There are many people who are against vaccinations
for varied reasons. They put articles on the Net and in magazines. And on TV. It seams
there is a growing move away from traditional doctors and medications and there is a
booming business in Herbs, home deliveries, and alternate medicine. Many have been
disillusioned by doctors who are not current or when things turn bad for no specific
reason.
When a baby gets a vaccine and immediately after has any symptom, the knee jerk reflex
is to blame it on the vaccine. I guess that is where superstitions come from. A black cat
crossed in front of someone who then had bad things happen and he blamed it on the cat.
Only through scientific studies comparing the treated and control groups have we come far
in our understanding and knowledge. Many myths have been dispelled and we have proven the
snake oil did not help your medical condition. Many quacks have been stopped by proving
their stuff did not work.
But it is hard to convince a parent whose baby dies the night after the vaccination
that it was not the vaccine. Also the person who develops arthritis or seizures after
receiving a vaccine. Thousands of infants receive their DPT at 2 months in the United
States and there will be some crib death that night. Studies showed that there were just
as many crib deaths the night before they were due to have their shots as there were
after. The frequency of crib death in the vaccinated infants was the same as those infants
who were unvaccinated. There is definite proof that the shots did not cause crib death but
try convincing that parent whose baby dies after the shots. Seizures, delayed development,
and Autism occur and are not caused by vaccines. Scientific studies have proven it.
There are reported rare cases of damage after vaccinations. These are 1/310,000 patients. There are risks. Not only to these vaccines but
to just living. Going to school or driving the car. We take precautions like buckling up
but there are still risks. These vaccines are made as safe as we know how at the level of
our technology at that time. They are continually improving and making them safer. But
there are risks.
We look at the risks and the benefits. Like the seat belt that can save you 90% of the
time but may cause problems 5 % of the time. You still buckle up. More people were killed in the Civil War than
in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam all added together. Only 1/3 were killed by bullets.
2/3’s died from Polio, Measles, Meningitis, and other diseases we vaccinate against.
This year 3 million children will die from tetanus, measles, and meningitis…….
not in the USA because we vaccinate. The last case of meningitis I saw was 10 years ago
when the HIB vaccine came out. The child was due to come in for it’s check up and
shots but the mother missed the appointment. The child developed meningitis and died at
Children’s hospital. We went from 20,000 cases/year of meningitis to now a only a few
per year. It is now so rare that you hear about it on the news. You did not hear much
about it years ago because it was so common that it was not news. 10% die and 50% are
brain damaged. In just one year we went from 20,000 cases to a few hundred. It is saving
many children.
We have eliminated Small Pox from the face of the earth and now do not give the
vaccine. Measles is about to be eliminated from the US. We eliminated Polio from all of N.
and S. America, and soon will eliminate it from the world. We now give the injectable form
of the polio rather than the live vaccine. Some day we will not have to give that vaccine
but one has to wait until it is gone for sure before we stop it. One must weigh the risks
and benefits.
It is so hard to get medications and especially vaccines approved by the
FDA because they are trying to keep it safe and effective.
The latest
vaccine is against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that causes venereal
warts, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, rectal cancer, and cancer of the
mouth and esophagus. We will almost eliminate cervical cancer
with it. It is now approved for boys. I hope they get a vaccine against AIDS soon.
Yes there are rare risks. Would I get my child or grandchild vaccinated today? Definitely!
