How come they aren't immunized?

[chonsigirl]

I remember a childhood friend dying from measles, this is sad. Look at the stats in the last paragraph, 500,000 died in 2003 from measles.:-1

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12991940/?GT1=8199

Updated: 3:01 p.m. ET May 26, 2006

BOSTON - Boston health officials worked Thursday to contain the city’s first outbreak of measles in seven years after four people in a downtown office tower were diagnosed with the highly infectious disease.

The Boston Public Health Commission opened a second emergency health clinic at the 60-story John Hancock Tower after it became known that hundreds of workers may be at risk of developing measles.

Measles was long considered a normal childhood disease, but the virus can cause severe complications in otherwise healthy children and adults, including sometimes fatal encephalitis, pneumonia and diarrhea.



The four who were diagnosed with the disease all worked at Investors Bank & Trust, a financial services firm. Three of the workers caught the disease from a contract worker who recently traveled from India.

An initial emergency clinic was set up on May 11 after the first case emerged.

Only 37 measles cases were reported in the United States in 2004, an all-time low, according to the most recent data.

But a few cases are still imported from countries with lower vaccination rates and the disease occurs domestically as well, health officials say.

Hundreds vaccinated

John Auerbach, Boston Public Health Commission’s executive director, said hundreds of workers at Investors Bank & Trust had received vaccinations to prevent an outbreak.

While measles is very rare, Auerbach said, “there are still pockets of the population that aren’t immunized.”

A month ago U.S. Public health officials expressed concern about an outbreak of mumps in the Midwest and said some people may have been infected on airline flights.

John Riley, head of marketing and communications at Investors Bank & Trust ” a firm with 1,500 employees in Boston ” said all four workers had recovered.

Measles is a highly contagious illness that begins with a high fever, runny nose and watery, red eyes, and develops into a rash that spreads over the body. The illness is spread through the air when a sick person coughs, sneezes or even talks, according to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health fact sheet.

Most developed countries routinely vaccinate children against measles but the virus still killed 500,000 people, mostly children, around the world in 2003, according to the World Health Organization.

[weeder]

The only possible explanation I can think of is recent articles written about the dangers of immunization. I have a friend in New York who 15 years ago refused to immunize their child. Most recently my son and his young wife chose not to have my grandson receive his immunization shots.

[devist8me]

I don't understand it myself. I've been on some mommy forums before and mentioned vacs and other members came at me with claws out. Something about not wanting to inject poisons in their kids on a chance they get diseases.

I even commented that children were not allowed in schools here without their shots and their advice was to check on the laws regarding religion. Apparently, some of them were exempt from giving their kids vacs due to religous reasons.

[woppy71]

devist8me wrote: I even commented that children were not allowed in schools here without their shots and their advice was to check on the laws regarding religion. Apparently, some of them were exempt from giving their kids vacs due to religous reasons.


ya know, it makes me sad that decisions on a childs health and future are based on what the parents religeon says, rather than what would be best for the child.

I'm gonna stick my neck out here, I think that vaccinations should be compulsory, written into law

Just my opinion.

[Betty Boop]

Here in the UK all the problems have been based around the MMR, the triple vaccination for Measles Mumps and Rubella.

A lot of parents have chosen not to have their children vaccinated because of one Doctor making a link with the vaccination to Autism.

My children have both been vaccinated with the triple, my son is also possibly Autistic but the signs were there before the vaccination.

Personally I don't see the connection, it's just a coincidence that the traits of Autism become apparent around about the same age as the vaccination is given.

I know a handful of parents who said no to the MMR but have done nothing to get the individual vaccines.

The diseases are horrific in themselves and well worth immunizing against.

[chonsigirl]

Well, in the old days, we had no vaccinations and got the diseases. They were horrible to have, and I know one who died, my sister got spru from having a severe case of the mumps. There will be outbreaks like these is they are not immunized, and that makes me wonder what our school system has for policy on that. I am going to ask our nurse tomorrow, I am curious about it now.

[chonsigirl]

It makes me wonder now if states vary-I know my children had to be immunized, and it is required here in Maryland. If they don't have their shots, they have to have started the first series of them to enter school.

[nvalleyvee]

MMR's are still important. What I want to know is WHO does not immunize ther kids? I had to immunize my daughter against HEP-C before she went to HS....9th grade was required. What is up with NO SHOTS FOR KIDS????????????????

[valerie]

One contributing factor I think is the combo shots. They are given for

convenience sake for the doctors and the parents. Puts a heavy load

on a child's immune system, but so far I don't hear anybody talk about

splitting them up again.



I'm old enough (DRAT!!) that I had all the childhood diseases, pretty

much, and some of them (mumps) more than once. I do know that

my mom wouldn't let me have part of the polio vaccine, because one

of them was made with a live virus.



Tamsen hasn't had any shots for several years, she has some lifetime

immunity but in any case the vet said not to have her immune

system fight that as well as any remaining cancer cells.



Sorry, I only have a fur kid to talk about!

[devist8me]

SnoozeControl wrote: I thought it was a law to have your children immunized before they could attend school. If it isn't, it should be.


I agree! Apparently, some states allow a person's religion to mandate that and I have to wonder how active they are in their church just to get passed immunization laws.

[Bryn Mawr]

Betty Boop wrote:

I know a handful of parents who said no to the MMR but have done nothing to get the individual vaccines.




Surely this is because the Government insisted that the separate vacinations would NOT be made available to those who refused the MMR triple vacine.