I have not immunised my children.... and have strong opinions about live virus vaccinations which precluded me from doing so. They are now 10 and 12 and have had measles, chicken pox and even whooping cough after being exposed to immunised children who became ill. I took the responsibility of my choices seriously and quarantined them for their entire illnesses.

I do, however, not judge anyone who chooses to immunise their own. I agree that it is a first world luxury to choose. And I'm grateful for that luxury.

What I wanted to say to you, however, was that I appreciate how wonderfully worded your post was. I read no judgement and if more people were willing to have open discussions about controversial topics WITHOUT flaming, the world would be a better place!

On this I agree with you completly! One of my daughters came down with Rubella at 8 weeks old from another child who's mother decided not to vaccinate.

This disease has an incubation rate before it manifests and I unwittingly exposed my pregnant sister in law to the infection which could have seriously harmed her unborn baby. As well, my daughter was so very sick for over a week.

I could not and never will forgive this mother for the risk she willingly exposed my family to for what I considered supersitious ignorance.

I live in an area that has recently had mass outbreaks of whooping cough. As a child when I got the vaccination I got really sick when I got the DPT shot. Since then, I haven’t been vaccinated with the “P” or pertussis part of the vaccine for fear that I will again have the same reaction. Every time I hear about another outbreak here in Minnesota, I fear that I will get sick. I wonder if the parents of children who haven’t had their children vaccinated fear the same thing?

BTW, I completely agree with your thoughts on this one...

Kate

Heather, I am firmly with you on this. I think it is really important to be vaccinated and to prevent the old childhood diseases emerging again.

I think I come from an interesting background, in that I was not vaccinated as a child (my mother was one of the "conspiracy" types I suppose) and I got ill with pretty much all of the childhood ilnesses - measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, whooping cough. Luckily I got over them with no long-term ill effects that I know of, but I would not want to go through them again.

My brother wasn't born when I had mumps, and has therefore never had them, leading to worries that if he gets them now he might become infertile.

My mother has changed her mind nowadays and says she would vaccinate if she had to go through it again. When I have children they will be getting the standard schedule. When I travelled overseas I made sure I had all the vaccinations needed before I travelled.

A good reference for information is neurodiversity.com, also some of the bloggers at sciencebasemedicine.org.

Best wishes for the rest of the book tour and the birth of your second daughter!

Glyn

Thank you. I think this was well put. And I agree.

I vaccinated all 3 of my kids with no problems but that was years ago. Today I would ask for a less aggressive schedule of treatment because I suspect that may be a large part of the side effect issue. But I would always vaccinate. It is a calculated risk. But so is driving, flying in a plane or eating sushi. Sometimes we do those things that serve the whole even if our personal druthers would have us living happily free of any risk in a yurt in the middle of Montana.

Well thought out and written. Thank you for clarifying what the real issue is. I too have vaccinated both my children, and agree with you wholeheartedly.

I'm right there with you, Heather, without the empathy or understanding you display. I have never understood mothers who don't vaccinate their kids.

After dozens of elegant scientific studies with large sample sizes, there has been NO LINK shown between vaccines and autism.

Over and over again, the scientific community tell us vaccines don't cause autism! And if we don't trust science - and let's face it, even mothers who don't vaccinate fly in planes, drive cars, use the internet and go to the ER when their kids are sick - ALL provided to us through scientific research - we've only got people's gut feelings and empirical evidence to hold onto.

The signs of autism often first become obvious around 12 and 18 months, when vaccines are administered. These are sad and terrible coicidences, unfortunately.

"If you've decided that the risks are too great to vaccinate your child then you are counting on the rest of us who are willing to take those risks to decrease the chances that your child will be exposed to these diseases. You are counting on us."

This is where I do have judgment about people who choose not to vaccinate. They are not weighing the risk of vaccinatng their children against the risk of their child catching whatever disease the vaccination is supposed to prevent. They are expecting other parents to bear that burden.

I also have issues with parents who refuse to acknowledge the results of scientific studies on the subject. On the one hand, I realize that there are examples from history that make it difficult to trust the scientific community when they assure us that x is safe or that there is no connection between y and z. OTOH, people who choose to believe anecdotal "common sense" evidence over cold, hard, empirical facts make me nuts.

I do think the number of vaccinations that children get these days does seem excessive and some of the things that they vaccinate for aren't horribly dangerous to most kids (i.e. chicken pox) but that the big ones absolutely should be vaccinated for. Can these kids without immunizations go to school? Most of the people I know who refuse to immunize home school their kids or plan to.

I know I had to get a new MMR to go to college because there was some question about the effectiveness of the vaccine I had in the early 70's.

I wish that the conversation among parents didn't always have to be as black and white as Pro-Vaccination and Anti-Vaccination. I believe we can still be for vaccinating our children while ALSO being critical of an overly aggressive One Size Fits All vaccination schedule, of some ridiculously unnecessary vaccines that will probably hurt our children in the long run more than they will help (I'm talking the chicken pox vaccine mostly), of some of the sketchy cocktail ingredients and poor independent testing (or lack thereof) done, and of pharmaceutical power and intentions. We can still protect our children from some of history's worst diseases while demanding improvement in the way it's all done.

And yes, the herd mentality to vaccination is part of the point, even if you know the chances of your kid contracting Hep B is minimal or you're not afraid of what the measles looks like on your (non-immune compromised) child. I wish every parent the best of luck in sorting through all of the (mis)information and making the best decision not only for their child but for others as well...

A helpful read for me was Dr. Sears' The Vaccine Book, by the way.

Thanks Heather. It's one of those areas where I've felt like I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. I chose to vaccinate our daughter schedule though, and thankfully no regrets so far.

I don't think I've ever heard it put so well. I cannot imagine the heartbreak of having a child develop autism. Nor can I fathom the pain of having a child die, much less of a preventable illness.

The fact is, scientific evidence is overwhelming AGAINST vaccines causing autism. The fact that some children develop autism symptoms around the time of their vaccinations seems a matter of the fallacy of causation. Maybe that particular vaccine is given around the age symptoms commonly develop or become noticeable. It is even possible that after all the controversy surrounding vaccinations, parents and doctors come to note behaviors that were already present.

What we know is that measles, polio, etc, can cause debilitating and sometimes deadly illnesses. Some people cannot be vaccinated, and it seems to me that allowing these illnesses to gain a foothold in the population again invites the risk of "new and improved" diseases developing for which we do NOT have adequate vaccines. Asking everyone to join a non-vaccinating family in assuming that risk is...shocking.

One lesson about parenting that I learned during my wife's pregnancy is that, like it or not, you have to play the odds. At one point, we were advised that we could have an amniocentesis conducted to check for a certain chromosomal disorder ... but, based on the figures provided to us, the odds of the amnio causing some kind of problem were greater than the odds of our unborn child being afflicted with the chromosomal disorder in question. Thus, we passed on getting the amnio.

With regard to vaccination: we felt that the odds of our children developing a life-threatening illness if not vaccinated posed a greater risk than the odds of our children developing autism in the wake of their vaccinations. Thus, we got them vaccinated.

Now, if they *had* developed symptoms of autism, I'm sure I'd be singing a much different tune, and therefore I have no quarrel with parents who, after being put in that unfortunate position, advocate not getting your child vaccinated.

Short of any irrefutable evidence that vaccinations cause autism, however, I agree that the ability to vaccinate your child against illnesses that once killed people in large numbers is a medical advance worth taking advantage of.
(FWIW: My wife has a master's degree in social work and works as the clinical coordinator for a program that provides services to adolescents on the autism spectrum, so she is perhaps more tuned in than most people to the issues surrounding that community ... and she had no hesitation about getting our kids vaccinated.)

I think the pros outweigh the cons. I rather take my chances with the vaccine than the illness.

Thanks for the great read!

As the wife of a physician, I never even considered not vaccinating my children. As he went through med school and learned of the ravages of certain very...once upon a time...common illnesses it made no sense to me why anyone would risk it.

Then my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was three. Now common things such as the flu or chicken pox etc pose huge risks for her. When she is sick, even with a cold, her blood sugar is hard to control...she becomes at risk with every virus she gets. I am beyond thankful she has protection from these diseases which, if they didn't kill her themselves, would surely make her diabetes a very dangerous thing.

People should be aware that herd immunity makes things dangerous for us all. If these diseases get out into communities once again in large numbers they can mutate and become resistent to current modern vaccines. That is my biggest fear. Case in point...whooping cough outbreaks that appear to be infecting adults long vaccinated. They are now thinking there might be need for booster shots for adults who've already been vaccinated because the "new" strains seem to be more infectious to adults than they once were.

Very scary. There's enough to be fearful of for our children. I think we can all agree on that.

Thank you for this, Heather!

What i would like to see is a conversation about changing the vaccine schedule - i think many people have problems with giving children 7 vaccines at one time (that is my pediatrician's current recommendation for 2, 4 and 6 month shots), but the argument gets blanketed to giving no vaccines at all.

What about spreading it out a bit? No more than one or two vaccines at a time?

My child will have all of his vaccines before he is 4 years old, but after his adverse reactions to his 2 and 4 month shots, we decided to split them up. Yes, it means more actual needle sticks for him, but i don't worry about the potential danger of taxing his immune system with too much at one time.

Thank you for a civil discussion, we need more of these when it comes to vaccines in our country.

Seriously, So many new mothers of this generation are so caught up in being the expert - that they are too blind to see when they should defer to the real experts. Vaccinate your kids, that's what we do when we live in a civilized 1st world society. You don't want to? Then remove yourself. Don't put me, mine and her's at risk. It is the epitome of selfishness.

My wonderful doctor will not allow families into her practice who don't vaccinate for exactly that reason.

One of the reasons why I love her is because not only is she tops in her field when it comes to western medicine, but she's also willing to suggest alternative medicine when appropriate. But she won't budge when it comes to vaccines.
For me that's very telling.

Dooce,
I go through this struggle with my "DOGS"... I don't know how in the world a parent can deal with it for kids. There are issues with over vaccination with animals as well. Yet, i still want to take my dogs to public places where they will likely drink from bowls that have been drunk from by other dogs. So I have to weigh what's more important, not receiving vaccinations for fear of side effects (and death can be one side effect), but then isolating my dogs from the rest of the world, or opting for the vaccinations so I can live w/o fear of silly stuff like kennel cough or parvo, etc. I opt for vaccination but carefully don't overdo it before it's really time.

It seems globalization has its pro's and cons. More exposure to other cultures/lifestyles is great education, however, just traveling in a plane exposes you to every little airborn possiblity of the same people on that plane. I see the point of vaccinatons. Those who don't choose to vaccinate, would have to be almost isolationist in order to keep their child healthy. On this stuff...you just "never know" because you can't see it.

as an adult (as opposed to a kid who doesn't have a fully developed immune system)...i avoid the flu shot though as I don't believe in them if the immune system is in good shape. Instead, I wash my hands and everything touch very diligently, especially during flu season. haven't had a flu in 10 years.

talk about a can of worms.
Julie

Amen!
The key to making wise decisions for your children is education for yourself. When I had my son immunized, it was a terrible experience. The pediatrician's nurse did all of the immunizations, filled out all the paperwork wrong, and gave me NOTHING CORRECT to tell me exactly what my son had just received. Basically, I was sent home with a "if he gets a fever, call us" and a wave out the door.

If I had known about scheduling immunizations, I think it would have saved a lot of heartbreak and anxiety. I have a few "green" friends who do not vaccinate their children, home-school, etc., and while I understand my friends' choice, I'm kind of scared for the kids. It seems like they won't have any sort of immunity built up to common diseases, and the first time they go to a kids play place or perhaps a community pool, they're going to get levelled. It's a terrible feeling! No one wants to see a child get sick! Especially with something that can be prevented!

I admire you for posting such controversial issues, even when you know you'll stir people's opinions.
I agree with you, but I also fear a bit that if I decide to vaccinate my kids, there will be a problem. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my kid (or someone else's) was in danger because I didn't vaccinate him.
It's not an issue of who is right or who is wrong, I think.
Nice post.

Thanks for that elaboration, Heather. Depending on herd immunity is unethical. If everyone chose not to immunize, the whole society would suffer. These diseases are not eradicated. I come from a country where these diseases are not rare, and agree that an attitude that would turn its back on basic public health measures all together is one of luxury and, unfortunately, fear. Tweaking a schedule might be a good compromise, but cutting your nose off to spite your face isn't a sustainable solution.

I'm 39 years old and grew up in Europe. When was 9 I got the measles and almost died. It took me 4 months to recover. When I had my son I did not have to think too much about vaccinating or not.
I'm with you on this, I hope we will not get in trouble one day because so many people now choose to not vaccinate.
Thanks for opening this for discussion.

I completely agree! This issue is more than an individual parent's choice that affects only that individual's child(ren). If NO ONE vaccinated, we would all be back in the days of devastating epidemics (measles, etc). The only reason that some individuals can manage to avoid vaccinating is because the rest of society takes on the burden of providing herd immunity, which is not fair. I agree that there are risks associated with vaccinations, but these are risk that we must take on as a group to improve our collective public health.

I wish I had not given my kids so many vaccines at once, but in general, I am FOR anything that makes them safer and healthier, and AGAINST anything that puts them at risk. The problem I have with the anti-vaxers is that they are riding on the backs of all the parents who decided to vaccinate their kids - the only reason they aren't getting measles and polio, etc. is because the rest of us chose to be safe. There was recently a chicken pox party in my town, and the person hosting it was pregnant. I couldn't' believe it.

Heather~
I'm expecting my first baby in July and this has been a concern for me. I appreciate your tactful address about the subject. I agree with you and will probably take the "middle ground" for my child. I will go ahead with the vaccinations but on a modified schedule. I haven't started screening pediatricians yet, but this will play a big part in my selection. Thanks again!

As much as I trust medicine... I also trust the parents who say that their children were CHANGED after a set of vaccines. I will absolutely vaccinate my child, but most likely on a modified schedule. I think it's irresponsible not to. If I were the parent of an unvaccinated child who infected and killed someone else's child I simply couldn't live with myself. We have an obligation to keep our children safe, but to also try to keep each other safe.

I have two children affected by auto-immune diseases. One son was diagnosed with mild and provisional autism when he was 19-months-old and is currently pre-diabetic. The other son has type 1 diabetes. We chose to stop all vaccinations and boosters after the autism diagnosis. Our third son has not been vaccinated, but I would never leave the country with him. I also believe if a parent is worried, and they're not traveling, waiting until a child is two-years-old before beginning compulsory vaccinations is reasonable.

I don't judge people who vaccinate, but I do believe there are genetic predispositions for some kids, and children in that population shoot holes in the "vaccines are a sacred cow" theory. I could write pages on this topic, as I've studied it for almost eight years.

Fortunately, our son on the spectrum is doing beautifully and attends a private liberal arts school in Sandy. He's either indistinguishable or cured - depends on who you ask.

You've probably read (and possibly discounted) the books, "Evidence of Harm" and "Children with Starving Brains". Reading them helps parents who choose to vaccinate perhaps understand why there's a demographic that is less comfortable with it. Vaccines aren't inherently bad... for everyone.

For our family (not all families) the choice is clear. We choose to not vaccinate or postpone and limit the number of vaccinations our children receive, ensuring they're a little older than recommended.

Having your child vaccinated is an issue of social responsibility. In my opinion, much of the argument against vaccinations have stemmed from the debate over the cause of autism spectrum disorders. I work with children diagnosed with autism and understand that if vaccinations truly caused autism it would be reprehensible to continue to vaccinate in the manner we are currently. Before having all of the information I was wishy-washy on the subject. I didn't have a real opinion... to each his or her own. But, there is no research supporting this. Much of the controversy over immunizations began when there was mercury in the vaccination, which has since been removed. I agree that spreading the vaccinations out may be beneficial, as we do not know if some children's autism is exacerbated by immunizations. I have a step-daughter, none of my own, but I imagine that when I have my own child I will be nervous giving my child these shots... but I will because I also want to give my child (and indirectly, other children) the gift of living in a progressive era- where we can avoid diseases.

My daughter is only partially vaccinated, and we did a (very) delayed schedule, so obviously I am not in complete agreement with you. But I want to thank you for talking about this honestly and fairly. You obviously have a huge audience and I appreciate opportunities for people to discuss all sides to big issues like this in a respectful way, which so far these comments are doing.

I am leery of vaccinations that aren't totally effective. The school I teach at had a whooping cough outbreak this year, which started with a vaccinated child that had a seemingly normal cough. She apparently was infected with the virus, but, fortunately for her, didn't get very sick. Unfortunately for her mother and many others who were exposed to her and her vaccinated classmates, they DID get the illness--even though they had been vaccinated too. Despite the dubious effectiveness of that vaccine, though, my daughter did get the DTaP (mostly because we wanted her to have tetanus).

I applaud your ability to elaborate on this issue so articulately and coherently, because I can't get there myself. The increasing popularity of choosing against vaccines terrifies and infuriates me. Unfortunately, I live in LA, where it is very, very en vogue. When I try to explain why I feel strongly about vaccines, all I can come up with is "oh my god, vaccinate your children. And get a flu shot. And shut up." Not so productive. Thank you for outlining your thoughts here so well.

As more and more parents make this choice, the incidence of these diseases will rise, putting unvaccinated children at exponentially increased risk of contracting a preventable, potentially deadly disease. I would rather care for an autistic child than bury one whose disease I could have prevented.

thank you. as someone that works with many children where the parents fully believe that vaccinations caused their children's issues. i'm not sure that we can fully say yes or no to specific causes.
therefore, i was well aware of the issues when choosing to vaccinate my children. we chose to modify the schedule. it is what has worked for us. but even with all of the concern of autism ... i chose that my children's lives and the lives of other children far outweighed my fear of autism.
i really appreciate you for taking a stance and putting it out there.

I am impressed with how well you navigated this minefield of a topic- usually flames abound when people start voicing their views on vaccination. Personally I'm on board with the idea of a delayed schedule, for the simple reason that whenever I get a shot, I wake up the next morning nearly unable to crawl out of bed and feeling like I've been hit by a semi truck. I can only imagine what it must feel like for infants who have similarly intense reactions to immunizations.

Autism is a broad spectrum of developmental disorders, and with as little as we know about it, it could be any factor (or combination of factors) causing it to present itself in a previously healthy child. For all we know it could turn out to be a certain vaccine combined with a common water additive combined with genetic tendencies combined with Jupiter aligning with Mars. We just don't know.

So, assuming your child doesn't seem to have any health issues that might make the vaccines cause complications (like immune-suppressed disorders or whatever), the choices seem to be:

1. Get vaccines which have been working for generations (obviously I'm not talking about the newer vaccines...) to protect against diseases that have been proven to cause death or serious illness in your child. And also to prevent these diseases from being spread to other children who might not be able to get vaccines.

2. Avoid vaccines in the off chance that it might cause autism or other side effects (which are...? I guess maybe allergies that your pediatrician hasn't discovered yet?), neither of which has come even close to being proven.

Ummm... why is there a debate again? The choice seems clear to me.

I certainly understand the concerns about scheduling, and also over newer vaccines. But even those newer vaccines have undergone rigorous testing.

We haven't figured out what causes autism yet, so I guess I can see why some parents might grasp at anything to understand why their child is different.

They can't let their emotions and grief over their child's disorder impact the health of everyone else's children, however.

Recently a study was released showing a correlation between rainy climates and autism. Does that mean every family should leave Seattle?

Correlation does not equal causation. I wish science and statistics was taught more rigorously in school.

For the record, anyone who says to me "i couldn't sit there and have my baby poked with infectious diseases" will get slapped. ;)

How is that parent going to deal when their child gets the mumps or whooping cough?

I hope that's not a real reason for people not getting their children vaccinated. Yeah, it sucks to watch your baby cry, but it could be saving their life.

I have a one year old and this topic has been discussed ad nauseam in our household along with the topic of antibiotics and what they may be doing to our bodies. ugh! Don't get me started!

OK...I just wanted to commend you on this wonderful post! You are very non-judgmental and accepting and it encourages me to want to hear more from parents who haven't vaccinated their kids and find out the real reasons why (and see if they match any of my husband's complaints).

And great comments! Though I'm often annoyed with people who say "i have a dog and it's just like having a kid," that person made a lot of sense and summed it up VERY nicely. :D

Yep! Yep!

Heather, you wrote this extremely eloquently. Major props.

I don't have children, but when I do, I have no idea what to decide when it comes to vaccinations.

I am a little sketched out by just how many there are and by some of the potential side effects. I myself have had allergic reactions to some vaccinations or have been known to suffer from fainting spells for the week after the vaccinations were induced.

I think it's something that shouldn't just be taken for granted as the right choice, but I also think it is an important thing to take advantage of. I believe that instead of just agreeing to have the vaccinations given, doctors should be required to carefully explain (with understandable terminology) each vaccination, the schedule (which should be flexible), and the potential side effects. This way, parents are well informed. I also think that if they should choose to not get their children vaccinated, they should also be willing to take extra precautions to prevent their children from contracting and spreading the diseases that the vaccinations they denied would have prevented.

I'll repeat myself and say that I think they are sketchy. Like with antibiotics, they make me question whether or not it is beneficial to my immune system to use them or not. However, I agree, Heather, the positive results far outweigh the negative ones. My current stance is that I would probably vaccinate my children, but not without researching each vaccination and discussion each one with my doctor beforehand.

I don't have kids, but assuming I do someday, to vaccinate or not will be a difficult decision for me. I am extremely allergic to medications, especially vaccines. Yet not to the point of death. Every time I was vaccinated I would come down with a mild form of the virus they had shoved into my tiny body. I'd be sick for a week or two, completely and totally miserable. Neither my doctor or my mother felt this was a big deal. They felt this mini form of the diseases was a better option than getting the full blown diseases. Yet what were the chances of contracting all of them had I not of gotten vaccinated? Which was what happened when I did get vaccinated. Maybe they were right, but the misery I had to go through, I'm not 100% sure.

I am glad my children were born before this quandry became public. I never had a second thought about vaccination. My children and grandchildren are just fine after vaccination.

I, too, would never forgive someone who exposed my family to a disease that could prove deadly simply because they didn't want to risk thsir children. If you don't vaccinate, KEEP YOUR SICK CHILD AT HOME! There are elderly, very young, and immuno-compromised people out there. You don't have the right to infect them.

Heather, I have been reading Dooce for over a year now and look forward to your posts everyday. I have never felt compelled to comment, but considering I just gave my 3 month old daughter her second round of vaccinations today, it seemed fitting I comment today. We have chosen to vaccinate our daughter on a alternate schedule after doing MUCH research into the subject. While I think vaccinations are extremely important, I also think it's a little crazy to give upwards of 5 at a time to a child. There is a wonderful reference book available to help people make the best decision for their family. It is the VACCINATIONS BOOK BY DR. SEARS. He has done A TON Of research on the subject and I found it to me extremely informative and non-judgmental. I think every parent should read it before giving their child vaccinations. (And pay particular attention to how many shots they receive at one time containing aluminum). Thank you for broaching this subject!

I just listened to the This American Life podcast that referenced this very issue today while I was running. The story included a quote from the pediatrician who had seen the non-vaccinated child who infected all the others, and he said that he felt "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". He likened the vaccine-non-vaccine issue to a herd mentality--that as long as almost everyone in the herd is immune to a disease, the herd prospers and grows. However, if a certain percentage of the herd falls sick, they spread infection exponentially throughout and the herd quickly gets ill and becomes non-viable.

I know no one wants to put the needs of the many ahead of her own child, but I strongly feel that people who don't want to vaccinate should have to live somewhere where they cannot infect the rest of us. It is one thing if your decision affects only you, but in this case it affects the most defenseless people in our communities--the very young, the elderly, and the sick. Maybe there can be vaccine-free communities and schools and malls and playgrounds where the families who feel strongly about this can live, but not in my community. I don't want to have to suffer for your decision.

People have been so protected by the benefits of vaccines that they don't realize how serious the illnesses for which the vaccines have been created really are. Vaccines were created to prevent children (and adults) from becoming seriously ill or disabled or dying from diseases that once were relatively common. How many parents are willing to have their child crippled by polio? How many are willing to have their babies born deaf and/or blind from rubella? How many want their boys to become sterile from measles?

Your post is wishy-washy. Both sides are not correct. Parents who do not vaccinate their children are not making an informed decision. Andrew Wakefield falsified his results in his 1998 publication regarding the MMR vaccine being linked autism. A recently published Danish study of a half million children found absolutely no link between vaccination and autism.

Parents who do not vaccinate their children expose *everyone* to completely preventable, deadly diseases.

Re: Glyn

I just wanted to say that your brother could get a Mumps vaccine now, if he's worried about lacking immunity and the problems it could cause him with childhood disease. When I started medical school last fall, we had to get blood titers to check if we were still immune to everything we'd been vaccinated for, and lo and behold, I wasn't immune to mumps any more. I got me a new mumps shot and one day of sore arm later, I'm all set.

Here's the thing about the autism concerns: There is no credible study that does link autism and vaccination. None. This is not something that has ever been actually proven scientifically, but rather something that has become a huge FEAR button for well-meaning parents.

I do think the schedule should be revisited, because it's crazy the number of things they try to cram into one shot.

And I think the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine is ridiculous and refuse to get that one for my kids, because of the lack of research into the long-term effects and the increased risk for shingles as an adult. This is not a life threatening disease, except for very extenuating circumstances. And, there's already evidence that the virus that causes chicken pox is mutating to combat the vaccine.

All of that said, I think it's really important for parents to do their own research, but not to be led off into left field by all of the conspiracy theories that are out there, unverified by any credible sources.

Vaccinate your children people! We don't live in a 3rd world country. And HELL YES its my business if you don't vaccinate. You are exposing MY child to these diseases.

I caught pertussis (whooping cough) at a Christmas party two weeks before my son was born, from a man who did not know he had it. His son had caught it in school and had not yet been diagnosed. By two days after his birth I was coughing, and three weeks after his birth he was hospitalized in quarantine, in an oxygen tent and getting suctioned nose and throat every time he coughed. I almost lost him, and he lost 2 lbs of weight before he was discharged two weeks later. We both coughed for almost 5 months.

One family's choice not to vaccinate should not make my child almost die.

My son is 8 weeks old and I he starts his first round of vaccinations next week. Of course, I'm concerned about the vaccinations with regards to autism, but the benefits far outweigh the risks involved with getting the vaccination. Especially, as noted by Heather, that many parents are choosing NOT to vaccinate which puts my son at risk even more so.
Thank you for bringing up the topic. Personally, the timing couldn't be better!

A very level headed argument. Now, if insurance would just cover autism treatments, perhaps fewer parents would decline the vaccinations.

very well said, and it helps that i agree w/ your opinion 100% -- as a public school teacher and a daughter of a nurse and a pediatrician, i also do not understand people who do not vaccinate their children. i do understand that this s a very tricky subject to write about b/c of so many people have strong opinions on it, so i applaud you for taking it on! great post dooce!

ps ~ i can't wait for you to have your baby! :)

My sister is a nurse.. I told her how my SIL refused to vaccinate her child because of all the stuff in the vaccines.... she said (and she's known for being blunt)... its better than watching your kid die of the measles.

and I agree.

and reading that snippit about the measles outbreak just made me think.. you don't only vaccinate your child for them.. you do it for the community. Vaccines only work when an entire community works together in use of them.

You've put your thoughts down in a very articulate manner. Thanks for posting on this...Bad Astronomy (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy) has the cold hard scientific facts on the matter, and while it might not make many WELL INTENTIONED AND LOVING parents who are anti-vaccination happy or comfortable, it stands to be said that our children need protected from serious diseases. xoxo

kim said "My son's autism is not a tragedy--he a fabulous, funny person who has taught me more about life, love and humanity than anyone or anything else in my life. Ever. It makes me sad to think that people are so scared of autism that they will put their child's life at risk in an attempt to avoid it."

Thank you so much for for saying this. It drives me crazy when people take a righteously indignant defense of their decision not to vaccinate, standing on "but my child could become AUTISTIC!!!" as though that's somehow the worst thing that could happen to their child. No, it isn't, and it's insulting to Autistic people and their families to insinuate that it is.

Kudos, kim.

I vaccinate simply because of those kids out there who medically cannot be vaccinated. I am not worried about what vaccinations will do to my kids as I have been vaccinated on the normal schedule as most children are and was "heavily" vaccinated for a teaching stint in China. No side effects either way for me, and so far, no side effects for my children either.
I applaud all parents who approach medical treatments of any kind with an open mind and also want to make sure it is what they are okay with. As a wise nurse once told me, "Any medical intervention also means there might be a complication"(which would probably be the reason that almost any drug or procedure comes with a lot of disclaimers and paperwork).
I too am worried about all those other people who are counting on people like me to make sure the diseases do not rear their ugly heads and that is probably the kicker for me as to why I will continue to vaccinate.

Very well said.

My children (daughters) have had all recommended vaccines to date. They are 13 and 17. So yes... that means Gardisil too. My youngest asked for it. I told she had it already. "Cool!"

That also means they get their annual flu shot. We have not had flu in our household for 15 years...which was when we first were required to get them to protect our newly diagnosed with a congenital heat defect child.

It makes me very angry to hear parents justify their refusal to vaccinate with anecdotes about "getting sick anyway" and other shakey (or non-existent) science.

Their Little Prince or Princess is too delicate or valuable or somehow extra special so Prince/Princess shall not be vaccinated... but go ahead and vaccinate YOUR kid so Prince/Princess won't get sick. Those attitudes bring me right to the brink of wishing for an epidemic.

Because a real live genuine epidemic of measles will get everyone's attention and make the value of vaccines evident.

You put the little boy next to Prince/Princess in school who is undergoing chemo at risk. How dare you!

You put the elderly lady who thinks Prince/Princess is just the cutest thing at risk. Who gave you the right?

You put the woman who's philandering husband gave her HIV at risk. Proud of yourself?

Notice to those parents: It isn't all about you OR Prince/Princess. The sooner both of you learn that, the better off we all will be.

I'm taking a history class this quarter, and something we're discussing is childhood vaccinations. I feel so strongly about this that I'm actually using the topic for another class.

The CDC recently published a report that once and for all debunks the Autism-linked-to-MMR myth. People want something to blame, and I fully understand that, but I want to slap every person that says that they are not vaccinating because it is 'God's will' or because they think the disease has been eradicated. The only disease that has been completely eradicated (thanks to vaccinations and government regulation!) is smallpox. I said this in class yesterday, and even outside of the heat of the moment, I still feel this way: not vaccinating your child is extremely selfish. When someone doesn't do that, they are putting not only those who didn't vaccinate their children, but anyone who gets a vaccination and it doesn't take, at risk for whatever disease their child picks up and spreads.

Herd immunity requires 90% of population be vaccinated, which we are far from, and behavior like this doesn't help. I can understand wanting to protect your child, but part of the increase in the diagnosis of autism is a better understanding of what autism is. If a parent really wants to protect their child, they should allow their kids to play in the dirt and get messy and all that stuff. Its good for them.

Totally agree with your position. Especially if you have to (like I did) put your child in day care.

However, I am not doing the Gardicil shots on my 11 year old daughter. That is not an infectious disease at this point. I need more time to go by.

Forgot to post the link to the This American Life story, titled "Ruining it for the Rest of Us." I think it's worth a listen. As I mentioned in my last comment, they talk about the San Diego outbreak and talk to all sides involved.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio_episode.aspx?sched=1275

Thank you for your level-headed input, Heather. I don't understand parents who decline vaccinations either.

In response to one of the previous comments, the statement that polio is completely eradicated is false. If you get a chance, glance through the book, "Better" by Atul Gawarde. [It's an easy read, more "medically-related," not technical.]

He travels with a member of the World Health Organization and he details the extensive work that the WHO people must do when they hear of a polio breakout. These happen in developing countries and they scour densely populated villages/ slums and vaccinate every last kid in the area to keep the rest of the world safe.

There are risks, but the current overpopulation of the world necessitates vaccinations. One child traveling from India with polio could wreak havoc on all of the work that has been done so far. I wish parents here would appreciate being able to afford vaccinations.

Another parent of a fully-vaccinated autistic child chiming in to say that vaccines didn't cause my son's autism. The Wakefield "study" which started all of the rumors has been so thoroughly discredited that I'm surprised people still call him Doctor. Huge HUGE studies have been done showing no causation of autism from vaccines like the MMR.
I'm due in a few weeks with another son. He'll be fully-vaccinated too. He already has our genes (which is what we believe caused our elder son to have autism), so it's already set either way.
People who talk about the "horror of autism" have never met my son, or his autistic classmates. Yes, there are DEFINITELY issues, but they are still wonderful, beautiful children, and there is no horror there.

Heather: You are so on target. My parents are a little bit older than most of my contemporaries and remember when some of these diseases were the worst nightmare imaginable. To not vaccinate in their eyes would be not only irresponsible but downright incomprehensible.

The LA Times ran a story last week about the uptick in parents requesting waivers for vaccinations when they enroll their kids in school. One mom who did not vaccinate her kids was quoted as saying something to the effect that she would rather sit in a hospital with her sick kid than deal with autism forever. I found this to be incredibly arrogant and cavalier. Easy for her to say given that she has health insurance and beyond that probably can afford the best care around.

I totally agree - we all just want to protect our children; mine, yours, everyone's. Vaccinate!

I'm sorry I don't have time to read the other comments first, but just wanted to chime in that the measles thing can also threaten pregnant women and their fetuses. My cousin's family does not vaccinate or have health insurance because they think it's all a conspiracy and doctors are in the pockets of so-&-so. I understand they are on the extreme end of this discussion, but it seems to me that is where much of the logic originates and leads back to. When this cousin was pregnant with her third child her first two children looked like they might have measles. And her midwife said, "Hey, bring them to our office and we'll check them out."

This convinced me that they are not only over the deep end, they are seeking out fringe medical "professionals" who will support their dangerous preconceptions. (I love my own midwives, nothing against them as a profession.) Not only were the midwives untrained in pediatrics, but if the kids indeed HAD the measles then anyone in contact at their offices in the strip mall that day would be at risk. Why would they take that kind of chance? Did they even consider it a risk?

I have trouble with the fact that the arguments against vaccinating have changed so dramatically in the last few years. I see that several women in the momversation listed that as something that made them respect the anti-vaccination arguments more, but to me it removes the last shreds of their credibility.

as a public health professional who has investigated many cases of vaccine preventable diseases and as a mother thank you for addressing this issue.

That there is any issue about this is something I consider deeply tragic. The measles outbreak in southern California tells me that science education in America is failing (okay, and that the peer review process at the Lancet might be substandard).

How is it that there are enough educated people (and they were educated people, if you read about the context of this outbreak) that believe anecdotal correlational data about a link between autism and MMR vaccines in this country to allow for outbreaks? How do we let people graduate from high school without knowing what constitutes reliable evidence of causal relationships?

I will admit, I believe enough in individual rights to think that no one should be forced to do anything to their kids. HOWEVER I think if you use the right not to vaccinate your children, you give up the right to participate in group aspects of society by refusing to participate in the aspects that keep others in society safe.

There shouldn't be such a thing as vaccine exemptions for public schools. Doctors should enforce this standard on their patients, or warn their patients of the risks they face from other unvaccinated patients. Freedom of philosophy is a wonderful right, until your freedom puts my child at risk for dangerous disease. Then it's not your right any more than it's my right to refuse to wash my hands if I work in a restaurant. If you don't vaccinate, you should be criminally and financially liable for the damages caused by any outbreak your kid starts. Willful ignorance is only okay when it ISN'T KILLING PEOPLE.

I could not agree with you more! I understand that there could be a risk in the vaccines, however, I think the risk is much greater with no vaccine. I know a mother who will not have her children vaccinated and has harsh as it sounds I will not allow my child to play with her children. I cannot justify the risk and would never forgive myself if the worst actually came true.

most of the comments I've heard were people who felt that the MMR vacinnation was causing autuism. Even tho there are studies that indicate some children can withdrawl from autism it isn't always the case. the hope is that the treatment while availbale would actually help some families

I have two children, 18 and 16. Neither of them have been vaccinated. It was a personal choice after much research. My daughter had a few shots before we moved to India when she was an infant, as a precaution. We were fortunate that there were never any serious outbreaks of any diseases when they were young. Now that they are older, I feel it was a good choice. They made it through childhood with the standard childhood diseases, which I think is actually a good thing. It is up to them now, if they choose to be vaccinated. This was the right choice for my family, I know others feel differently. I just feel that we are forced into these "decisions" by fear and the heavy hand of the drug companies. I am not convinced that being vaccinated improves the quality of our lives. My children are living proof that a child can grow and mature without having live virus' pumped into their bodies.

This:

If you've decided that the risks are too great to vaccinate your child then you are counting on the rest of us who are willing to take those risks to decrease the chances that your child will be exposed to these diseases. You are counting on us. Maybe what I don't understand (in reference to my statement in the video) is the act of and willingness to give up that control. The choice to refuse vaccinations just seems to me to be a first world luxury.

Probably the most powerful thing you have written in the history of this blog.

I totally agree with you! I too weighed up the pro's and con's and after reading about recent out breaks of whooping cough where I live, am so glad I decided to vaccinate. I think perhaps the schedule should be broken up as my 2nd daughter always has a reaction (high temp), but on the whole this small reaction is much better than the actual illness. I understand why people decide not to vaccinate, but in a society like ours where these illnesses have been kept at bay, I think why risk it? Why risk bringing these things back into such huge epidemics!

As a pediatrician, I have seen first-hand what happens when kids don't get immunized. They end up in my hospital, sicker than snot. Luckily, this doesn't happen much anymore and when it does, we all thank our stars for vaccination. I know flu shots are recommended but are not part of the required immunization schedule. I have seen influenza cause more horrible disease this year than I have in years' past. I'm not sure why it's just this year (maybe it's because I'm paying attention for once) but the ACIP (American Council on Immunization Practices, who along with the CDC guide the formulation of immunization schedules) should really consider making it a required shot. For everyone.

I have a couple of parents who refuse vaccinations for their children and they have good reasons why. At every well child visit, I review what immunizations they need, why they need them, and talk to the parents about their concerns. If they still don't want to immunize, fine. I document that we talked in the chart and document the refusal.

All three of my sons have been vaccinated. My middle son is autistic and people come up to me all the time and say, did he get "shots", first off, yes, and dogs get shots not children. And, damn that Jenny Mc for thinking vaccinations are the cause of autism! BTW...if she can cure her sons autism, send her on over to my house cause I have a job for her!

Thanks for the post...it made my day!

I decided to skip over the comments before leaving mine - I don't want to get worked up and defensive (like the one or two I skimmed left me feeling).
I'm the mother to a 10 year old disabled child. Not mildly disabled, but severely. He was born with a neurological disorder that is untreatable and eventually terminal. One of the main "indicators" of his disorder is severe seizures. We did NOT know he was disabled at birth. We found out after the seizures began, within 24 hours of his first vaccination. Did the vaccinations cause his disorder? No. Did they trigger the seizures that led to his diagnosis? We believe so. Despite our beliefs, we continued with his scheduled vaccinations, only leaving out the "Pertussis" in the DPT because it's not recommended for children with seizure disorders. Despite numerous reassurances from doctors that administering the MMR and DT vaccines would not be a problem, once again we wound up in the ER with a fever of over 104, and unstoppable seizures. He required 3 days of heavy sedation to break the seizure cycle.
So - I ride the fence on this one. What's typical isn't always what happens. We can't assume all children will react the same to a vaccine. And as a mother who does NOT vaccinate her child, I have to respect the other parents who make the same choice, whatever their reasons may be. At the same time... as a mother who CANNOT vaccinate her child, I worry about those that choose not to for "philosophical" reasons, because those children pose a risk to my child.
When there was a local outbreak of pertussis a year or two ago, I kept BOTH my children home, including my 14yo who IS vaccinated as scheduled.
However... the commenter that believes our children should be kept home and not be out in public - please, think before you speak. My child has just as much of a right to be in school as yours does. There are varying reasons for not vaccinating children. Some you may consider valid, some you may not. But most parents do not make that decision lightly.
We've had doctors tell us that we should vaccinate anyway - the risk of infection is too high. Personally, I think watching my son seize for 48 hours straight, knowing that he can (because it happened both times before) stop breathing, and that he might not make it through this episode... that's too high of a risk for me.
But he deserves to be able to interact with others his age, no matter how limited his abilities may be. And I refuse to take that small joy away from him because of the risk it might pose to him, or others.

VACCINATE! your animals and your babies PLEASE!

I totally agree. Totally. My kids are vaccinated- for exactly the reasons you outline.

This is a tough topic and you handled it intelligently. I am an registered nurse in a NICU and I fully agree with vaccinating your children. Unfortunatly, my sister and her husband have decided NOT to vaccinate their kids and no amount of discussion would change their minds. Her kids are not allowed to go to the gym daycare because they are not vaccinated. Some pediatritians won't even take kids that have not been vaccinated. I think more strict laws against those that choose not to vaccinate are warrented.

Not vaccinating your children puts other children at great risk. A co-worker's infant son caught whooping cough and came very close to dying. And though he didn't die, he was sick for many months requiring round the clock care. When his mother had used up her maternity leave plus the sick leave her co-workers donated, the family had to hire a nurse. I can't imagine that his lungs will ever be the same, which means a lifetime of risk of complications. When you chose not to vaccinate your kids, you're making a choice to endanger other people's children.

Great post, Heather! And thanks for mentioning those of us who do, in fact, fully vaccinate our children, but want to follow an alternative schedule. It is damn hard to (1) find a pediatrician who will work with you, and (2) ignore or handle with grace the looks of horror & judgement other parents give you. Until Dr. Bob Sears published his Vaccine Book, parents like me had few resources that looked at this issue from a balanced perspective. I highly recommend it: http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/index.asp

That measles outbreak -- and the This American Life episode in which I learned of it -- had a big impact on my view on this too. When I found out what a very contagious and terrible disease measles really is, it infuriated me to think that I can't take my new baby, when he's born, on an airplane or really anywhere in public, without the risk of catching measles from an older kid because that kid's parents chose not to vaccinate.

I come from a huge family. I literally have 100's of cousins. Out of those several hundred cousins, four have suffered lasting and life altering side-effects from immunizations, one has died. None of my cousins has ever gotten extremely ill with the measles. I had the measles ... I lived, so did my parents, my grandparents etc.

I figure with our particular genetics 'my' children are safer getting the measles than immunizations. I do have them immunized at aged 5, an age when they are stronger and better able to deal with the vacines. My son did get measles last year, even after the immunization (?).

I do think immunizations have a place, but I think that they can also be dangerous to some. I think we give too many, too young and too many together.

Also, I question the long-term effects of immunizations on our immune systems. Many auto-immune diseases are on the rise. It is now thought that maybe we are 'over-stimulating' our immune systems with immunizations. Could they be linked to allergies?

I have MS and one of the theories of MS is that immune systems are over stimulated and damaged due to immunizations. If that is the case, I won't forgive the Canadian Government for medicating me into a debilitating disease.

Choosing not to vaccinate your children is far from a reckless choice or easy way out. I don't vaccinate my two children, and I find that I know more about communicable disease, vaccine injury and risk than most parents I talk to. Most of the parents I know that don't vaccinate have spent hundreds of hours researching their choice. Most of the parents I know who do go into their doctor's office, and because of that doctor's degree, totally cast aside their own ability (and responsibility) to look into things themselves, instead going with whatever the physician says. Is that a first world luxury? To not have to think for yourself anymore? How about the fact that not one child died from the measles outbreak? Or anyone in the U.S., for that matter. The CDC is a pretty great resource for data on illness and death, if people really want to look at numbers and science instead of launch into an emotional diatribe (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5733a1.htm). Meanwhile we have to know things like this, because we are asked to defend our choices daily. Those who don't just get to say really scientific things like "Vaccines are really, really good".

I had a BAD case of chicken pox as a child and I have scars that have not faded with time and I was MISERABLE.
My daughter asked me if she was going to get scars too and I told her no, because I had her vaccinated.
I had the choice to spare her that and I took it.

Thank you, Heather, for posting about this. I do not have any children. However my husband, who is a doctor, has recently watched children die because of these new outbreaks. What many people do not understand is that because not all of the vaccinations take, the ONLY way we can prevent these diseases is for ALL children to be vaccinated. It is so heartbreaking to watch the horrible effects of these diseases rear their ugly heads again when we HAD THEM BEAT.

I will just repeat the previous commenters and say that Andrew Wakefield falsified his results in his 1998 publication regarding the MMR vaccine being linked autism (there was no link) and that since then they have not been able to find a link between autism and vaccines. To me this says that if multiple studies have looked at the data and found no link between vaccine and autism then the chances of a vaccine triggering autism are certain lower than the chances of your child becoming infected with that disease.

With that said I would appreciate if parents who chose not to vaccinate (rather than being unable to vaccinate) would at least admit, especially to themselves, that the only reason they can feel at all safe in this decision is that the rest of us are vaccinating our children. Admit that if everyone made the same decision as you we would be seeing kids paralyzed by polio, sterilized by measles, fetuses endangered by rubella and adults as well as children killed by any number of diseases on a regular basis. Admit that they are risking other children, especially children who are already fighting to survive because they have a compromised immune system. I recognize that sometimes immunizations don't work but that isn't because we didn't try. I can understand (intellectually at least) that some parents might feel they have to put their own child first in spite of all this but I think it would be nice if they would admit to and be fully aware of the risks they are taking, not only for themselves but for others as well.

I think it's really just that we have forgotten how awful those diseases and their complications really are.

So the comparatively statistically small risks of vaccines loom large, because we assume a "0% risk" start. As someone who lost a child to a 1 in 10,000 shot, I get the fear. Do I ever. But I vaccinated my child on schedule.

I also believe that despite the medium carrying some risk (like the mercury-based one the flu shot still contains), the basic premise of vaccination is pretty darn natural - let the body develop its own immunities.

With that in mind here's my sort-of related story. As an adult I came into contact with a raccoon which might have been rabid. It was recommended that I get the rabies treatment (8 needles) but there was some confusion and delay with public health getting the shots because I was bitten in a different area than where I sought treatment. Anyways I was sort of blowing it off in my office when a coworker who had grown up in in India came in and described to me in some detail what it was like for him to watch his cousin die of rabies.

I got on the phone.

It's all about risk and pushing risk onto others.

The pro-vaccine folks, including Heather, have stated their arguments very clearly: vaccinate every child because doing so protects the common good. I understand the merits of that argument. But I also understand the fears of the individuals who have had a child injured by a vaccine, or believe that their child has been injured by a vaccine.

I'm not pro-vaccine nor am I anti-vaccine, btw. Vaccines offer tremendous good but can also cause tremendous damage. I've read the peer-reviewed studies and vaccines do carry small but real risks (although the causal link to autism, for example, is not currently proven by peer-reviewed studies).

For the pro-vaccine folks, I do have a question:

When a child becomes ill/disabled from a purported vaccine reaction, who should pay for the on-going care that child then needs - sometimes for an entire lifetime?

Currently, it's the parents that shoulder that burden, on their own.

If vaccine reactions are truly that rare, shouldn't we as a whole then share the burden of the costs for those that "win" the "oops - your child had a life-altering vaccine reaction" lottery?

Why should individual children and their families be left struggling on their own (financially and otherwise) when they suffer adverse consequences from actions taken in good faith to protect the common good?

I don't have an answer, but I am curious as to what others think about this.

While I don't have children, my oldest sister has four and her youngest son is autistic. He's now 18. I had a long conversation with her about this months ago, since it's such a hot button topic. With her first three children, she had them on a slower vaccine schedule. Her oldest is now 25 and it was then considered odd to make such a request, but she felt strongly about it. With her fourth, her doctor refused to follow a slower schedule and since her other three were fine, she went ahead and followed the doctors mandate. Within weeks, my nephew had disappeared. He lost all of his words, stopped walking and so started some horribly difficult and hellish years. He now falls on the "high functioning" scale of the autism spectrum, but my sister says that she wishes daily that she had listened to her gut and found a new pediatrician who wasn't pressuring her to give him his shots in such rapid succession.

To be clear, my sister supports vaccination and would never advise against it (additionally, she thinks Jenny Mc. is perhaps sending out the wrong message: for instance, if you can "cure" autism via diet, etc., then you might not have had it in the first place) but she encourages moms who talk to her about it to find a pediatrician who will be supportive, talk with you through your concerns and not rush you into a schedule you're not comfortable with.

Heather, thank you for such an eloquent post on the subject. Not vaccinating children seems to be quite popular lately, and it honestly scares the crap out of me for the very reasons you mentioned above.

I have received every vaccination recommended as a child, and if/when I have my own children someday I plan to do the same for them.

As the mother of a child with a primary immune deficiency who cannot receive certain vaccines (one of them being the MMR) I worry almost daily that she will be exposed to Measles or Chickenpox. It would be nearly impossible for her to fight either of those diseases & she would almost certainly end up in intensive care - we've been there before. Every time a child at her school comes down with Chickenpox we have a 72 hour window to get her preventative treatment - treatment that is only available at a children's hospital that is about an hour away.

I actually had the amazing experience of one of her classmates (3rd grade), when he understood about Meg, actually ask his parents to make sure he was vaccinated so that "my friend won't get sick." I cried when her teacher told me that story. His parents were agreeable & he has gotten many immunizations since the beginning of the school year.

I count on the community to protect themselves & if they do so, my child is protected as well.

To those of you encouraging the vaccinations of pets:
I doubt that very many of you have ever had to watch a cat die from cancerous tumors which were directly related to vaccinations.
Yeah, I know a cat is a cat and a child is a child. I just had to throw that in there because it's a part of my experience.
One more thought: I NEVER try to argue or convince anyone one way or another about vaccinations! But if the subject comes up, I do encourage people to do some research. It pays to know ahead of time what sort of situations you can run into with public schools, camp, and other public situations. Are you willing to homeschool? To keep your schooled kids home if there is an outbreak in the school? To sign a waiver saying you have a religious or philosophical objection to vaccinations (this goes on a permanent record)? What are you going to do if your child is the one who experiences those seizures or brain damage?
All that is worth some consideration. It's not JUST do it or don't do it.

Thanks for this point of view. I am a mother of 2, one already vaccinated, and one just about to start. All the talk about vaccinations being risky has made me question whether I should look into delaying the normal schedule, or avoiding some altogether. But, I have been given advice from my uncle who is a doctor, and one of the most intelligent men I've met, and he warns me to stay away from this uninformed 'information' cycling around about vaccines.

I love your point; it has helped me to make my decision.

This is definitely one of those subjects that everyone is not talking about, but the pink elephant is still hanging in the thick of the room.

I am a mother of child with autism. He was vaccinated on the schedule. At his 18 months shots, he was saying around 50 words and phrases. He was a fun loving kid, that was the life of the party. He got his shots, came home and was sick for two days. He never recovered. He lost language and became withdrawn. Six months after that, He got a flu shot. He became sick again and could no longer tell anyone what his name was and threw horrible fits all of the time. Maybe the shots were just mile markers of when everything broke down. Maybe they weren't. But he got worse when we gave him shots. So, I stopped giving them to him. Wouldn't you? It made sense.

We've rigorously been giving him treatment for his autism since 2 1/2 years old. He turns 7 in June. After years of speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, gluten free/casein free diet, chelation therapy, vitamin and mineral therapy, etc. etc. etc. I am still trying to clean out the stuff the vaccines left in him that made him so toxic. The doctors explain it that his system has high metals in it already. That he is chemically made up a different way. And when the vaccines mix with his chemical make up, it is producing autism. When you clear out the chemicals by diet and vitamins and minerals, you see results. This is the stuff that Jenny McCarthy is going on and on about, Biomedical treatments. My son, Jesse's been doing it for awhile now and is making great strides. He's in a regular first grade class and making good grades. He has friends for the first time and emotions that he is able to express. It is all very exciting. His toxic metal levels are down and the color in his eyes is back for the first time since he was born! He even sings to me now, which is totally new.

Would I immunize another child? This is a difficult question for me. I am constantly wondering how to go about vaccinations when (and I mean when...not if) I have another child. I have a doctor friend of mine who is constantly trying to figure out why autism must come out in some children and not others. He's had some good ideas. I would love to see those be tested. I wish there were tests at birth. I would be much more comfortable with vaccinating my child if he/she were tested to see if their chemical makeup where succeptible to have an autistic reaction to the vaccine. I would also like to see our vaccines cleaned up. Aluminum, Formaldehyde, Ether, Antifreeze, Mercury (still in flu shots) are all ingredients we are giving our children when this vaccine enters thier delicate skin. Make them smaller! Why do we need big bulk vaccines? Do you know.....that in 1983 we gave our children 8 vaccines between the ages of 1 to 5 years of age. In 2008 the average we were giving our children was 50 vaccines between the ages of 1 and 5 of age. Maybe we should be questioning quantity. We should really be reconsidering what got us to where we are.

I disagree with all my heart. Parents who choose not to vaccinate do so for a vast variety of reasons, and you learn not to discuss it, like religion and politics. I don't think it is a question of which side you are on though. As was shown in the doctor's office you spoke of, we are all in this together. Parents who fear reactions to vaccines may be more open to them if they were clearly labeled and CLEAN. Take out the toxins, let me know what is in them, and I would be all for it! I wish we would all put our energy into insisting on cleaning them up, and then, I think for the most part, we would all be on the same page--we all just want healthy children.

My son is 6 weeks old and he has a doctors appointment tomorrow for his first immunisations. My daughter's (22 months)imms. are up to date and I see it as a blessing that we are able to help prevent illness' in my children.

I live in New Zealand, and we don't have a vaccine for chicken pox. I think the vaccines may be different for MMR also, as I have never heard of Autism after the MMR vaccine in NZ.

We do however have some controversy here in NZ at the moment due to the PV vaccine against cervical cancer which they are offering free to girls aged 12-18. People aren't against the vaccine, but rather the age they are offering it to. The vaccine is most effective before becoming sexually active and some believe 12 is too young. If the immunsation is still avaliable when my daughter is 12 - I hope she will get it, regardless of whether she becomes sexually active at 13 or 23.

I want to protect my kids and I do this by immunsing. I can't wrap them in a bubble, but I can help to keep them safe. Yes there are risks, but there are also risks wth drivng in the car, walking across the street and eating raw cookie dough - 1 in 30,000 raw eggs contain salmonella - but we still drive, cross the street and I know I eat alot of raw cookie dough. Where do you draw the line at protecting your kids? I think imms are imporrant and am angry with those who choose not to, I'm not angry at those who CANT have imms for different reasons, but I do think that those who can have them, should. For their own sake and to help keep those safe who are unable to have them for medical reasons.

Well said!!!! Kudos to you!!! I am not as elequant as you are. I hate the fact that I am doing everything I can to protect my son (by vaccinating him) and there are others out there who will NOT do the research and vaccinate their child as well. We are a country of many cultures and many people immigrating here having not been vaccinated and I know in my heart that my son is as proteted as he can be!!! I followed a modified schedule, but he is up to date!!!
I try to see the non-vaccinating parents point of view, but most of the time, they are misinformed. Vaccinate people!!! It is the best mode of protection for your children.... end of story!!!!!

Thanks so much for posting this. I don't have any children, but hope to in the near future, and this is a topic that my husband and I have been discussing with no definite conclusions yet. I like very much the idea of just slowing down the schedule, and being slightly picky about which vaccines to give them. For example, I don't really understand why the hep B vaccine is required now for schoolchildren, since it is transmitted primarily through contaminated needles. (Unless, of course, there are more playground drug users and amateur tattoo artists than I am currently aware of.)

On the whole, I agree with you. And going slightly further, I think it is rather unfair, even selfish, of the parents who choose not to vaccinate to count on the rest of us to keep their children safe from disease.

dooce, i'm with you on this one. we've got good doctors i trust, and i've done my research. weighing the pros and cons, the risks on both sides, it was a no-brainer. my little one has been vaccinated and she's doing just fine. i've got no regrets, i stand by my decision and would (will) do it again with my next.

those who don't, its lucky your child has a good chance of avoiding these terrible afflictions, at least for a while, because of all the vaccinated children. but they won't stay insulated forever... its a dangerous risk you're taking.

Thank you for writing this in a way that makes sense! I completely agree with you about everything. As you mentioned, the unvaccinated are only protected by the vaccinated. I'm terrified of a future in which less and less people get their vaccinations. I think people these days are too young to know how devastating these diseases can be, which is why a vaccine was developed in the first place. I just know as a mother whose infant caught a particularly severe virus in the waiting room of the doctors office, had it been something preventable and she were injured... I just can't think about that. I would never, ever forgive those parents.

This American Life did a follow up piece on that San Diego story. One 10 month old went from 18 lbs to 12 lbs and had fever of 106+ during the time he contracted measles but was too young to get the vaccine. I listened to that story in horror, absolute horror for the mother that had to watch this happen to her child. And it was 100% preventable.

Thanks for you for the well-written explanation of your thoughts. I agree completely.

I'm a mom that followed the vaccination schedule for my daughter. One visit she got five vaccines, and then got a fever and a rash. Three of the shots were ones she'd never had before, so we had no way of knowing what she reacted to. This is when I began to rethink vaccinations.

With my son, I now do a delayed vaccination schedule. We get a max of two shots at each visit, and we have an amazing pediatrician who supports this. I do research before each visit and we talk about what vaccination she recommends next. We changed it slightly when there was an outbreak of whooping cough, and got his vaccination for it instead of something originally planned.

I do have concerns about the vaccines and understand why one friend does not vaccinate. I have another friend who's daughter has recently been diagnosed autistic and I have seen the change in her behavior over the last two years, and can understand the allegations that it was caused by vaccines. Also I'm concerned with the chemicals and other things that are used to make the vaccine. There are a few vaccines that I'm opting to wait on until I get more research done.

The thing that makes me mad is hearing criticism about my choice to delay vaccinations from parents that have fully vaccinated their kids. Why are they so scared of their kids getting sick if their kids are already vaccinated? I'm the one that should be scared. But I'm not because I'm confident in my decisions and will accept the consequences. I feel the choice to delay outweighs the choice to submit my child to numerous vaccinations at one time. He'll have everything (or almost everything) by the time he's five or six, and I plan to Homeschool him anyways, so I see no reason why people get upset by my choice.

Thank you for bringing this up and elaborating on your points. Thank you for recognizing and acknowledging that there are valid points to both sides and it's not a black or white choice, but is a choice full of shades of grey.

I really think that the vaccination schedule should be redone so that it is delayed, so that the immune systems of the wee babe can recover and vaccines that cause repeated symptoms and problems can be reevaluated.

At the U, we call our free flu season vaccination program "Protect the Herd." I write this because what you said is very true - if those who are able to get vaccinated do, then it protects those who are unable.

While I do not doubt that some concerns with vaccinating children may be vaild, we are truly blessed to live in a time where we do not need to live in the constant shadow of such dangerous childhood diseases.

I have a son. He just turned 1 and I am scared to death that I am not making the right choices for him. He is on the regular vaccine schedule but I don't know if that is right for him or not. ugh. He was one of the victims of the salmonella outbreak in January and I am sure that compromised his immune system. So now I wonder if I should have been more cautious at his one year (just last week) and delayed the vaccines. I just won't be able to stand it if he ends up with autism because of shots that I should have delayed.

Being the mother of a boy--whose likelihood of getting autism is 1 in 4--is very worrisome.

I heard on the news recently that the doctor who "researched" & then claimed the link between autism & immunisation is now under review because his research was irresponsibly & inaccurately conducted.

The consensus from more reliable research seems to be that autism symptoms start to appear at a certain age (if they are going to appear) & that certain age happens to coincide with a certain immunisation schedule-age. So, said doctor made circumstancial, unlinked "evidence" into assumed fact & lo, the fear-mongering began. I hope they throw the book at him.

I'm not a parent yet, but can absolutely say I agree and do not understand forgoing vaccinations AT ALL. As a Speech-Language Pathology grad student, the issue of "vaccines causing Autism" is raised at the clinic and in class...I can't help but scream a resounded "BULLSHIT" in my head each time. I have never heard a professor, doctor, or other medical authority buy into it at all. I can understand people looking for answers, but putting your children at risk for serious diseases is just not the way to do it. And...I would VERY obviously rather raise and love a child with an autism diagnosis than watch a "typically developing" child die from the measles. Seems like such a simple choice (if it even was one...but in my mind it's not...because there is no real link between the two).

...A particularly devastating episode of "Private Practice" focused on this topic. I know it's a silly show, but oh, it pulled on the heartstrings.

Thank you for your post. I have vaccinated my 3 children. My youngest is 2 months old and it's my biggest fear that he will catch a childhood disease from an un-vaccinated child. For me that fear greatly outweighs my concerns regarding vaccinations.

Thank you for your thoughtful and well-informed comments. I only pray that this discussion will sway those individuals who haven't vaccinated or are on the wall regarding vaccinations.

Heather, not only are you correct that all children, barring allergy or immunuocompromised state preventing them, ought to be immunized, you miss the point that the fears of autism are unfounded and proven to be unfounded. True vaccine reactions are rare, and we have the Vaccine Court to deal with them; the amount of evidence necessary to win there is miniscule compared to actual, legal court and yet autism cases never seem to win. Funny, that.

Does anyone know if there are laws which require daycares to inform their members of the vaccination status' of the kids who attend? Or if they can reject children for not having been vaccinated? And re all the anecdotes from people whose children were changed overnight after their shots, which shots were those? (or which cocktail)? Now I'm even more confused about what to do! :)

“...you are counting on the rest of us who are willing to take those risks to decrease the chances that your child will be exposed to these diseases. You are counting on us.” Amen. For me, that is the most unfair part. The only way they feel comfortable making that choice is because other parents choose to vaccinate their children. This American Life did a story about the outbreak in CA, and interviewed the mother of a healthy child that was exposed in the pediatricians’ office. You can listen to it here: http://thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1275
And for the record, I have three sons, all were vaccinated, all are now in their 20s and quite healthy.

Thank you for writing this post and doing that video - I COMPLETELY agree! I have an 18-month old daughter and we have vaccinated her on schedule. We have quite a few close friends who decided not to vaccinate their kids and I still can't understand why. I don't think they realize that their decision not only impacts their own children, but also our entire community.

I am a mom of two who has done plenty of vaccine research (of the marketing variety) for work and in addition has read up on many of the newspaper and journal articles out there. What I can tell you is that there are many more papers published and studies conducted that decouple vaccination and autism than the the one study that linked the thimerisol in some vaccines to autism.

I completely agree with Heather that if you choose not to vaccinate your child, you are depending on the rest of us to protect your child.

As a mother of a child with Autism, I have and always will vaccinate my children. However, I will get my peditrician to spread out the vaccinations as much as possible. I agree with you completely, Heather. I don't think that vaccinations are the number one cause of Autism. My son was born with it as he was always different from other children. Every child is different. They will respond to the vaccinations differently. You will always have this controversy when you have one medication or vaccine that is trying to protect millions. You will always have the few that have bad reactions and you will have this argument.

Very well said. I agree 100%
My sister has Rett's Syndrome which is on the Autism Spectrum. They don't yet know the heredity patterns but on the off chance one of my girls has it, they all get the MMR at age 3. The thing is, I absolutely do NOT believe there is a link between autism and the vaccine. It's just that if they were to have Rett's I KNOW I would be searching for a way to blame myself. It's how I roll. So I wait. When people site the (perceived) link to autism I can never understand why they don't just give the vaccine later.

Well said. My point of view exactly, but I have never been able to articulate it so well.

For everyone who keeps saying that to not vaccinate your child is to put other vaccinated children at risk, I have to ask, what the purpose of a vaccine is if it is not to PROTECT YOU FROM NON-VACCINATED PEOPLE? This is illogical. Either vaccines don't work, or you have nothing to worry about if you're vaccinated. Clearly, the people who are not immunized carry the risk. It seems more logical to me that the children who are not vaccinated would risk infection via the vaccinated children who HAVE BEEN INJECTED WITH THE DISEASE.

Also, perhaps by continuing to inject our kids with these diseases and keeping them around for the sake of making vaccinations, we are contributing to the longevity of diseases that should have been long erradicated by the "miracle" of modern technology and science.

Just a thought.

159. Christian
"How about the fact that not one child died from the measles outbreak? Or anyone in the U.S., for that matter."
Well, I typed "measles deaths" into Google, and the first thing that popped up was the WHO:
# Measles is a leading cause of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available to prevent the disease.
# In 2007, there were 197 000 measles deaths globally - nearly 540 deaths every day or 22 deaths every hour.
# More than 95% of measles deaths occur in low-income countries with weak health infrastructure.
No, we have not had recent measles deaths in the U.S. BECAUSE WE TEND TO IMMUNIZE.

My in-laws drove me batty with my kids re: MMR - sending link after link to the debunked pseudo-studies. I kept the rigorous schedule, even with my kid who spent 3 months in the NICU and had g-tube. I update my own DTaP every ten years.

I guess it will take a pandemic to remind people about why we have the immunizations. We all got them. We are all healthy. I know there are risks - but the minute risk of a reaction is better than the risk of the infection.

I understand people who CAN'T immunize. I don't understand those who WON'T.

I had a Pedi that almost lost his newborn child because a friend of an older child, who wasn't vaccinated, passed on a life threatening disease

My first 5 children I vaccinated without even giving it a second thought. I have lived in countries like Turkey where disease is rampant within the poor and lower middle class. I have witnessed on a daily basis mothers, along with their children digging through garbage for their food that day.

I felt fortunate to be able to vaccinate my kids and prevent them from the kinds of the disease the Turkish mothers were unable to protect their children from.

Then came Parker. Extra chromosome. Lung issues. Heart issues. A simple virus that almost killed him.

And I wondered about vaccinations maybe causing damage.

But then my Pedi pointed out that there was no way that Parker could even survive the flu, much less RSV, or Whopping Cough.

And so we vaccinated. I haven't done a bunch all in one shot, I've spread them out and delayed a few.

It has absolutely been the best choice for Parker.

Although I will admit that sometimes I feel a bit frustrated that I vaccinate my kids so that others don't have to vaccinate theirs.

I also wanted to add that in the area of Utah that we live in Whopping Cough is making a comeback.

I want to clarify my comment, above--if your child has a compromised immunologic system, or has had a bad reaction to a vaccine, by all means, spread out the schedule. That's what herd immunity is for. But if you don't have a reason to think your child might be one of those exceptions, please, stay w/ the recommendations.

In answer to those who wonder why those of us w/ vaccinated kids feel threatened if our children are around unvaccinated kids--no vaccine is 100% effective. If my child turns out to be one of the ones whose system doesn't "take" the measles vax, and she's exposed to an unvaccinated kid, the herd gets that much weaker.

People are sheep and are drawn to bandwagons. For every true bit of information on the internet, in books, in magazines and on your local news, there is that much MIS-information. It's like the forwarded emails you get with all the photoshopped pictures. There are those who believe those pictures are real, and those who know they are not. People live their lives on perception. If one person sees their child develop autism after a vaccination, they quickly lose sight of the hundreds of thousands that MIGHT have been saved because they were vaccinated. Who's to know for sure, except that they didn't get sick. I fault neither side for their decision. You can only live by what you believe to be true.

I have to agree with the surprisingly few comments above relating to vaccine scheduling. The question that Heather (and other Moms) raised, no offense, isn't really a timely debate. The current, legitimate scientific question is not whether vaccines are good or bad, but whether administering so many vaccines at once is a necessary and proper means of vaccinating small children. I believe this was one of the main points in this recent Times article: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1808438,00.html

Anyway, maybe the momversation could be redirected in this more useful and appropriate direction.

Cheers,
Papa Bear

Amen Heather! My daughter Hailey had whooping cough at 3 weeks old, about 6 weeks before she could receive her first vaccination. We have no idea how she got it, possibly from a sibling who was visiting their baby in the hospital when my daughter was born, possibly from a child in my other daughter's daycare. Hailey was in the ICU for 9 very long days, turning blue more times than I want to remember. I'm glad I dont know how she got whooping cough, because I probably would have killed that child's parent. Thanks for being so vocal about it. (I'm due with baby girl #3 right around when you are, and you better believe we'll be first in line for that pertussis vaccine!)

Oh, perfectly put. I would never completely eliminate a vaccine because I could never forgive myself if my child contracted a potentially deadly disease that was easily prevented with a vaccine. I thought long and hard about using a modified vaccination schedule with my 3 children (and my one on the way), but I finally decided that it's not in their best interests for me to take their medical treatment into my own hands. I have not gone to medical school or actually studied the vaccinations or their affects on the body. Until I do, it's just not okay for me to make decisions that medical professionals train long and hard to advise me about. I have a wonderful pediatrician who loves children and has children of his own, and he is a supporter of vaccinations, and that's the end of the story for me. It's not okay for pop icons to spread hype about the dangers of something that they don't fully understand. This mass hysteria about vaccinations is what is leading to the increase in vaccination exemptions in public schools and causes outbreaks like the one Dooce mentioned in her article. Get the vaccination, if your child is able. Pray like crazy. And know that you're doing the best thing you can for your child and the rest of our children.

Fantastically written. I couldn't agree more. While I agree that information and knowledge are good things, it becomes a double-edged sword when so much information has allowed the patient to become (or think they've become) the physician.

WWOD?

What Would Oprah Do?

I don't know what the statistics are, percentage-wise, for vaccinating and non-vaccinating. But if 5% of the people are not vaccinating their children, based on their beliefs (whatever they may be), they are relying on the vast majority of people who do vaccinate their children, in that they are counting on the chances of getting a disease to be very slim.

If the tables were turned, and suddenly 95% of the people were not vaccinating their children, and the stakes were higher for some of the people who do not vaccinate, would they then change their mind?

To the commenter who noted that there have been no deaths from measles. This does not lessen the impact of the disease and it does not lessen the fact that the impact will worsen as people continue to refuse vacinations. Also, it is impractical to expect people to remove emotion from the equation. We are talking about our children. Very few people can talk about something that directly affects the welfare of their child and remain emotionless.

That said, man, I was clueless. When I had my son I didn't think twice. I had him Vaccinated on the doctors schedule, no side effects, hardly any tears even, no ill results. He is now 7 and healthy and fine and as irresponsible as it sounds, I am thrilled that I had no clue that this was ever even a CHOICE. Naive.

I completely agree that the current recommended vaccination schedule is very aggressive and that there are some vaccinations like chicken pox that that might not be necessary. That said, I grew up in Colombia in the 70's and knew many people (some not much older than me) who had survived polio. I think that anyone who has known someone who survived a bad case of polio would have to be pretty crazy to not vaccinate their child at least against that.

Add me to the list of people who appreciates your sincere and thoughtful post on this topic. I couldn't have said it better myself and completely agree with your concerns. As a parent of an autism spectrum child, I in no way blame his vaccinations. The science and studies simply do not support any connection. Not that I wouldn't love to have something to blame for the things we go through every day of our lives. As far as the anecdotes are concerned, it's important to remember that the symptoms of autism can emerge slowly, often coincidentally with the vaccination schedule - especially in the higher functioning segments of the disorder. To be blunt, anecdotes simply aren't evidence and we can't put all children's health at risk based upon them.

I am so happy to live in Canada. Our vacines are slightly different then the American vacines are, and we store ours in a different presertive. So the links to autism are not seen here the same as they are in the States. I wish our governements would talk to each other, and try to get some vacines that don't carry that "burden" of assiciation over their heads.

As a daughter of a Doctor, you would assume I and my siblings have all been immunized. But in fact, all of the five children my parents had were not immunized as children. My father has very strong beliefs against them and it was to protect our bodies, not to protect us against autism. *Which in all the studies that have been preformed, does spark and should spark question in many people.* But we were all extremely healthy children. I believe all of us have had chicken pots and the flu but nothing major and into our adulthood we are all extremely healthy. My self, I maybe get sick once a year. I have never had a major sickness or even strep throat. I believe that the main reason that we are all extremely healthy is because we didn't receive all the immunizations that tear down all your bodies natural defense for virus'.

I have seen the negative effects of immunizations. My oldest brother received a mission call to the Bahamas, years ago. To be able to go on this Mission, he HAD to be immunized, via the church. It was a long discussed issue at our home and with the church. Eventually it was something that my parents and brother decided to go ahead and do. He did get very sick and less than a week later my sister was hospitalized for Diabetes. Something he brought home with him triggered something in my sister and she has to live with this disease the rest of her life. Every single one of us were kicked out of school from the health department, from someone getting diagnosed with Diabetes? Truly they did understand what effects that immunizations have and that they aren't all that great or we wouldn't have been taken out of the schools.

As for me, I have traveled all over Europe, Mexico, and *gasp* Costa Rica with zero immunizations and am living my life happy and extremely healthy.
It isn't always a horror story to not have them, as I'm sure as it is to have them but I truly believe that those who do will live more prone to common sickness'.

I love this topic!!!!! Thanks for the opportunity to share our opinions.

I'm with you 100% on this. I don't have children yet but I fully intend on getting them vaccinated unless they have an allergy that makes it unsafe for them.

I could not agree with you more. Not vaccinating your children is, in my opinion, incredibly selfish unless you have a really valid, scientifically proven reason (such as a previous reaction).

"If you've decided that the risks are too great to vaccinate your child then you are counting on the rest of us who are willing to take those risks to decrease the chances that your child will be exposed to these diseases."

YES!!!! THANK YOU!!! This hits the nail on the head perfectly.

Selfish, selfish, selfish. Sorry, but that's just how I feel - especially after my 6-month old had a whopping cough scare because guess what! It's coming back. A completely preventable, FATAL disease is coming back. Unacceptable, people. I'll choose autism (which isn't even a proven link) over the death of my child any day of the week, thank you very much.

The complications from measles, mumps, chicken pox, and whooping cough are a much bigger risk to a child than his/her immunizations. Whenever someone says they haven't vaccinated their child, I shudder to think what could happen if a pregnant mom encountered their child someday before they broke out in measles. I hadn't thought about chemo patients and others at risk. Scary!

BTW, the latest data is beginning to show a link to our environmental chemicals and autism. Maybe someday soon we can eliminate "shots" as the cause and more parents will be willing to vaccinate.

So glad you opened up this subject for some thoughtful debate and exchange of ideas!

YES! Thank you.

My father was American Indian (Creek), my mother Caucasian. My four siblings and I were vaccinated properly growing up. We each got measles during childhood, no big problem, but found that we were part of a large group who does not become immune regardless of having the vaccination or the disease. Remember measles killed much of the native population when Europeans first entered this country. Each time I was pregnant and had blood tests, the doctors found a negative titer; after the pregnancy I would re-vaccinate, only to repeat the process next pregnancy. Thanks to the multitudes who have vaccinated their children, I haven't had measles lately, and my children haven't at all (of course they were vaccinated). I guess when they get pregnant we'll find out their immunity status, hopefully not before then. Please vaccinate your children! Some of us try as hard as possible to stay immune from diseases that shouldn't exist anymore, but genetics play a huge part in our immunities.

I'm thankful that you had a clear, level-headed argument on this issue, though I'm sure you'll get people who are opposed to your opinion as well. I agree with you, though not entirely for the same reasons, and I'm glad you are willing to put your thoughts up on a variety of controversial topics. I was vaccinated as a child, and though I have had issues with illness throughout my life I am lucky enough to have avoided the major illnesses that vaccinations prevent. The fact that people would kill to have their children vaccinated, that people die daily from things we can EASILY deny our children (but they can't afford it, or they can't access a medical facility to have it done), is something that bothers me deeply. The fact that we can choose for our children, against medical advice, sometimes shocks me. I know that there are links to all kinds of issues, but the idea of having a child who died because I deprived them of something, which was easily accessible, makes no sense whatsoever. Of course, there are varying opinions on everything... but thanks for expressing your concerns in a public format. I'm glad someone's willing to talk openly, no matter what topic, and accept other peoples' criticism.

Very well done post. Vaccination is an issue that I have grown obsessed with over the past several years. I think because it is in many ways a perfect illustration of how so many of us are becoming "science illiterate." We think we are doing "research" but then we take medical advice from the likes Jenny McCarthy with her degree from the University of Google?! Seriously?!

The media has been complicit in the whole "vaccine controversy" as well. It is so much easier to report on alleged links between vaccines and scary diseases than to read, understand and report on the dozens of epidemiological studies disproving said links.

The hard core anti-vaccine crowd is cut from the same cloth as global warming denialists, AIDS conspiracy theorists and 911 Truthers.

But as you and so many of your commenters identified, this isn't just a philosophical debate. Here, choosing to believe something based on widespread but albeit "looney" evidence isn't just a personal choice, say like taking colloidal silver in lieu of antibiotics. (What's the harm -- you'll have only yourself to blame if you go all Smurfy.) There are real public health costs that flow from the choice not to vaccinate an otherwise healthy "vaccine - eligible" child. Those costs, sadly, will be paid by those who have no choice -- very young infants, the very old, those with challenged or suppressed immune systems, those recovering from devastating diseases, such as cancer, and even those of us who are vaccinated (no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing infection).

I'm sorry. I wish I could write about this as carefully as you did Heather, but I feel far less a need to withhold judgment on this issue. Parents who choose not to vaccinate based on research from Teh Google, MDC, Wack-a-doodle websites like whale.to, scam artists like that Wakefield fellow and ill-informed public "crusaders" like David Kriby and RFK Jr. should be judged. And judged harshly.

I have no patience or sympathy for people who choose not to vaccinate for things like polio, measles, and pertussis. Chicken pox I understand--it's rarely fatal to young children, and provided the parents are responsible enough to keep their kids far, far away from everyone else in the world while they're sick, I'm more or less okay with it. (Though, if your kid hasn't had it by, say, 12ish, get the vaccine. It's MUCH worse when you're older.) And I, for instance, wasn't vaccinated against Hepatitis until I was about 16; the necessity of that one kind of depends on where you live. But others? God, no. You're much nicer about it than I am, Heather. While I wouldn't go so far as to wish horrible diseases upon the innocent unvaccinated children, I kinda hope their parents do.

There's an excellent blog post on the subject here: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010978.html

Shannon @225:
You don't know what you're talking about. Not all vaccines provide 100% immunity, which is one reason herd immunity is so important. Also, incidences of people catching diseases from the vaccinated are incredibly rare. And they'd be even more rare if everyone who was able to vaccinated.

Do your homework before pretending to make a point.

Karen Olson @232:
What's wrong with annual pap smears vs. the HPV vaccine is that once your pap smear comes back positive for HPV, it's too damn late. The vaccine is preventative, whereas pap smears are the first step towards mitigating the damage.

And given that something on the order of 70% of Americans have had intercourse by the age of 19, with the majority having had it before 17, (and given, also, that one doesn't have to have intercourse to get HPV), it's really not unreasonable to give your daughter the HPV vaccine at 12. Since that one is so very new, I'm sensitive to concerns about it, but if one is going to give it to one's child, before high school is the best choice.

I can only speak from my own experience with immunizations. I have 5 children, 4 boys and one girl. I dutifully vaccinated my first son, DJ, on schedule, ALWAYS, without any side effects. I did the same with my second son Jesse. My regular pediatrician left her practice when he was 18 months so I took him to see a new doc because I thought he had an ear infection. He was one series behind, and the doctor said his ears were fine, but we should get him caught up on his immunizations, which meant a double MMR and DPT...yes DPT beacuse it wasn't the acellular type they have now. In my defense, I did question the doctor and nurse ratchet as to the safety and was told it was done all the time. Within 2 hours he was even more impossible and vocal than before taking him. By the next morning he was wheezing horribly. I had no idea what was wrong, and had the neighbor run us to the nearest ER. We were immediately rushed into a room and a doctor, who, at that point, didn't think that I was fit to raise a cat, informed me that Jesse's oxygen sats were below 90, and after further examination, he had a "raging ear infection". I felt like the shittiest mom in the world for a minute, and then I regained my composure and told the old battle ax that I had taken him to the doctor less than 24 hours before, and that doctor said he was fine. She changed her tune real quick. IMO Doctors cover each others asses... Especially after I told her about the double shots. He was taken to Primary Childrens hospital where we spent the next week with me wheeling him around the fountain in a wagon with an IV and an oxygen tank attatched because the steroids and breathing treatments he was receiving had made him high as a kite. My mother, who is a nurse, also totally pro-immunization, changed her tune really fast. When I was coherent enough, I questioned every doctor and respiratory therapist I saw as to whether the immunizations could cause this sort of reaction. OF COURSE NOT...24 hours ago I had a beautiful healthy baby and now he had more tubes attached to him than my fish tank. I was also questioned as to whether or not he had inhaled a latex balloon, any coins, candy, etc...i knew he hadn't as he had been firmly stuck to me since the incident. They knew it too, his chest x-ray confirmed it. Over the next 2 years, he was hospitalized 7 more times, and the side effects from the steroids turned him into a crazed monkey on crack. Oh, did I mention that when we got home from the hospital, the doctor that did this to him called and the first words out of his mouth were "You know that this wasn't caused by the immunizations, right?" He was on home oxygen once, but without a nurse and a steel cage-crib, kept pulling off the O2. I spent a week in the hospital with him while 5 months pregnant with my 3rd son, and the fumes from the hospital food can make a pregnant person projectile vomit from the parking lot. But I stayed, and looked into the side effects of immunizations, and YES, the DPT can cause this sort of reaction. He was diagnosed with asthma, but my mom never believed it. She feels like his immune system was overloaded by the assault of the diluted diseases injected, and the ear infection he DID have. I am more inclined to believe her diagnosis.
So when I had my 3rd son Kolton, he received no immunizations. It was a catch 22. One of his brothers was fine, the other permanently scarred. Interesting thing happened with him. He was NEVER sick. No colds, no flu, no ear infections ever. I was fine with all of this, endured the judgmental doctors and heard a million lectures, but I stuck to my guns. 5 yrs later I went insane when Kolton went to school, and decided to have another baby. I had another son, Jordan, and my husband had since joined in the parenting decisions. We found a great pediatrician whose own son had also had an adverse reaction to vaccinations, but still suggested to us that they were still imperative. So I let my husband hold the poor boy while they gave him the shots. We also had to get Kolton immunized due to the fact that the vaccinations contain diluted strains of the virus and he could become infected. So we did it on a VERY different schedule than recommended. Like one shot at a time. Not one series, one shot. I wanted to know exactly which one it was that had caused the reaction, if there was one. After about 6 months Koltons immune system was not what it once was, and I put the breaks on it for about a year after he had a cold sore that developed into full blown mouth inflamed the size of a baboons butt HERPES. But this great doc was patient, and let us make the decisions. My daughter, the ultimate surprise, born only a year and 3 days after Jordan, followed the same regimin. She and Jordan are still not fully immunized, and I DO NOT believe in immunize by 2, but it IS up to me. I may be the only one to say this, but with all of the problems we have with immigration and no, I'm not taking sides on that can of worms, but new and interesting forms of the plague are being imported into the country faster than lead coated chinese toys. If I had my choice, I would not have immunized my children. I have seen that it can suppress the immune system of a child, and I think they are too aggressively given. But I don't have that option. Jesse hasn't been given any more, and never will. But I will eventually have the other children fully immunized, on my schedule, not anyone elses.
My advice, go with your gut, find an unbiased doctor, and look for any sign of change in your childs behavior and/or health. You don't have to do everything their way, this is your child.

I vaccinated on the schedule suggested by my doctor, and immediately after the MMR vaccine, my son had a febrile seizure. He has had two since.
That being said, I will vaccinate again. I still think it is the best and safest choice for my children.
I have friends on both sides of the issue, and I support the personal decision people make for their families.
On a completely seperate note:
Heather, I'm reading your new book now, and I have to tell you, there is one thing worse than the black licorice you loathe:
Swedish SALTY black licorice! Think of black licorice that burns your mouth! It's the most vile thing on the planet.
(You want to try it now, don't you??)

I have an 18-yr-old son on the Autism spectrum. He's had all vaccines -- no regrets. This is my opinion only-- all of the pervasive developmental disorders (from autism to schizophrenia to Alzheimer's) are brain disorders that probably have a genetic basis, not an environmental basis. As a parent that is very difficult pill to swallow, so we search for an outside cause on which to safely place the blame. What would be really cool if research could be funded to figure out why these disorders mostly present at specific points in the age span. By the way, to whomever said a few posts up that Autistic children are a gift -- could you please come and hang out with my son? He's never had a real friend.

This is a really a great conversation Heather. My 2 cents...
It really is shocking to look at the 1983 recommended vaccine schedule and compare it to 2008. In 1983 kids got 10 vaccines by the age of 6...in 2008 it is 32 vaccines with most of them administered before the age of 18 months. It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other--there is a middle ground that worked well historically. Too many parents have reported normal development in their babies and clearly documented regression after the administration of vaccines. These people cannot be ignored in favor of "science" which is funded by drug companies.

I am the mother of two autistic boys. Both received all their vaccines, as did their younger sister.
Vaccines do not cause autism. Period.
If by chance I ever have another child, he or she will receive all their vaccines as well.

I have 5 children and I had all of them vaccinated for anything that was mandatory. When my oldest (now 13) was 4 or so the chicken pox vaccine came out. I waited for a few years to give it to her because inevitably something happens with new immunizations that causes them to pull them or adjust the scheduling. She did get the cp vaccine shortly before kindergarten once I felt safe that they had worked out all the "kinks".

Not to mention that the whole autism scare was a hoax:

http://richardcochrane.hypocrisy.com/2009/02/15/vaccine-hoax-put-million...

i agreee with you as do many of your readers. it is a luxury a first only a world country can choose. i wonder that many people talk about the chance of autism with vaccines but so many people willingly go under the knife to have their boob size increased, tummy-tucked, face lifted, that too is a risk. even medically necessary surgery is a risk, but do you not do because you might die on the table? i am only 25 and am going in for my 10th surgery in the last 10 years, none of my surgeries have been "life threatening" mostly back and knee problems. with surgery comes risks, death, brain damage, paralysis, etc but to me the benefit of feeling my right leg again far out weighs the risks, because chances are friday afternoon, i'll be awake and asking for a burger.

My son goes to the school where that measles outbreak occurred, and when it occurred over 50% of his class was out for over three weeks because they were not vaccinated. That's just in one grade. I can't speak to the other classes (it's a K-8 school). Here in California, you can get a "philiosophical" exemption from vaccinations to get around the requirement for attending school. This is done with the understanding that if an outbreak of any of the diseases occurs, you are out of school for a while. I have been selective about the vaccinations my son has had. He had everything on schedule up until he turned three; at the three year checkup he had a DPT booster and came down with a horrid fever. After consulting with his pediatrician, I felt comfortable with my decision to decline any more boosters.

I think that the thing most people forget is that the vaccination doesn't necessarily mean that the disease is avoided. Two of my nephews had chicken pox after being vaccinated during the previous year.

I am so happy to see so many well-informed comments and particularly those mentioning the recent discrediting of the MMR study published by Wakefield.

I was nervous when I vaccinated my son, but the science just does not bear out the autism link. We have a wonderful pediatrician who was willing to explain the evidence (or lack thereof) in detail. One of the most helpful things he did was remind me of the risks of *not* vaccinating: for instance, the effects of measles or whooping cough, the severe illness or even death that can result, and the percentages of children who suffer these outcomes. The decision became much easier when I weighed this possible outcome against the very sporadic and unproven potential negative effects of vaccinating.

Like you, I also felt that the schedule was pretty aggressive, but at the same time I didn't want to delay the shots much, because the youngest children are the most vulnerable. (Although our ped. was also helpful in describing the ages at which a child really begins to be at risk for one disease or another.) But I managed to keep it generally to one at a time, maybe spreading them out across a few months, and that helped.

A lot of people around here don't give shots and boy, I'll admit it: I resent that, and worry about it too.

Thank you for a very articulate and open post.

You brought up some very, very good points. I don't have any children of my own but I feel as if I am in a similar position as yours. I think that parents who don't vaccinate have legitimate concerns, but I'm not sure that I would choose that path (definitely haven't done any research).

I really like that you want people to talk about this here. The world would be a better place if everyone could just talk instead of freaking out at each other.

I completely agree with you! I live in an area where it is not popular to vaccinate, and my children are constantly being exposed to whooping cough and all sorts of things that would not be here if other children were vaccinated.

As a paediatric nurse in Aus, I have nursed many seriously ill children with measles, chickenpox & whooping cough, some died as the result of these diseases, or were left with brain damage. Maybe I was one of the lucky ones whose 3 children were only left with immunity after immunisation & no other problems. A very controversial issue indeed.