Vaccinations are something a lot of parents worry about. Their safety, their efficacy, side effects, etc. Whenever I hear people talking about not vaccinating their children, I just do not understand. Why wouldn’t you want to protect your children from diseases that cold potentially kill them? Yes, there are POSSIBLE risks associated with some vaccinations, but are those POSSIBLE risks really going to keep you from POSSIBLY saving your children’s lives?
A recent WebMD survey asked parents about vaccinations and found that:
- The most common vaccines not received are: HPV (6%), Chickenpox (6%), Pneumococcal Disease (4%), Hep A (3%), Meningitis (3%), Rotavirus (3%), MMR (2%), Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (1%), and Polio (1%).
- Nearly 70% say they’re looking for news about potential vaccine risks, and for news of benefits that might offset those risks.
- 66% said they had either questioned or refused vaccines
- 77% intend to vaccinate their children according to the recommended schedule, although some will refuse all vaccines altogether, and many more will follow an “alternate” vaccine schedule.
- 28% said they still believed the MMR vaccine can cause autism, and 5? said that they now believe there is a link. On the other hand, 13% said the news changed their minds and that they no longer believe in the vaccine-autism link.
- When asked if they’d heard of the whooping cough (pertussis) outbreak in California. Of the 690 who said they had, 17% said the news made them more likely to vaccinate their children. But 12% said the news made them no more likely to vaccinate their children.
- When asked about important influences on their choices about childhood vaccination, 88% say their doctor’s advice is somewhat or very important.
I am curious to see other people’s views on the vaccination debate, especially those that are parents.
(The current recommendations for vaccination schedule -for children, adults, and travelers- can be found on the CDC website).
I’m a little torn about vaccinations. I am fully vaccinated and never had any problems with them, but I know several people that have had huge, life-altering affects from them. Especially small babies that have weak immune systems. I think adults should get vaccinated, just not sure yet about newborn babies. I need to do my own research and figure it out for myself.