7th grade vaccines

[bws]

[quote name='dcmom' timestamp='1337182125' post='139771' she is on Azith. (so the of her getting perstusis is non-existent IMHO) makes me all the more certain it is right to not vaccinate.

So why are we vaccinating against pertussis anyway, if it is treatable with abx?????!!

 

I wonder which vaccines are really "life saving for fatal diseases".

 

My very pro pediatrician recently admitted to me that Polio was to be taken out of the vaccine schedule prior to 9/11 and they kept it on only due to the threat of bioterrorism....

 

Pertussis is highly contagious and can be fatal to babies...so it is really more of a "herd health" thing. If all the non-PANDAS kids in the class are vaccinated (assuming the vaccine works!) then the unvaccinated PANDAS child is unlikely to be exposed in the first place.

 

And yes, it is treatable with antibiotics. I think the schools/health officials want to prevent big outbreaks.

 

So I am vaccinating my child, to prevent other kids from getting sick?

This doesn't sit well with me....especially when I think that Pandas is probably a vaccine induced problem.

 

Yes, pertussis is fatal in very young babies, probably before their first vaccination. I have had several people I know whose child had pertussis and the child was then dutifully vaccinated when the time came. Beats me

Edited May 17, 2012 by bws

[mama2alex]

Okay, I'm getting pestered!

 

Luckily I'm in CA so I can take a personal exemption.

 

I might ask our ped to write a medical exemption (although it's more trouble), since that is the REAL reason we're not vaccinating. If our ped doesn't do it, then I'm sure our psychiatrist well.

 

I'm wondering about titers on the Tdap (dtap?)...has anyone done this? here on this CDC form it says "not practical" for serology for Tdap. http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dph/dpc/files/cdc_guidance_serology_and_revaccination.pdf

 

I guess tetanus is the one I'm most worried about (in terms of dd actually have a problem if unvaccinated) since she does go barefoot etc.

 

Is there a titer for pertusis? .... not that I'm really worried about that since dd is on daily Azith (one of the treatments for pertusis).

 

Just a reminder - We have not received your 6th grade student¹s shot record

indicating they received the Tdap/pertussis (whooping cough) booster shot

usually given after age 7. A new school immunization law requires all

students entering 7th through 12th grades in the 2012-2013 school year in

California to be immunized with a pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster

called Tdap. Further information is available at www.shotsforschool.org

<http://www.shotsforschool.org>

 

 

You can definitely check titers for Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis. We had titers checked for D, P and T some years ago and though fully vaccinated, ds had ZERO immunity to Pertussis. Two years later, on a recheck, he still has ZERO immunity even though we did get a booster in between the two titer checks. IMHO the vaccine isn't very reliable. When there was an outbreak here in CA two summers ago, some in the media tried to pin it on "those crazy/stupid/ignorant parents who don't vaccinate" but the three kids we know who got Pertussis that summer were fully vaxed.

 

I recently had ANOTHER discussion with our ped about why I wasn't going to give ds the TDaP booster. I told her he makes no antibodies to Pertussis anyway, so why vaccinate him for it? I asked her how many cases of Diptheria they've seen in their practice - ever (that tied her tongue). And I told her if he gets cut on a fence I'd get him a Tetanus booster - she didn't argue with that either. Which makes me wonder - when I was a kid, we had to get a Tetanus booster something like every 10 years - only if you got a risky cut or injury would you get the shot before the 10 years was up. So why do they suddenly need one before 7th grade, after having had 3 or 4 by the time they were 5 years old?? Oh, I think I know - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

 

I would sign the philosophical exemption form asap, because they are now trying to pass a law saying we have to set up a doctor's appointment to be "educated" and then have our doctor sign off on the exemption form before the school will "accept" it.

 

For anyone looking, a couple of great resources on vaccines are the www.nvic.org (National Vaccine Information Center) and the book "What your doctor may not tell you about children's vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave: http://www.amazon.com/What-Doctor-About-Childrens-Vaccinations/dp/B0058M5KI2/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337304484&sr=1-2

 

As you can see, this topic gets my blood pumping!

[EAMom]

Okay, I'm getting pestered!

 

Luckily I'm in CA so I can take a personal exemption.

 

I might ask our ped to write a medical exemption (although it's more trouble), since that is the REAL reason we're not vaccinating. If our ped doesn't do it, then I'm sure our psychiatrist well.

 

I'm wondering about titers on the Tdap (dtap?)...has anyone done this? here on this CDC form it says "not practical" for serology for Tdap. http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dph/dpc/files/cdc_guidance_serology_and_revaccination.pdf

 

I guess tetanus is the one I'm most worried about (in terms of dd actually have a problem if unvaccinated) since she does go barefoot etc.

 

Is there a titer for pertusis? .... not that I'm really worried about that since dd is on daily Azith (one of the treatments for pertusis).

 

Just a reminder - We have not received your 6th grade student¹s shot record

indicating they received the Tdap/pertussis (whooping cough) booster shot

usually given after age 7. A new school immunization law requires all

students entering 7th through 12th grades in the 2012-2013 school year in

California to be immunized with a pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster

called Tdap. Further information is available at www.shotsforschool.org

<http://www.shotsforschool.org>

 

 

You can definitely check titers for Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis. We had titers checked for D, P and T some years ago and though fully vaccinated, ds had ZERO immunity to Pertussis. Two years later, on a recheck, he still has ZERO immunity even though we did get a booster in between the two titer checks. IMHO the vaccine isn't very reliable. When there was an outbreak here in CA two summers ago, some in the media tried to pin it on "those crazy/stupid/ignorant parents who don't vaccinate" but the three kids we know who got Pertussis that summer were fully vaxed.

 

I recently had ANOTHER discussion with our ped about why I wasn't going to give ds the TDaP booster. I told her he makes no antibodies to Pertussis anyway, so why vaccinate him for it? I asked her how many cases of Diptheria they've seen in their practice - ever (that tied her tongue). And I told her if he gets cut on a fence I'd get him a Tetanus booster - she didn't argue with that either. Which makes me wonder - when I was a kid, we had to get a Tetanus booster something like every 10 years - only if you got a risky cut or injury would you get the shot before the 10 years was up. So why do they suddenly need one before 7th grade, after having had 3 or 4 by the time they were 5 years old?? Oh, I think I know - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

 

I would sign the philosophical exemption form asap, because they are now trying to pass a law saying we have to set up a doctor's appointment to be "educated" and then have our doctor sign off on the exemption form before the school will "accept" it.

 

For anyone looking, a couple of great resources on vaccines are the www.nvic.org (National Vaccine Information Center) and the book "What your doctor may not tell you about children's vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave: http://www.amazon.com/What-Doctor-About-Childrens-Vaccinations/dp/B0058M5KI2/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337304484&sr=1-2

 

As you can see, this topic gets my blood pumping!

 

Ughh...very helpful info.

 

Well, it sounds like I shouldn't check titers for pertusis b/c there is good chance they will be low, and then our ped might rec. vax!

[EAMom]

[quote name='dcmom' timestamp='1337182125' post='139771' she is on Azith. (so the of her getting perstusis is non-existent IMHO) makes me all the more certain it is right to not vaccinate.

So why are we vaccinating against pertussis anyway, if it is treatable with abx?????!!

 

I wonder which vaccines are really "life saving for fatal diseases".

 

My very pro pediatrician recently admitted to me that Polio was to be taken out of the vaccine schedule prior to 9/11 and they kept it on only due to the threat of bioterrorism....

 

Pertussis is highly contagious and can be fatal to babies...so it is really more of a "herd health" thing. If all the non-PANDAS kids in the class are vaccinated (assuming the vaccine works!) then the unvaccinated PANDAS child is unlikely to be exposed in the first place.

 

And yes, it is treatable with antibiotics. I think the schools/health officials want to prevent big outbreaks.

 

So I am vaccinating my child, to prevent other kids from getting sick?

This doesn't sit well with me....especially when I think that Pandas is probably a vaccine induced problem.

 

Yes, pertussis is fatal in very young babies, probably before their first vaccination. I have had several people I know whose child had pertussis and the child was then dutifully vaccinated when the time came. Beats me

 

Well yes, you are vaccinating to prevent others from becoming sick. But the flip side of the coin is, others are getting vaccinated to prevent YOUR CHILD from getting sick. Well, and you are also getting vaccinated to prevent (hopefully) yourself from getting sick.

 

I agree, it sounds like the pertusis vaccine isn't 100% effective anyway. I don't know if it's one of those vaccines that if vaccinated, and you do get sick, you get a milder course of the disease?

 

Re the babies, well, I think the theory is that if every AROUND the babies are vaccinated, they are less likely to be exposed in the first place. But, we're not around any babies, so I'm not really worried about dd killing off babies with her pertusis germs (not to mention that dd is on Azith!).

 

But I do have my qualms about many of the vaccines. My non-pandas dd got shingles (she had 1 chicken pox vax). My friend's kids got "chicken pox" years after being vaccinated. My friend said, it was funny, they didn't get it from each other (had it months apart) and it was only on 1 side of their body. I said, "Oh, they got Shingles."

 

Is it better to do the chicken pox vax, and then get shingles at a young age (does this mean you won't get it as an adult?). Don't know.

Edited May 18, 2012 by EAMom

[bws]

[quote name='dcmom' timestamp='1337182125' post='139771' she is on Azith. (so the of her getting perstusis is non-existent IMHO) makes me all the more certain it is right to not vaccinate.

So why are we vaccinating against pertussis anyway, if it is treatable with abx?????!!

 

I wonder which vaccines are really "life saving for fatal diseases".

 

My very pro pediatrician recently admitted to me that Polio was to be taken out of the vaccine schedule prior to 9/11 and they kept it on only due to the threat of bioterrorism....

 

Pertussis is highly contagious and can be fatal to babies...so it is really more of a "herd health" thing. If all the non-PANDAS kids in the class are vaccinated (assuming the vaccine works!) then the unvaccinated PANDAS child is unlikely to be exposed in the first place.

 

And yes, it is treatable with antibiotics. I think the schools/health officials want to prevent big outbreaks.

 

So I am vaccinating my child, to prevent other kids from getting sick?

This doesn't sit well with me....especially when I think that Pandas is probably a vaccine induced problem.

 

Yes, pertussis is fatal in very young babies, probably before their first vaccination. I have had several people I know whose child had pertussis and the child was then dutifully vaccinated when the time came. Beats me

 

Well yes, you are vaccinating to prevent others from becoming sick. But the flip side of the coin is, others are getting vaccinated to prevent YOUR CHILD from getting sick. Well, and you are also getting vaccinated to prevent (hopefully) yourself from getting sick.

 

I agree, it sounds like the pertusis vaccine isn't 100% effective anyway. I don't know if it's one of those vaccines that if vaccinated, and you do get sick, you get a milder course of the disease?

 

Re the babies, well, I think the theory is that if every AROUND the babies are vaccinated, they are less likely to be exposed in the first place. But, we're not around any babies, so I'm not really worried about dd killing off babies with her pertusis germs (not to mention that dd is on Azith!).

 

But I do have my qualms about many of the vaccines. My non-pandas dd got shingles (she had 1 chicken pox vax). My friend's kids got "chicken pox" years after being vaccinated. My friend said, it was funny, they didn't get it from each other (had it months apart) and it was only on 1 side of their body. I said, "Oh, they got Shingles."

 

Is it better to do the chicken pox vax, and then get shingles at a young age (does this mean you won't get it as an adult?). Don't know.

 

I am totally confused about vaccines in general at this point. Interesting that this came up here, while at the same time someone in our community is running a hotline with lectures about vaccines by doctors, and help with exemptions etc.

 

I do not vaccinate myself!! I would not do it in any way. I don't think my child should be exposed to the vaccine toxins and risks with her fragile immune system, TO BENEFIT OTHERS. I am not afraid of chicken pox, 2 of my kids had it (its really nothing and grants you lifelong immunity vs the vax which doesn't) Right now, I am a point where I feel that the ONLY vaccines I would give is Rubella for a girl prior to marriage, and Mumps for a boy before maturity. Thats it.

 

Many of the diseases with which the medical community are scaring us, really are not that bad and the risks of death are small eg measles, pertussis. Uncomfortable yes, but a vaccine injury is lifelong, and the disease is not.

 

Great book for futher references "Saying no to Vaccines" by Dr. Sherry Tenpenny.

[norcalmom]

This came up for my son last year - and he had had IVIG a few months prior - so our immunologist wrote a letter that said there was no need for vaccination because the IVIG procedure granted my son the immune protection from the virus - and another vaccine would be redundant.

 

He didn't mention how long the IVIG protection lasts v a vaccine - and the school didn't ask -so if you had IVIG in recent months, that is another route to go.

 

DS had tetnus checked at some point in "regualr" testing - and he made titer. Never checked for pertussis.

[Missmom]

I just wanted to add that my friend has a son In second grade in Wisconsin. There was a recent outbreak of pertussis and due to classroom possible exposure the state made all of the children in the classroom go get tested and take a prophylactic dose of abx, even though the test came back negative for her second grader and he had been previously vaccinated. She was not happy about this to say the least..... Why vaccinate in the first place if the state dept. of health is going to make everybody with possible exposure get treated anyway. Oh, and my friend also had to pay for the co-pay visit and the abx.... It is mass panic out there.

[EAMom]

well good grief! I ended up doing the personal beliefs exemption.

 

We asked out ped re the tetanus titer and she is balking at it. Apparently I do not "understand" about the pertusis vaccine too.

 

groan.

 

does anyone know of any literature that says PANDAS kids should not be vaccinated? (I would think NIMH would be very careful about saying that!).

Edited July 5, 2012 by EAMom

[Missmom]

well good grief! I ended up doing the personal beliefs exemption.

 

We asked out ped re the tetanus titer and she is balking at it. Apparently I do not "understand" about the pertusis vaccine too.

 

groan.

 

does anyone know of any literature that says PANDAS kids should not be vaccinated? (I would think NIMH would be very careful about saying that!).

Well, we live in Mississippi, one of the two states that does not allow the religious or personal phylisophical exemption. They are very strict in this state... I will not vaccinate after this pandas episode.. No way no how! I am so tired of the beaurocrats trying to make the medical decisions for our children. I don't want to homeschool, and my ds 12 would not like it but I would do it in a heartbeat before I would vaccinate right now. I did ask our pediatric neurologist to write the medical exemption for my son and she agreed, but the decision is still ultimately up to one man who is our district health officer. If he declines the exemption for whatever reason this momma will be highly perturbed.... They just will not hear the end from me. I will stop at nothing to get him into school. Let's just hope all goes well and my son can start school in August. Be thankful that most of you can obtain a religious or personal exemption with no questions asked.

[mama2alex]

You shouldn't have to prove to her that your child shouldn't get a vaccine. Its your decision as a parent. Instead of trying to prove why your daughter shouldn't get the vaccine, maybe ask your doc to show you the double-blind, placebo controlled study that definitively proves that kids need 5 tetanus, 5 pertussis and 5 diptheria shots by the time they are twelve to convey immunity. And does she have long-term safety data for the current vaccine schedule on kids with autoimmune disorders? I'm guessing she doesn't want to check titers because there's a good chance your daughter still has immunity and she will lose the argument with you for good. And why can't kids just get a tetanus booster if they get a cut, like we used to do? Is there a study proving that isn't effective? And what doesn't she think you "understand" about the pertussis vaccine?

 

Glad you got the exemption. They haven't decided yet, but I think there's a good chance we will need a doctor's signature for the philosophical exemption in the near future. And it doesn't sound like your ped would necessarily sign off.

 

well good grief! I ended up doing the personal beliefs exemption.

 

We asked out ped re the tetanus titer and she is balking at it. Apparently I do not "understand" about the pertusis vaccine too.

 

groan.

 

does anyone know of any literature that says PANDAS kids should not be vaccinated? (I would think NIMH would be very careful about saying that!).

[tpotter]

I wish we had a religious or personal exemption. In Mississippi and W. Virginia. the only exemptions available are medical. I don't know where to find the list of conditions that apply for the exemption. This is so unbelievable. I am so frustrated with this whole process.

 

 

Would immune deficiency or post-infectious encephalitis/encephalopathy work?

[thereishope]

.

Edited September 30, 2019 by Vickie