Everyone is yelling about fear mongering and hype. But is one talking to about, those who don’t want chemicals in their bodys ir those who think they are a must.
Yeah, you’re right. It would have been much better not to eradicate polio from the United States. I’m sure that all of the people consigned to iron lungs, or partially paralyzed, completely agree with you.
Kenx,
I remember when the Simian Virus 40 (SV-40) news was released. I had the polio vaccine during the years of the contaminated vaccine & lived in one of the areas that received a high percentage of the contaminated vaccines. I also remember the schools giving sugar cube polio boosters (also during the SV-40 years) to kids already innoculated.
I would not disagree that SV40 contaminated the early polio virus and the National Academies thought there was some potential for it to cause cancers. But it is not clear that has played out. On pg 90 of the report, the committee found only proposed theoretical mechanisms for autoimmunity problems, hardly evidence to avoid immunization.
Oh and don’t forget about autism. Oops, guess that one was a fraud.
Judith,
The only party I had with chicken pox & mumps was with my younger sister:) Had lots of fun at the German measles party & the first infected friend was happy to have company & be the star. Moms telling their kids to eat from each other’s plate–all the things moms told us not to do. I remember my mother being thrilled when I came down with rubella & the mothers checking with each other to be sure all the kids were sick.
No vaccine is 100% effective against any virus. Getting the virus & developing antibodies is protection.
But that’s just the point. WHAT chemicals? Every single thing you touch, eat or drink is made up of chemicals. Would you touch dihydromonoxide? How about disodium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate? I hate to tell you, but those are in every insulin injection you take. The first has a multi-billion year safety record; the second less so. But I haven’t heard of a single diabetic dying or developing autism from it.
If you are going to be afraid of “chemicals, woo woo” you need to know exactly which ones, why, what their safety record is, what kind of studies have been done on them, how long they’ve been used, and any adverse resports on them including whether the report was a fraud or not (See Andrew Wakefield’s fraud on MMR causing autism).
Until then, you’re just crying “fire!” in a crowded theater without any real evidence.
OK, SV40 was a contaminant that they were not able to test for at the time it infected a batch of polio vaccine. They ARE able to test for it now; problem solved. And it doesn’t invalidate the principle of immunization. It’s true; LIFE is a risk, and when you step out your front door in the morning, you take a risk. Gabby Giffords took a risk when she organized the talk outside the Safeway store. That still doesn’t invalidate the usefulness of vaccinations.
You need to do more than simply say “false” about the concept of herd immunity. And you need to go make personal apologies to the families of the ten British infants who died of pertussis because someone around them had not been immunized and was a carrier.
And don’t cite the rise of auto-immune disease (which may be an artifact of increased diagnosis), without any proof of any sort of relationship.
And finally, Google Respectful Insolence if you want a scientist’s view of vaccines and the whole anti-vax hysteria.
I think this discussion has gotten out of hand. We should all just agree to disagree. In the National Academy report above, the group did not find support connecting things like autoimmunity and vaccines, but the group clearly found that the public was concerned. They also concluded that the government had not convinced the public that vaccines were safe. I think we can see that in kenx’s concerns.
The point of these discussions is not to have a “winner,” but to enable us all to learn something from the discussion.
Who was being called a troll?
Side effects are what??
When I used to get those dreaded ‘vaccines’ I ALWAYS ALWAYS got the flu.
NO THANK YOU!.
I’ll take my chances without it.
Everyone else I know that gets those get the flu too…
I remember the sugar cube lines!! We went to the elementary schools on Saturdays and Sundays to get them!!! , Maybe '61-'62. I remember being little and the cubes tasting gross.
I was not a diabetic at that time, did not get diabetes until 1967.
god bless,
Brunetta
Yep! They were horrible tasting.
Thank you to all of you who responded to my flu vaccine inquiry.
Many valid points were made for both sides…I have a lot of thinking to do.
When you weren’t diabetic, did you need or get a flu shot?
If not then, why now?
Keep blood sugars normal and you shouldn’t have any problems.
Sure, I get the flu. But it’s no different than before my diagnosis.
I think it’s a lot harder to make that decision as a parent of a child with diabetes than as an adult making the deicison for hisself or herself. I think the fact that kids are around other kids is relevant too. As a T1 adult with diabetes (LADA), I have never gotten a flu shot. My logic has always been - I’ve never gotten the flu so why mess with what works. Interestingly I was just at my GP for my annual exam and he asked me if I wanted a flu shot becuase he recommends it for people with diabetes. I told him, I never got one becuase I have never had the flu. He said, “then let’s skip it.” That was certainly easy. I am a lawyer working in the medical device industry, which includes a respirtory device segment. That marketing team literally forecasts sales on the flu season because more ventilators, bi-paps, spirometers, nebulizers, etc. are needed during a bad flu season. Talking with our research scientists and inventors – they comment that our devices will always be needed during a bad flu season becusae flu strains are always changing and the flu shot can never actually predict the flu that will be prevelant in a particular season.
Have not heard of any truly dangerous side effects with the flu vaccine and over the past 18 years of getting the shot, I haven’t had any problems, either. The CDC has the following information about the vaccine:
Who Should Get Vaccinated On February 24, 2010 vaccine experts voted that everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine each year starting with the 2010-2011 influenza season. CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for "universal" flu vaccination in the U.S. to expand protection against the flu to more people.
While everyone should get a flu vaccine each flu season, it’s especially important that the following groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications:
1.Pregnant women
2.Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
3.People 50 years of age and older
4.People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5.People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6.People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
a.Health care workers
b.Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
c.Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
Use of the Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine
It should be noted that vaccination with the nasal-spray flu vaccine is always an option for healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.
Who Should Not Be Vaccinated
There are some people who should not get a flu vaccine without first consulting a physician. These include:
•People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
•People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
•People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine.
•Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and
•People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated.)
Vaccine Effectiveness
The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine, and the similarity or "match" between the viruses or virus in the vaccine and those in circulation.
Vaccine Side Effects (What to Expect)
Different side effects can be associated with the flu shot and LAIV.
The flu shot: The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that could occur are:
•Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
•Fever (low grade)
•Aches
If these problems occur, they begin soon after the shot and usually last 1 to 2 days. Almost all people who receive influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it. However, on rare occasions, flu vaccination can cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. As of July 1, 2005, people who think that they have been injured by the flu shot can file a claim for compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
The nasal spray (also called LAIV or FluMist®): The viruses in the nasal-spray vaccine are weakened and do not cause severe symptoms often associated with influenza illness. (In clinical studies, transmission of vaccine viruses to close contacts has occurred only rarely.)
In children, side effects from LAIV (FluMist®) can include:
•runny nose
•wheezing
•headache
•vomiting
•muscle aches
•fever
In adults, side effects from LAIV (FluMist®) can include
•runny nose
•headache
•sore throat
•cough
Keep in mind that the flu kills an estimated 36,000-40,000 people in the US per year. The 1918-1919 influenza outbreak killed more people than WWI and killed more people in a single year than four years of the Black Plauge (1347-1351) (see HERE). As Stanford reports, an estimated 20-40 MILLION people around the world died of the flu. This is often due to complications as a result of the flu, such as pneumonia or bronchitis that develops in addition to the flu. While most people shrug off the flu, it is an extremely dangerous disease. If you'd like to see what happened, I'd recommend watching this episode of The American Experience from PBS.