can't sell you any more vaccines for the rest of your life. It's the tablets for heart conditions or high blood pressure or cholesterol, the medications you have to take every day for long periods, perhaps even the rest of your life... that's where the real money is. Not in vaccines. edited by edna.welthorpe on 17/01/2011 Oh How i wish there was a STANDING OVATION button!!! The Evil Pharma conspiracy is just such a crock........surely it would be in their best interests not to encourage vaccination, healthy people do not make them any money, chronically sick ones do.

Just as the pharmaceutical companies have financial interest in sponsoring the research against any links of vaccines to autism or other issues Except they didn't. All the research worldwide which failed to find any connection between MMR and autism was government-sponsored because it was potentially a serious public health issue. Wakefield was a fraud, plain and simple. There is no other side to the story. And before anyone comes up with the usual tiresome conspiracy theories about the amount of money the pharmaceutical companies make from vaccines, bear in mind that they actually make by far the bulk of their profits from ongoing treatments for long-term conditions. Most standard vaccines are given once or twice per person, and that's it. They can't sell you any more vaccines for the rest of your life. It's the tablets for heart conditions or high blood pressure or cholesterol, the medications you have to take every day for long periods, perhaps even the rest of your life... that's where the real money is. Not in vaccines. <em>edited by edna.welthorpe on 17/01/2011</em>

Also, I want to add that pregnant women with a negative Rubella titer must get the Rubella vaccine, so I guess you just get the entire MMR since they dont have them separately here? (And there are other cases where you need a separate vaccine)

Well, I waited until DD was two years old before I vaccinated her. I understand that Dr. Wakefield's study has been largely discredited; however recently some studies carried out independently of Wakefield's study have duplicated his findings that viral induced inflammatory disease in autistic children may be linked to the vaccine strain measles virus - which is what the Wakefield study concluded by the way. There have been various review studies of the link between the MMR vaccine and autism however the Dr. Sears Vaccine Book cites a white paper which states the "design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies, both pre and post marketing are largely inadequate". FYI, the Dr. Sears Vaccine Book recommends an adjusted vaccine schedule where the mumps vaccine is given at 12 months, Rubella at two years and Measles at three years. A combined MMR vaccine is next given at 5 years.

don't believe in [i'>not[/i'> vaccinating! If you will return to the US, please give your child the varicella vaccine. The strain of chickenpox in the US right now is a bad one (as it's mutated in strength due to the vaccine keeping away the weaker strains). So the CP vaccine has actually meant that the worst CP strain survives when the milder ones don't? So kids are more likely to catch a stronger strain than before the vaccine came out and consequently should be vaccinated. Gosh, if ever there's a self-fulfilling prophecy, here it is. Vaccines have always been controversial, but the same goes with antibiotics. People taking them incorrectly can cause a mutated strain of the bacteria. P.S. I have no scientific evidence of this, just what I've seen with my own eyes. Children that are vaccinated get a very mild case (as their body already has antibodies against the virus) and those that aren't vaccinated have had horrible cases.

don't believe in [i'>not[/i'> vaccinating! If you will return to the US, please give your child the varicella vaccine. The strain of chickenpox in the US right now is a bad one (as it's mutated in strength due to the vaccine keeping away the weaker strains). So the CP vaccine has actually meant that the worst CP strain survives when the milder ones don't? So kids are more likely to catch a stronger strain than before the vaccine came out and consequently should be vaccinated. Gosh, if ever there's a self-fulfilling prophecy, here it is.

We asked as dd is on one of the strongest immunosuppressants there is but in the end it didn't matter. This is where I can't understand medicine and priorities placed by doctors/pharmaceuticals. Now you have to roll the dice because you want to vaccinate, but don't feel quite comfortable giving the AIO injection because of underlying medical Let me clarify, SHE cannot have live vaccines due to her Prograf (which MMR is to a degree) and so figured getting the MMR in doses in her brother might be of benefit to her. <em>edited by GoddessUli on 17/01/2011</em>

We asked as dd is on one of the strongest immunosuppressants there is but in the end it didn't matter. This is where I can't understand medicine and priorities placed by doctors/pharmaceuticals. Now you have to roll the dice because you want to vaccinate, but don't feel quite comfortable giving the AIO injection because of underlying medical conditions. :(

@GoddessUli The MMR vaccines are available separately in the US, but you have to ask and find a doctor/hospital that has it (which can be hard in some areas). Most do the all-in-one, but it's not a must. I know vaccinating separately had been gaining popularity over the last 5-10 years, and as a result more places began offering it. But if you don't ask, you certainly won't get it! edited by gleekfamily on 17/01/2011 We did ask and were told at the doctor in Michigan that MMR was NOT available separately. It all depends...In CA and TX the vaccines were available separately (and not in all hospitals/cities). You really do have to ask around if it's that much of an issue (ie like georgiagirl said it could affect hypersensitive immune systems to do it all-in-one). We asked as dd is on one of the strongest immunosuppressants there is but in the end it didn't matter.

@GoddessUli The MMR vaccines are available separately in the US, but you have to ask and find a doctor/hospital that has it (which can be hard in some areas). Most do the all-in-one, but it's not a must. I know vaccinating separately had been gaining popularity over the last 5-10 years, and as a result more places began offering it. But if you don't ask, you certainly won't get it! edited by gleekfamily on 17/01/2011 We did ask and were told at the doctor in Michigan that MMR was NOT available separately. It all depends...In CA and TX the vaccines were available separately (and not in all hospitals/cities). You really do have to ask around if it's that much of an issue (ie like georgiagirl said it could affect hypersensitive immune systems to do it all-in-one).

Oh- and be more organised than me and make duplicates of baby records Good point Sallymander, I have copies of our passports, birth certs etc. which have been sent to our email accounts, I will add DD's immunisation records to it now. I was an expat child and had my immunisation records where ever we went and when I was an adult it saved me from have duplicate injections, cannot remember what they were for but one was for something nasty but would also have been dangerous for me to have another dose. Sorry - repeat of what GoddessUlli said, I started typing and got distracted before I finished. edited by MirdifIngrid on 17/01/2011 We also have birth, church records for each on their flashdrive...good back up even though we realize many require the actual document with the raised seal. Just makes obtaining a new one easier in some cases. Edited to add that keeping them on an email account isn't always a good thing. Should someone hack your email they can now steal your identity which is rampant now as it is. <em>edited by GoddessUli on 17/01/2011</em>

@GoddessUli The MMR vaccines are available separately in the US, but you have to ask and find a doctor/hospital that has it (which can be hard in some areas). Most do the all-in-one, but it's not a must. I know vaccinating separately had been gaining popularity over the last 5-10 years, and as a result more places began offering it. But if you don't ask, you certainly won't get it! edited by gleekfamily on 17/01/2011 We did ask and were told at the doctor in Michigan that MMR was NOT available separately.

@GoddessUli The MMR vaccines are available separately in the US, but you have to ask and find a doctor/hospital that has it (which can be hard in some areas). Most do the all-in-one, but it's not a must. I know vaccinating separately had been gaining popularity over the last 5-10 years, and as a result more places began offering it. But if you don't ask, you certainly won't get it! <em>edited by gleekfamily on 17/01/2011</em>

Oh- and be more organised than me and make duplicates of baby records Good point Sallymander, I have copies of our passports, birth certs etc. which have been sent to our email accounts, I will add DD's immunisation records to it now. I was an expat child and had my immunisation records where ever we went and when I was an adult it saved me from have duplicate injections, cannot remember what they were for but one was for something nasty but would also have been dangerous for me to have another dose. Sorry - repeat of what GoddessUlli said, I started typing and got distracted before I finished. <em>edited by MirdifIngrid on 17/01/2011</em>

Our son is vaccinated by whatever schedule the Canadian Medical community put forth but at the time, he is 4 now, there was all this controversy about the relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism and I hesitated...not about anyone jab other then the MMR. He was still going to get the vaccines but I wondered and investigated further as to whether he could get them as separated serums....I was told by our doc and public health that it was not available. For that set of jabs, it was actually 3 needles ( I think @ 12 months) MMR, CP and Men C. I did separate the 3 needles into 3 sessions as I thought it was rather cruel to give him 3 all in one day so I did it over a month and brought him back for his boosters accordingly. I considered not giving the chicken pox vaccine thinking well he could just get that one and it's not serious but after speaking to the doc AGAIN she informed me that X amount of children had died from the chicken pox and so that is why it was introduced. Mostly those cases were not children dying from chicken pox virus directly but those who either had underlying conditions or something that was caused by the chicken pox, ie high fever, seizure etc etc. In saying that, my DS did get vaccinated for CP as scheduled but did get them anyway in Nov. There was a huge amount of kids who got them at the same time actually...from his birthday party most likely as there was a little girl there who had them and no one knew. DS was the only one who had been vaccinated and his case was much less severe then the rest of the poor little ones who were covered and itching for a longer period so I am happy that I got it now.

i belive Hep B is mandatory in Dubai and its given at birth...older one got combined vaccine HepAB.Little one just HepB at birth. Per the US schedule my kids get the Hep vaccines at the indicated ages. don't know US schedule...in Croatia year after my older one was born, Hep B became mandatory at birth....So when she started school here, I was asked by nurse to update her Hep B vaccine...and after talking to doc , she was vaccinated with combined vaccine...little one was born in Dubai and it was done at hospital.

Sant - IMHO, giving the MMR separately is a respectful decision for the community and your child. Unfortunately, I don't think they offer them separately here at the moment. Please do call around to ask. My son received the MMR around 12 months in the US. Skeptics believe that giving the combined vaccine can "overload" a [i'>sensitive[/i'> child's immune system, causing an allergic reaction of sorts, which can produce long term effects, such as disorders on the autism spectrum. This does not pertain to children who are developing at a completely normal pace. In the US, Jenny McCarthy has withdrawn her ploy to rid the world of vaccines since her son has done well in therapy and no longer shows signs on the autism spectrum. I'm a nurse, so I definitely don't believe in [i'>not[/i'> vaccinating! If you will return to the US, please give your child the varicella vaccine. The strain of chickenpox in the US right now is a bad one (as it's mutated in strength due to the vaccine keeping away the weaker strains) and I've seen it firsthand in the ER in Atlanta.

i belive Hep B is mandatory in Dubai and its given at birth...older one got combined vaccine HepAB.Little one just HepB at birth. Per the US schedule my kids get the Hep vaccines at the indicated ages.

i belive Hep B is mandatory in Dubai and its given at birth...older one got combined vaccine HepAB.Little one just HepB at birth.

On Sally's note, we have all of our important medical records scanned and saved onto a flash drive for each person in the family. We update that as needed. Our 19 year old now has her entire medical history, vaccination records etc on a flash drive in the US. We have the backup copy here in the UAE in the event it's lost.

I heard that recently too. I was horrified- Polio is a dreadful torturous disease and I thought it was gone forever- at least in the modern world. My teenagers were recently given a polio booster and addition- they got mmr and meningitis jabs- having missed some of those at school through moving countries. They got 2 jabs plus polio (drops) and were fine- just a bit of swelling and stiffness at the site of the jabs(one on each arm)- Im not sure which vaccine was the culprit. Both my daughters then started a 3 jab course for HPV immunisation. My younger DD has health problems and developed a blood clot after the first one so she has not finished the course as we are awaiting blood tests for the cause of it(She may have factor 5 Leiden). I doubt its relevant and so does our GP- but we will wait until we get the go ahead to repeat or complete the course. In addition- I note that no-one here has mentioned Hepatitis. We have been strongly advised to protect ourselves against it as it is very prevalent in all forms here. Having nursed both my DH and DS through just an A type strain- I can tell you- its not to be sneezed at!!! B and C are killers but A takes months to recover from and is so uncomfortable and contagious! As to Chicken pox- there are several strains- so a vaccine should be specific for the area. Its a strange virus that lingers in the system and at periods of low immunity and ill health- can resurface- either as pox or shingles- but only during a break out is one contagious seemingly. It also seems that the younger the patient- the quicker and easier they recover from it so there has been a trend of deliberately mixing kids who have not been exposed to others who are in full pox -to get it over with at a convenient time for the parents. I dont really agree with this- particularly since it spreads infection to older members of the community who havent been exposed or compromised people and children who should not have to get it. We lost our immunisation records- through moving countries,a fire and time. Tracing 4 med histories to infancy is impossible- and so I have told our school repeatedly when asked every year for the records. They have not been asked to repeat immunisations for the purpose of satisfying regulations (repeating some- like BCG can be dangerous). We chose to have appropriate boosters as advised by GP. My kids are older so the authorities are probably less concerned but dont let school nurses badger you to do anything you are not comfortable with and take advice on immunisations only from your personal physician. Oh- and be more organised than me and make duplicates of baby records :)

Thanks a lot ladies. Good to know that research was a fraud. So, has anyone given chicken pox vaccine at the same time with MMR or later? Dd had MMR and CP jabs at 12 mo. She had a fever for 2 days and a bit of a rash. Didn't seem too bothered by either and is perfectly fine now. CP infections cause complications in 6% of all cases. CP vaccination is recommended in Germany. So it's not just a Dubai thing. As always, there are loads of cases where CP will be "sailed through". But I don't want my child to end up as one of the 6% who suffer badly. IMO better safe than sorry. Btw in Germany nobody has even heard of the claims that MMR be liked to autism. That's a very UK topic. I always thought autism is something the child is born with. A special way the brain is "programmed". How can something like that be caused by vaccination? Doesn't make any sense to me. And, yes, the pharmaceutical industry is a money making business. But there are still a lot of ppl working in it who do it for the right reasons. Vaccinations have saved millions of lives. We in the western world are just so spoilt, that we don't realize the danger of diseases anymore. <em>edited by happymommy on 17/01/2011</em>

DD was vaccinated against cpox at 7 months, DS was not. When DD was 3 she got cpox, and she had 3 tiny spots on her chest. DS age 1 caught it from her and was hosiptalized, he was so very sick. It brings tears to my eyes, just remembering how ill he was. I didn't get him vaccinated because 'friends' told me I had wasted my time vaccinating DD as she would catch it anyway. I wish I had not listened. edited by Servants Quarters on 17/01/2011 So really they need to let the mums know that the vaccine for cp might not stop them catching it but it will be a very much more milder dose. We were never offered the jab in the UK anyway and my 2 got it mildly when they were both pretty young so it wasn't an issue for me but I think I would have been in the camp of - well if they catch it anyway - why bother - shame it's not made clear to the mums that it's better to do than not.....

I was lucky, I think I was a sugar lump child for the polio vaccine - but I well remember how important it was to be vaccinated against it. More to the point, when I was a child, you could often see the effects as there were many people around who were still affected by polio - either on calipers, in wheel-chairs or on "iron-lungs" (well, you heard about those, you didn't actually see them in the street). You youngsters had it easy........ ;) But seriously, I remember visiting a Special Needs school, which had been built in the early sixties, unlike most schools of that period it has extra wide hallways - I was told by the staff that it had been built thus to accomodate the large numbers of pupils in wheelshairs as a result of the polio epidemics. Very very sad, so many young lives taken or permanently blighted.

DD was vaccinated against cpox at 7 months, DS was not. When DD was 3 she got cpox, and she had 3 tiny spots on her chest. DS age 1 caught it from her and was hosiptalized, he was so very sick. It brings tears to my eyes, just remembering how ill he was. I didn't get him vaccinated because 'friends' told me I had wasted my time vaccinating DD as she would catch it anyway. I wish I had not listened. <em>edited by Servants Quarters on 17/01/2011</em>

When it comes down to it, I won't risk these illnesses with either my healthy or child with a health condition. Some things just aren't worth the risk.

I was lucky, I think I was a sugar lump child for the polio vaccine - but I well remember how important it was to be vaccinated against it. More to the point, when I was a child, you could often see the effects as there were many people around who were still affected by polio - either on calipers, in wheel-chairs or on "iron-lungs" (well, you heard about those, you didn't actually see them in the street).

My kids were vaccinated here as per the calendar, I think at 12 months, not sure at the moment. They had some fever for a while but generally it was ok. But, having said so and after reading about the potential side effects I am very reluctant about re-vaccinating them at the age of 6. In my home country the re-immunisation is not done until the age of 10-11. You can have them separately only in the UK and the US, that is what the doctor here told me. Not to mention they wanted to give them 3 vaccines at the same time regardless of the fact they were not feel well. The US does not give them separately. (Did some this summer for our youngest) MMR is done as one jab rather then broken up into 3.

My kids were vaccinated here as per the calendar, I think at 12 months, not sure at the moment. They had some fever for a while but generally it was ok. But, having said so and after reading about the potential side effects I am very reluctant about re-vaccinating them at the age of 6. In my home country the re-immunisation is not done until the age of 10-11. You can have them separately only in the UK and the US, that is what the doctor here told me. Not to mention they wanted to give them 3 vaccines at the same time regardless of the fact they were not feel well.