Vaccinations Raise Many Questions

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Why is it, the more outrageous the conspiracy theory, the more people are prepared to believe it?

The moon landing. Shakespeare. Area 51.

Vaccinations.

The evidence supporting the benefits of vaccinations is overwhelming. The evidence against them is…well, let’s be honest, most of it is made up.

And before you start sending me hate mail, it isn’t to say that some people don’t have a legitimate reason to avoid the jabs, such as a family history of an adverse reaction. But seriously, for the rest of us, is there a legitimate reason to forego this proven (and free) protection for your children? Do you ban, for example, peanuts or gluten in your households because they don’t agree with other members of the community?

In fact, it’s for people like those who legitimately can’t receive their vaccinations that the rest of us need to make sure that we, along with our children, are up to date with the recommended vaccination schedule. It’s not just about protecting our loved ones, but the entire community.

For those of you who don’t know and are interested, a lot of the anti-vaccination arguments I hear are centered on the myth that the MMR vaccine (for measles, mumps and rubella) causes autism. This started with a fraudulent report by Andrew Wakefield published in 1998. Not only has the report been fully discredited by other more credible researchers, but Wakefield has been struck off the Medical Register. He was found guilty of medical misconduct in 2010 for having undisclosed conflicts of interest and for manipulating evidence.

The fact is, whatever the cause of autism, it lies elsewhere.

But still people persist. They hear the first hand stories of people whose children are suffering from one thing or another, wrongly attributed to vaccinations, and don’t wish to put their own children in harm’s way. But ironically in choosing not to vaccinate, they are doing exactly that.

Perhaps the reason I’m so ‘for’ vaccinations is that I’ve also heard stories.

When my oldest son was at primary school a young boy in his grade lost his life to meningococcal disease. This young boy was the only son of a couple I knew through work and it was so fast and so final. Back then there wasn’t the option of a meningococcal vaccinations but I can assure you the moment there was, we lined our kids up.

Similarly, Tracey’s Grandma Mac would tell us stories about when she was a young girl and children  in her community would suffer, or worse not survive, from these now largely preventable diseases. We’re not talking about a runny nose and a temperature here. She would shudder as she told her stories.

So I guess it all depends on who you listen to: the people who’ve read stuff on the net or heard something about the friend of a friend, or someone who’s lived through the nightmare.

Or maybe we should all just listen to the experts and scientists who’ve actually studied the diseases.

These days we have the marvel, the wondrous miracle, of science giving our children the best chance in the history of mankind to make it to adulthood.

Would you drive your kids around in the car without seatbelts? Why not? Because the statistics show the dangers and you won’t risk injury to your child where it can be so easily prevented. So why would you not vaccinate your child when the statistics show your choice would unnecessarily put them (and let’s not forget the other people in your community, such as newborns, or those unable to vaccinate for legitimate reasons) at risk?

Clearly, from my rhetoric, I believe in vaccinating, on time and in line with the guidelines set down by the people who know, actually know, about these things. I love my kids too much to risk them through hearsay and false reports.

NSW Health has a user friendly and informative webpage providing a wealth of information on vaccinations which I recommend you check out if you’re still in doubt or, quite rightly, wish to check things out for yourself. There’s also a nifty new app available for free “Save the Date”: to help families keep track of their immunisation schedules.

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“Raising a family on little more than laughs.” 

200 Comments

  • Bruce!
    Great post; littered as usual with gems of clear rational thought hidden within humour.
    If all all internet posts on vaccination filled with such clarity.
    Cheers Sam

  • Thank you for this post. It seems that people in developed countries don’t always realize what a privelge we have in our society to have free vaccinations. People in developing countries could only dream of having such a blessing to save their children’s lives.

  • MOre power to you to make medical decisions for your family. I would never wish my current life as a mother of 6, including one special needs child on anyone, not even my worst enemy.

    Oh and vaccines aren’t FREE, they are government subsidized. A portion of vaccine sales goes into a fund that has paid out nearly 2 billion dollars in damage claims. So vaccines aren’t free and legally have been proven to be damaging.

    But you keep on keeping on, hopefully, your choices won’t result in the life altering damages my children have received.

  • It would be nice if people stopped saying anti VAX and start saying pro choice. It would be nice if people stopped trying to force a medical decision on my family. It would be nice if people understood that not all of us made our choice based on autism. I didn’t know that was an issue until years after we stopped vaccinating our kids. When babies are born, they aren’t born with all of these diseases inside of them just waiting to “go off”. Both sides need to stop fighting and come together in the name of freedom. If the government starts forcing medical decisions on us it won’t stop at vaccines!

  • There is a good deal of misinformation in this blog post. It is unfortunate you didn’t research this topic further before posting on it. I am one of many that has received vaccines, and still got many of the diseases they were supposed to prevent. I also have vaccine injured family members…and friends…and children of friends. Pretty much all of the ingredients are toxic in ingredients, “deactivated viruses” can reactivate (so injecting “attenuated” polio, you can get polio, etc.) and you blindly follow “by the people who know, actually know, about these things”…I have a science education degree, I can read medical journals with the best of them…so I think I “actually know” what I am talking about….no amount of injected, bio-accumulative aluminum is safe. No amount of aborted fetal cells is safe. NONE of the diseases vaccines are for are un-treatable by either western or eastern (natural) medicines! Aluminum adjuvants haven’t been thoroughly tested, and on and on I could go. You are welcome to blindly follow the bought and paid for medical field…but please don’t encourage others to, or expect others to. There’s about 1000 reasons I don’t vaccinate…

    • For someone who is supposed to be aware of science you sure DONT know anything really..there are NO aborted fetus cells in vaccines..gawd I hope you never teach my child with your science education degree!!

  • Spiffy,
    It would be nice if you acknowledged that herd immunity is helping your family. It would be nice if you understood germ theory and how diseases are transmitted.
    I used to agree to disagree with people with opinions like you but that has led to outbreaks of preventable diseases and people suffering needlessly and others dying. Vaccinations save lives.

  • It would be nice if none of these diseases existed… but that can’t happen because people ‘choose’ not to vaccinate. Thanks, from a woman who can’t be vaccinated for rubella…

  • The train of thought that ‘oh I was vaccinated and I got xyz illness so they don’t work’ is ridiculous. The vaccines don’t stop you from ever getting the illness, but they do mean that if you do contract the illness you won’t get it as bad as an non vaccinated person. The illness that 2-3 generations ago were dying from are making a come back because people aren’t vaccinating. I also find it quite absurd that a parent would rather their child die from a preventable disease than the possibility of having a special needs child.

  • Words like aborted, fetus, pin cushions etc It’s all part of trying to manipulate emotions. Kind of proves there’s not a lot of solid scientific evidence to back their case. Vaccinations work. That’s a fact. And it’s backed by peer reviewed studies.

  • I also love the correlation=causation mindset. This happened and this happened so one must have caused the other. I’ve been trying to start another anti-vas campaign based on the fact that I am fully vaccinated AND I’m fat and I know lots of fat people who are vaccinated so therefore vaccinations make you fat!!! That’s as legit as any of the other arguments!!! Also I actually have cancer (the sort that will eventually kill me hopefully later rather than sooner) so therefore have a compromised immune system. I am fully vaccinated but there is a chance that even though I am vaccinated I could still get a less severe case of whatever which in my case could still kill me!

    And just on another comment made above- deactivated virus in vaccination cannot ‘reactivate’ because all the bits that make it alive have been removed. Unless some of the scientists were educated at Hogwarts of course. Maybe then they could magic the virus some how.

  • The study that Rebecca posted is a little disturbing… It DOES appear to be from a peer reviewed source and it does talk about tests proving that aborted foetal cells have been found in vaccinations… Having said that though, I am NOT going to stop vaccinating my children and I hope all this study does is stop them putting foetal cells in the jabs if indeed they are actually doing so… great post Bruce! The thing that convinced my hubby and I to vaccinate is the undeniable proof that when vaccination rates are high the diseases are practically non existent but as soon as vaccination rates fall the horrible diseases start creeping back in and all of a sudden we see deaths from these PREVENTABLE horrible diseases again! I’m sorry I would rather my children became special needs children and were alive (and I HIGHLY DOUBT that would actually happen from a vaccination!!!!) then the awful alternative of living without them!

      • I should’ve read that first, sorry! I wish the anti Vax people weren’t so fricken annoying! They suck people in with their pseudoscience and screw up vaccination rates for everyone!! Sorry I just hate being swindled 🙁

  • Vaccinations save lives. Why would you risk not vaccinating your kids? I just dont get it. The doctors down the road from me (mullumbimby) are always full and i am told its full of unvaxinated sick kids. I do wonder if this is why i managed to get whooping cough ( i was vaxed as a kid but never had a booster I wasnt aware it was a good idea) most of my friends have young babies… i am so thankful that the new parents are time poor so schedules meant I hadnt been around their young kids… lucky for them!

  • I am so confused…fetal cells are listed on the ingredients – http://vaccines.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=005206#header_varicella – look at MRC-5, the growth mediums….it is LISTED as part of the ingredients…I don’t understand why pro-vax people completely deny FACTS. I post an article from a medical journal, and the comeback is from “scienceblog”…really?! I am not trying pull for an emotional argument here, this is just pure science.

    @Caryn – deactivated viruses absolutely can reactivate, under the right circumstances…dormant viruses also (chicken pox:shingles, herpes, etc.) One thing can go wrong in the lab, the right ions in place in the body, etc…it absolutely can happen. A virus is a very basic protein shell with DNA inside. It is not alive. And you need the correct shape and design of the shell for the body to form an immune response to it. If it were so very “inactive” it would not work. Sometimes the extra part that makes it inactive, is just a highly reactive molecule slapped onto the shell…this can come off in the right pH with the right enzymes, and you have yourself an active virus.

    @Nomie – it is sad that you see life and disease that way. First of all, ALL of the diseases that are routinely vaccinated for, are treatable, with very low mortality rates. Some are extremely avoidable, some aren’t even an issue, and others actually train the immune system to function better (I.e. measles – http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org/2013/01/29/measles-vaccines-part-ii-benefits-of-contracting-measles-by-dr-viera-scheibner-phd/) My cousin, who was a normal 5 year old little boy, got his “back to school vaccines” and regressed into a very different person – he had to learn to be potty trained again, he still has not spoken, he needs constant care, has life threatening seizures, etc. He will be cared for by his mother, until she is no longer able, when he will need to be moved to a group home, sponsored by the state, because she has no money left to have him put in a better group home. So, the trade off – he might have gotten sick a time or two – measles, rubella, mumps, whooping cough, and polio are NOT life threatening under normal conditions. But now, his brain is so dramatically altered, his life is gone. He is basically a whole new person, but completely incapable of independence. Talk to the mother of a vaccine injured child…trust me, they all say the same thing – “I would have risked the diseases!” They live a living hell of watching their flesh and blood go through a very awful life, let alone the financial consequences.

    @Kelly- you see, there is this thing called breastfeeding. If I were exposed to whooping cough and my son also got exposed, the antibodies in my milk would help him either NOT get whooping cough, or get a very mild case. The DTaP and TDaP vaccines actually cause the person vaccinated to become an asymptomatic carrier(http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/baboon-study-reveals-new-shortcoming-of-pertussis-vaccine/), meaning, that if you were vaccinated for whooping cough, and subsequently exposed, you would likely become a carrier, for up to 6 weeks, and able to spread it to others. AND there is plenty of evidence to show that whooping cough vaccine either doesn’t work well, or at all, as MANY of the whooping cough outbreaks occur in vaccinated individuals(http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/6/5/00-0512_article). Also, there is evidence showing you are more LIKELY to get whooping cough when fully vaccinated – (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22970945). You getting the vaccine does not protect others, and possibly not yourself. After having had whooping cough, while recently and fully vaccinated for it, I can tell you my case was not mild, as I permanantly injured my back…I threw up, and had at least six weeks of severe coughing. I personally, would rather my child go through that, with their hardy immune systems, than that to happen as an adult, like it did to me…however, it offers lifelong immunity to naturally contract it. I would rather NOT inject myself time and again trying to protect myself or my son…whooping cough is a pain, but I would rather go through that pain than the endless injections of a vaccine that doesn’t clearly work well. And since I have natural immunity(and the antibodies – side note: I was exposed to whooping cough while pregnant, and did not contract it, my last vaccine was 12 years ago, and I contracted whooping cough 11 years ago), me breastfeeding my son, and subsequent children(as long as I can breastfeed), protects them through that scary infancy until they are physically able to handle the strain of whooping cough.

    Also, your “doctors down the road” argument is hearsay and fear mongering, and I will not address it further. (http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org/2010/06/25/the-marvellous-health-of-unvaccinated-children/ )

    I implore you all to research this matter further. As a science teacher, I would have touted the lifesaving benefits of vaccines, until I looked into the ingredients…and then meeting multiple people with vaccine damage…and then seeing it for myself within my own family. And then looking at my own students, with a plethora of health problems, clearly, “healthy” is not the word I would use. I understand diet is extremely important as a factor, but everything is subject to questioning when we have the highest infant mortality rate, with the highest costs of health care, and the sickest nation…clearly, we are doing many things wrong.

    • Talk to the parents of 1 month old Riley who died of whooping cough, struggling to breathe, swelling so much he was unrecognisable, and passing away in their arms. Too young to vaccinate and BREASTFED HIS ENTIRE LIFE INCLUDING IN THE HOSPITAL. You may throw around scientific terms and act like you know better than everyone else but adding ingredients and supporting a fools research, who ADMITTED HIMSELF HE FABRICATED HIS RESULTS, says more about your intellect than those big words you use

    • Talk to the parents of baby Riley who recently died from whooping cough. I’m sure they’d love to hear you theory about how whooping cough is fully treatable, and that it is better to get it then risk vaccine injury. If only she’d given her baby some magic breast milk.

  • Oh, and before you say how “safe” they are – almost every single vaccine package insert clearly states how vaccines are not tested for carcinogenic, mutagenic potential or impairment of fertility. I feel like those are REALLY big things to test for, to ensure its safety.(Page 6, line 9 – M-M-R II has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or potential to impair fertility – http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_pi.pdf )

    Also, if you happen to be damaged or injured by a vaccine, the Vaccine Protection Act protects any and all parties involved in the production and administration of all vaccines. The CDC, pharmaceutical companies, and doctors have NOTHING to lose. In fact, if you are damaged by a vaccine, you are likely to NEED pharmaceuticals, more doctor visits, and the like…so infact, if you become damaged, you have become a very good customer. Fox guarding the henhouse much?

    • Rebecca, what would you do tomorrow if Ebola were to become a worldwide epedemic and the aus gov had a vaccine of which we had a choice to be vaccinated, otherwise face imminent death? Are you telling me you wouldn’t vaccinate your children in case they ended up with disability? I really believe that you wouldn’t decline vaccination for your children, just the same as mothers years ago,whose children were affected by illnesses such as measles or polio, and probably would have sold their souls to protect their children if they had access to a vaccine. And guess what Rebecca? I am a mother of 3 children, 2 of which are on the autism spectrum. My eldest was already completely immunised by the time he got diagnosed. I hadn’t immunised my youngest, and at the time, decided not to go ahead with it due to the hype surrounding autism and vaccine link. But as it turns out, my unvaccinated youngest child ended up on the autism spectrum. I eventually got him fully immunised, although we were way behind schedule, because i decided to take one for the team! Do you not realise it’s all us pro vaccine parents that are keeping your children safe from illnesses? I remember reading an article about a mother of a child with autism, who was horrified to discover her child was the only immunised kid in her special needs class. This really upset her as she had a newborn, not yet immunised, that she had to bring to the school with her to pick up her autistic child each day. Clearly she was distressed realising the risk that her newborn faced daily even though her older child was vaccinated. The story ended with a quote by the mother which sums up things perfectly – “how can I celebrate the progress of my special needs child if she is dead”…….Nuff said!

  • And I’ve tried not to comment further, but damn! Breastfeeding is your answer to these diseases? I admit it offers benefits for the immune system etc. That’s proven. But to help against the likes of polio etc? I’d love you to explain those 2 million deaths statistics show vaccines are stopping each year. And I also love you won’t allow someone else anecdotal evidence but trot out a bit of your own. Plus, your tone is dreadful. Thanks for your contribution but the evidence is against you (which is probably why you’re trying to win by snark and spit). http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/01/vaccines-that-save-lives-around-the-world-infographic/

    • Good debate Bruce. Can’t wait to see what’s next 🙂 Kids being raised by their grandparents while the parents both pursue careers?

  • My daughter had a severe reaction to the whooping cough vaccine at eight weeks old. She became floppy and her gross motor skills did not develop at the nomal rate. She did not walk until she was 21 months old.
    When I took her to a pediatrician a few weeks after the vaccine the specialist told me that in his opinion she should never have the whooping cough vaccine again. He would not however document this advice. I do understand why. Most medical professionals do not want to cause a panic which may prevent other children from being immunised.
    I would like to make it clear that I am not opposed to immunisation. If no one was immunised we would have many infant deaths from diseases. The fact that most people are immunised is protection for my daughter as well as others.

  • Pffft. I am so far into the non-vaccination camp, I can’t understand why anyones DOES vaccinate their kids. When I read articles like this it is like travelling back to the middle ages. The problem is when you base your argument on the so called “fact” that vaccinations work. They don’t. I wish I had a dollar for every vaccinated kid I know who has come down with whooping cough or chicken pox. But on top of that you want to inject them with toxic chemicals because some doctor assures you “it’s safe”? Right. Great idea.
    If you think “they” care about you and your kids you are kidding, and I’m not just talking about vaccinations, “they” are just interested in keeping their jobs and making money. You have to educate yourself, do not trust doctors or government to tell you what is best for you!!!

    • Vaccines are our community’s best chance. And I don’t think it’s claimed that if you vaccinate against whooping cough you’ll never get it. Nothing as 100% as that. But the odds will certainly be in your favour compared to those who aren’t vaccinated. As for your claims they don’t work, that’s just nonsense. Millions of lives saved annually can be directly attributed to this scientific marvel. I can’t help you with your conspiracy theories, although I admit I enjoyed that Mel Gibson movie too. But you know it was made up, right?

      • Like travelling back TO the Middle Ages??? Seriously?? Not to vaccinate and bring back polio is more In line with the Middle Ages. Some one might want to revisit what death and disease was like during the Middle Ages.

  • So with this Ebola business about, if there was a Vaccine developed, I wonder if the anti-vaccination peeps will be lining up at the doctors doors waiting for a shot?? Or will they say that the shot can give you ebola, or even autism?

  • Do you know how many mothers have taken perfectly normal children to the doctors for a job and said in an instant the child has never been the same and diagnosed with Autism. And then they are told it was just a coincidence? You want to talk about evidence? Why don’t you speak to these mothers. It definitely causes Autism. We didn’t vaccinate our kids because to do so is chip abuse

  • Links are above. What I’ve found, though, from people asking, is they tend to already be so entrenched in the ‘anti’ camp they won’t accept (or read) links from government or scientific sources. It’s the big brother conspiracy theory thing. I’m not a scientist, I’m a blogger. I’m not going to argue the science with you. But the science is in. The stats are in. The maths is in. The results are in. Whichever way you want to look at this, vaccinations work and they save lives. Lots of lives. They reckon over two million a year. And who knows how many people it saves from blindness and other things as well. There is no reputable, independent, published, peer-reviewed scientific study which backs the autism claims. It’s all anecdotal. You’re done. And while I know I’ll get crucified for this, I’ll repeat that even if there is a chance it does cause autism, I’d still vaccinate, because it’s still worth the risk. In fact, despite all the rumours, I DID vaccinate all seven of my kids. Without any hesitation. My opinion is that autism is a lot more manageable than death. Is that disrespectful of people with autism. No. Am I unsympathetic of people on the autism spectrum or the people, usually family, who are sometimes needed to care for them? Of course not. But I’ll probably be accused of it anyway. I don’t care. You’re wrong on so many levels by the time you start arguing this way your opinion doesn’t even register. What I’d love to be able to ask back is would you rather a kid died than got autism? Because that’s essentially what is being argued. But I’m not so heartless or so disrespectful or such a prick, and I’m not so stupid as to believe it’s a valid argument or question. The valid argument is that vaccinations work. Full stop. It’s not up to me to prove it. History has proven it.

    • Agree Bruce. I have 2 boys the autism and to say you’d rather your child had a risk of contracting a fatal or horrific disease than the non existent risk that they could get autism offends me. Autism sucks, yea, but I’d take my babies with ASD over them being dead or in hospital etc any day.

      Autism can be regressive, one of mine was one wasn’t. My oldest developed naturally for 18 months and then regressed. It’s hard to process but it’s just how it happens sometimes. People need someone to blame and because it is normally the 18 month mark, where vaccinations are given, they look to that.

  • Essentially these antivaxxers that claim it causes autism are saying autism is worse than death. That’s pretty offensive!

  • Bruce, the exact same thing could be said of you pro-vaxers (‘they tend to already be so entrenched in the ‘anti’ camp they won’t accept (or read) links from government or scientific sources’). Well, i say – if only there was more transparency between the pharmaceutical companies about possible side effects, the medical community on side effects observed and the public, and the scientific community about findings both positive and negative, i’m sure a lot of the people too scared to vaccinate would be more open to it – but people like you and your stance of utter intolerance to people with genuine concerns, issues or direct negative experiences, makes me feel like you are all hiding something, are in cohoots with big pharmaceutical companies and protecting their and your own interests or some other reason. Regarding Andrew Wakefield, there is an interesting sounding film coming out soon which shows his findings were actually spot on. The hate campaign to discredit him was astounding and was a very effective means to deter any other member of the scientific community venturing anywhere near the topic. Hence there has been a huge gap in researching this entire field and any research that is undertaken never gets any media coverage unless it is in support of vaccination. This only serves to make the people you call ‘anti-vaxers’ more suspicious as there clearly is a lack of transparency at so many levels around this area. And on one more note, ‘anti-vaxers’ are not anti vaccination just for the fun of it, it’s usually because their child has had a bad reaction that has changed them for life. As if they haven’t gone through enough, but then they have to endure being demonised by all you ignorant pro-vaxers who have no understanding of what they have been through in a society that really has no interest in them and very few resources or services to offer them. No wonder these two groups are so polarised. but your hate and venom pushes the ‘anti vaxers’ into the position of having to defend themselves and become the opposition. It’s ridiculous! Anti vaxers as you call them aren’t necessarily anti vaccination as such but they have concerns due to their own experience of a bad reaction or someone they know or the evidence they have read about is of enough concern to make the stand not to vaccinate. They should be respected for this. If vaccinations work, people have no need to give them a hard time for exposing other children to disease. If you believe they work then you can assume they can’t pass on the diseases anyway, so be consistent! Your arguments are all painful and ignorant and blindly trustful of authorities. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has had a bad reaction and tell me, if your child had a reaction and was brain damaged, wouldn’t you be a bit more hesitant to have your next child vaccinated?

    • Hard to know where to start. Andrew Wakefield was discredited because he lied about his findings. He cherry picked. I didn’t know there was a film coming out, but I can’t wait. It’ll be a great platform for the disgraceful thing he did to be discussed and hopefully get the message that it’s all bollocks into homes all around the world. As for you somehow making me a hater of people with autism, or more specifically the people who have children with autism, I can’t help you there. I’m not anti people in those situations. I’m actually feel empathy for their struggles. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to accept that vaccinations cause autism without proof. Actual proof, not ‘it happened about the same time’ proof. That’s anecdotal. It’s worth looking into, sure, but it’s not proof. And actually it has been looked into and hasn’t been proven. I’ll even go so far as to say there might still be something in it. There might be some link. There might. But if there is, they don’t know what. They can’t find it. And the ones who think there is, can’t get the science to back them. Unlike the vaccination camp, where the science, the stats, the whole kit and caboodle, backs their argument that vaccinations are your community’s best chance for keeping their horrible deceases under control. And no one says vaccinations stop everything. That’s daft. And then you go for the conspiracy theory bit. Just stop it. For that to be the case the scientific community would have to be made up almost entirely of the most hard-nosed, money-hungry, psychotic pricks on Earth. And they’re not. They’re primarily good people doing really good things. And their results are peer reviewed and open to debate by other experts in those fields. This is science, not Hollywood. And if the science is proven wrong, they’ll march out the new results and celebrate new knowledge. That’s science these days. So please, stop with the nonsense. And as for that final shot, I might hesitate. I might. It depends. I’d take medical advice. But if I did decide to hold back I would want the rest of the community to be up to speed with things because that would offer my child the best chance at avoiding some of these deceases.

      • The latest research i have read on autism shows an actual link between the age of the father at conception and autism. A defective gene of some sort. Like the age of the mother at conception increases the risk of down syndrome. On the matter of ‘if your child is vaccinated then why worry’ have you done research on how viruses actually work??? Viruses can and do mutate in those that are not vaccinated. Take the common cold as an example… person 1 gets it.. person 2 gets it.. person 3 gets it. But then person 1 recovers from the virus and is immune so does person 2. By the time person 6 has contracted the virus and recovered the common cold has mutated enough that the immune system of person 1 doesn’t recognize the virus as the same virus. The virus has essentially changed through its reproduction in 6 bodies enough that it has essentially tricked the immune system of person 1 and person recatches the cold again. This is why herd immunity is so important. So that enough people have the fast immune response so the virus doesn’t get a chance to mutate. However if enough people don’t have that quick immune response then the virus is able to mutate enough to infect those who are or were vaccinated!!!!

  • One more thing, Rebecca spelled it all out so well regarding the ingredients that go into making up the vaccination such as aluminium ingredients etc. Aluminium is linked to all sorts of brain dysfunction like alzheimers, adhd etc so why on earth is it that hard to consider that aluminium in multiple vaccines that are given to kids (over 50 vaccinations i think it is by the time they are school age although it could be much higher) is not going to have some kind of impact on their developing brains. Wouldn’t that be a plausible link for scientists to pursue given how many kids are being diagnosed with behaviour and brain functioning problems such as ADHD, autism, aspergers, developmental delays. You would think that this would be an obvious area to investigate further, requiring research and combined efforts by GP’s, paediatricians, researchers etc. But no, of course not, no one would dare after what has happened to Andrew Wakefield. They would risk their career, get death threats, be ridiculed, be blacklisted and lose their livelihood. Why bother. To his credit, he believes in his research enough to be doing what he can to speak to people about the issues he and others have since discovered about the risks of some vaccines to health and behaviour. If people could just acknowledge that there are some bad reactions for some children then perhaps we could have research done to isolate the causal factors which predispose some children to a bad vaccine reaction compared to those who don’t react. Now this would be helpful research don’t you agree. But as long as everyone’s prepared to accept there are no risks in the first place, or that they are worth it for the masses, then government, pharmaceutical companies and scientists will never be interested in pursuing safer or different alternatives. There is currently no incentive for them to conduct any research into these issues whatsoever because of the masses blind trust of them all! So thanks for that …

      • That is smply not true. That is the same argument used for fouridating water! It is said flouride is everywhere and its natural and its good for you. Sure, calciu flouride is naturally occurring but still no evidence it actually helps grow strong teeth and bones. Not to mention calcium flouride doesnt go into our water or in toorhpaste; rather sodium-mono-flouro phosate (sodium flouride) is what goes into toothpaste and water. Sodium flouride is deadly and causes many diseases and reduces I.Q levels. Interestingly enough the c.i.a uses it for brainwashing and interogation. Used in brainwashing. So you brush your teeth in the morning, turn on the tv and watch and advertisement on how brushng your teeth is good for you. But that is just another conspiracy so dont listen to me. Contnue to listen to television ads that are legally allowed ( through court decision) to lie blatently.

      • Then you’re eating the wrong kinds of foods!! Also, food passes through a lengthy digestive system to filter out what your body needs and what it rejects; it isnt injected directly into your blood stream/muscle tissue where your body has no choice but to pass it through your entire system from heart and brain to every other cell.

  • I would rather vaccinate my children and avoid possible death from the diseases that could of been prevented. Yes they could still contract the disease but I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much worse it could be if they were not vaccinated! The risks out weigh what could happen if I did not choose to vaccinate. Your child could already be on the autism spectrum even before you vaccinated if they even do cause autism, how would you know? How could you prove it was the vaccination? Yes there is a possibility to a reaction but that is like that with any medication.You just don’t know what you are allergic to until you come in contact with it. There are risks with everything. Point is I choose to vaccinate my children to protect them, that was my choice and many others. It wasn’t or isn’t the wrong choice. That just what I believe is the right for my children. They could have not even contract the disease if I didn’t vaccinate but I wasn’t will to take that chance! Each to their own I suppose!

  • What amazes me too is the complete lack of compassion (by all the intolerant provaxers) for all the parents out there who have very tricky difficult and sometimes violent behaviours they have to deal with for evermore, with no support from the health professional who administered the vaccine who often refuses to acknowledge the link and refuses to lodge an adverse reaction for fear of backlash, and who is left alone in their grief for the child they used to have or could have had. Of course they wouldn’t choose to be without their child but having said that, life is that much harder because of the reaction and provaxers don’t care about that. The medical community don’t care about that. Noone much cares about that and noone wants to hear about their woes about what caused it – they then have the insult of being told they are making it up and demonised as ignorant of the facts and science and research bla bla bla. this is so not true. They have been forced into the role of researchers to get answers that no one else is willing to give them. Have some heart and understanding pro-vaxers. You have no idea what people go through. It could happen to anyone. All children react differently based on different factors. Let’s find out what these factors are and try come together to push for this. Then we would really know what we are dealing with and how to prevent further reactions in the future.

    • But this is where you lose me entirely. You’re trying to make the pro-vaxxers out to be nasty and unsympathetic to people with autism. Or rather, to their parents (that always amazes me that people push the parent angle more than the child). And the medical community don’t care about what? Sick people? People with disabilities? Are you for real? You’re wrong and anyway you’re straying from the point of the argument. Vaccinations help to keep some of the worst deceases at bay. I’ll go with the best science currently has to offer on this topic.

    • Rachel, your arguments are a perfect example of when knowing a little bit about a subject and considering yourself ‘knowledgable’ is dangerous. Scientists and medical professionals dedicate their lives to helping the community and provide evidence-based care that will prevent illness, injury and death.
      It’s obvious that not everyone will agree, there is almost nothing in the world that everyone has the same ‘opinion’ about. But at least accept that without credible scientific research your views are only that- an ‘opinion’.
      The social issue here is that a few people in the community are practicing beliefs that put the whole community at risk. Apart from being passionately misinformed, it is completely selfish and irresponsible to think that your ‘research’ and opinions outweigh the safety of the whole community.
      Why can’t you decide whether you drink and drive? Why can’t you decide to take illicit drugs? Why are there rules in place in regard to public health safety across all areas- food preparation, sterilization, why do doctors have to be registered and qualified? This is to protect the public. Not to confine people and control the masses. To protect the community. Same ideology as why vaccines are an important tool to protect the community. I don’t think any pro vax or anti vax person would be so foolish as to believe we know ‘everything’ about the science and consequences of any medical advancement. But this is the best we currently have to protect our children, elderly and those at risk.
      If you don’t want to be part of this community, please take your family to an island where you and other unvaccinated people can’t infect each other and then reflect on the consequences of your actions. It’s so easy to be ‘anti vax’ when you are not ‘harming’ anyone with your views. But I would predict if you knew that your child infected another and killed it then your guilt would eat you up for the rest of your lives. Please see the real issue here- it’s not about your individual child it’s about community safety.

  • and you are saying Andrew Wakefield lied because that is what you read about him – that’s not necessarily what happened at all, just what you read – the reaction he caused was unprecedented

    • His medical license was REVOKED!!! He is not allowed to practise medicine because his actions were seen as detrimental to the greater community!!! So my personality traits that are on the spectrum (I’m 28) how do you explain those then?? And how do you explain how my 4 yo isn’t on the spectrum and she is Neural Typical AND vaccinated.

    • Have you researched Mr Wakefields research? My understanding is he used a very very small cohort, discounted results from children that didn’t conform to his idea of outcome , there was some questions surrounding how he engaged the subjects, and perhaps that he had financial interest in HIS preferred outcome as he was also developing his own version of the MMR. Can anyone say what the real truth is about that situation?

      • I believe that’s the official take on his ‘research’ Bec 🙂 And yet his research is still held up as ‘evidence’ by certain people. I hate to imagine how much damage that has done.

  • Not at all, you and many pro vaxers spend an enormous amount of effort saying how irresponsible and stupid non vaccinaters are which i think makes you incredibly unsympathetic to parents who choose not to vaccinate – BECAUSE it’s ignorant of the incredibly serious issues they have often faced in reaching that decision.

    Talk to some parents who have had reactions and find out what response they had from their GP etc – it will be enlightening for you

    • You’re right about one thing, I am actually extremely unsympathetic to parents who refuse to vaccinate their kids. Your unvaccinated spawn could literally kill my seriously ill son. So yes, I do have zero sympathy for whatever imagined crisis you encountered to arrive at the decision to risk his life.

  • As for what I have vested in my need to be right, you’re wrong there too. My kids are vaccinated. If you’re wrong, I’m still alright. What I have vested in this is giving a damn for others.

    • (if anyone else can find this link then that would be great)
      I saw some charts that had been drawn up with autism rates vs number of KFCs in the US. And do you know what? There was a great correlation. I haven’t heard this being raised as a cause during the debate…. Or maybe causation isn’t the same as correlation?

  • Some hilarious comments here from people who clearly don’t understand confirmation bias. I’m definitely sticking with the informed, educated opinions backed by medical science of my doctor over the barely literate ravings of the anti-vax loons I’m seeing here. Sure, googling ‘why vaccinations kill kids’ takes a little effort but 8 years at uni to become a medical doctor also represents certain difficulties.

  • I have a daily limit for The Stupid. Yesterday I dealt with parents sending vomiting kids to school with gastro and hit my limit fairly quick. Looks like today is not any better…

    Unfortunately I live in the 2nd highest non-vaccinated area of Australia. All these well-off, “educated” parents with their little Petri dishes of Will and Ava, building stronger doses of disease that would otherwise have been eradicated.

    Now, I have no problem with those who have genuine proven reason not to vaccinate (EG allergy to egg). It’s the selective Jenny McCarthy followers that shit me. Because their kids then pass the strengthened disease on to my vaccinated kids who still pick up a mild version – the speed of stupid is still faster than the speed of science.

    I’m then left with sick kids at home, because I am socially responsible and don’t want to spread infection to those who are most vulnerable – auto-immune deficiency, elderly, pregnant and babies. Those who do not have the luxury of choice. Those who suffer painfully with these diseases. Those will die from preventable diseases.

    But then, most of these parents are usually the ones sending their kids to school sick – because keeping their kids home would only remind them of how irresponsible they are. Because when your paranoid, uneducated, arrogant idea has direct and dire consequences beyond your immediate circle of cronies, you need to take a step back and apply some social responsibility to your critical thought. If you don’t have a bio-chemistry degree, then go and get one BEFORE you start sending your spawn into public areas like schools and parks.

    But there is an upside. The most common consequence for most of these preventable diseases is infertility. At best, the anti-vaxers will ‘breed themselves out’. Science and evolution = win!

  • The fact that children with ASD are diagnosed after the mmr vaccine is coincidental. Children cannot be diagnosed on the spectrum until around 3 years of age as this is when their personality traits really begin to develop and there sensory needs can be established. Boys are easier to diagnose than girls and we are getting better at diagnosing that. And with having 2 ASD nephews and myself who shows a lot of signs of being on the spectrum, I would STILL vaccinate my kids as autism is not a negative thing. It’s just different. I would prefer to have a child with ASD than to have a dead child.

  • Chicken pox. As i child i wasn’t vaccinated had spots everywhere!!! My little sister now 8 did have the vaccination she caught chicken pox this year. A total of 20 spots!!! And not much of a fever!
    Yes she still got them but no way near as bad as it could of been due to the vaccination 🙂

  • Rebecca, an educated person who actually spends time conducting academic research, would be able to tell (without any need for Dr Google) that academicjournals.org is not a reliable source. The article you posted is not a genuine academic research paper.

  • If only the anti-vaccination canpaigners could have seen the results of Polio, Measles, Mumps, Tetanus, Smallpox, Tuberculosis amongst their friends and family when they were growing up, they might be a bit less cavalier in talking about missing vaccines “in case” their children develop symptoms of Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder/ADHD.
    Paddy in my primary school suffered from Polio which she caught before vaccine was available, and it severely affected her ability to enjoy playing in the school yard with the rest of us and prevented her from ever having the chance to join in with Sports Day activities.
    Other friends struggled with vision and heart problems after they caught Measles (it was not uncommon for kids to have to wear a patch over their good eye to force the affected eye to work harder after Measles damaged their eyesight).
    Friends with siblings who had been born with deformities because their mothers had caught Rubella (German Measles) while not yet being aware that they were pregnant.
    Family members who have no children to leave family heirlooms to in their wills because a favourite Uncle caught mumps from us one Christmas (before we were showing symptoms) soon after he married.
    Clearly they also haven’t faced the constant fear when their child has been medically advised to NOT have the final dose of Whooping Cough vaccine because of such significant side effects that she may not survive any further vaccine of this type, when you as a mother remember how awful you felt when you caught Whooping Cough as a child and struggled to breathe for days on end – and then saw your baby sister struggling through whooping cough while failing to thrive (every meal time was accompanied by the sound of her coughing till she vomited and then continuing to cough).
    Although I’m only 60, THAT was my childhood experience along with many other friends in my “middle class” suburban area just outside of London.
    Back then nobody was diagnosed with Autism or ADHD, even though we can now clearly remember kids at school who would have been diagnosed if back then it was considered to be a medical condition rather than being a difficult child.

  • I’m wondering if anti-vaxxers would choose not to be personally vaccinated if they were traveling to India, West Africa or South-East Asia. Because that would be a rather large risk. Or are they happy gambling with their children’s lives but not their own?

  • I’m so sick of hearing about herd immunity and how I must vaccinate my kids to protect someone else’s. It’s not my job to get your children to adulthood, it’s yours. I don’t demand that you have your son’s sterilised so my daughter doesn’t get pregnant.

    • Go travel overseas to the places where they don’t vaccinate for these deadly diseases. Take your precious cargo with you. Hopefully when you see what these diseases can and do actually do to people you might be a little more grateful for the country you live in and it’s herd immunity. Hopefully your children don’t catch these horrid preventable diseases but if they do you can only blame yourself. Oh and if you had a son i would expect YOU to teach him how to wear protection otherwise i would be charging YOU with HALF the cost of the consequences!!!

  • thankyou Bruce Devereaux.. I enjoyed the rationality of your arguments..

    I had thougt the debate was well and truly dead and that the anti vaxxers were a thing of the past (that the argument was well and truly dead) – appears I was wrong (they deperately want something or someone to blame all their problems on..) …. and appears they, like many of the conspiracy theory groups, are still out there…sigh..

    I dont have any kids but I if (and when…lol) I do – vaccinations will be a big things and they will be vaccinated!!!

    I don’t know any (ANY) people from my era or their children sufefring because of vaccinations….

  • As long as the medical profession believes and pushes the germ theory of sickness and disease man will always be looking for a magic pill or magic bullet to eradicate disease. I would suggest to those who criticize and put down people who are against vaccinations that you read two books by a man called Arnold Ehret who clearly points out the common root cause of all disease aging and death. The books are titled “The Mucusless Diet Healing System” and “The Cause and Cure of Human Illness.
    A medical doctor named J.H.Tilden years ago wrote a book called “There is Only One Disease and it’s Called Toxemia”
    Each of these two men were able to impart their clinical experiences to the lay person to help them understand that “Natures heals why be sick” My 25 years of reading to educate myself in the knowledge of true health without the help of the medical profession has proven to me that the truth is simple, and man continues to break the laws of nature and suffer the inevitable consequences by putting his trust in allopathic medicines and the ingestions of foreign bodies to eradicate what man builds in his body through ignorance of natures food laws.I am against vaccinations and have a cancer on my left arm from a smallpox vaccination years ago. Until one experiences the benefits of educating oneself of the true benefits of adhering to a natural lifestyle that avoids the mob mindset of traditional medicine, all you will is an argument and not a life changing experience.

    • “Nature heals…”

      Not to sure if you have noticed recently, Ray, but “Nature” is kind of pissed with us right now (and rightly so). Considering “Nature” creates these diseases that either kill us or render many infertile, I don’t think She’s offering to help us anytime soon.

      If you really want to be all anti-science and technology, get off my internet. And stay away from public places (read my prev comment above).

  • Hey Alicia,

    Poor sort of analogy, my son won’t do a thing to your daughter without her consent.

    Whereas diseases don’t ask before they infect somebody.

    A better analogy would be to say that it’s ok to let a vicious pit bull of it’s leash near a park or playground. Or that it would be ok to drive drunk near a school at going home time. After all if the dog bites or the car hits then that’s somebody elses problem right ? That’s more the kind of thing your suggesting is ok.

    Personally one of the reason I’m glad my kids are vaccinated is because of that herd immunity and because of that they are hopefully helping other kids, including the non-vaccinated ones.

  • fantastic post, if it gets through to one anti vax moron for every 10 that read it we may just get somewhere

  • I can see you anti vax people feel very passionate about how bad the consequences of vaccination can be. And you have a right to feel whatever you want. Your posts however comes across as aggressive, and it’s as if any info you have shared is something you have googled, and does not provide anything remotely insightful or new. It’s pretty easy to find ANY info or proof you want on the internet if you search long enough, but are any of you actually scientists in this area? You can think whatever you wish but do you actually have any authority in this area? I’m a natural health practitioner myself and after understanding at least the basics of herd immunity, there is no way I would not vaccinate, nor put other weaker children’s health at risk. I use to care for adults with autism and yes, it was horrendous sometimes, and I definitely acknowledge that. Have you seen a baby with whooping cough? oh my god.
    There should definitely be transparency about what the vaccines are cultured in, and thank goodness mercury hasn’t been used since around 2000. I do understand it’s easy too get freaked out about what could happen with a vaccine, I was nervous taking my baby. And experts have suggested the vaccine can be a final trigger for someone who was susceptible to developing it anyway. So please think of all the people who got the vaccine and are fine, and all the people in developing countries who are looking at us and probably shaking their head. I find it funny lots of us lefties and slightly left respect scientists on climate change, but not on vaccines. Doesn’t mean I love profit hungry pharmaceutical companies lol, but hey, it’s one thing that’s free.

  • Of course I Googled stuff 🙂 But I also made sure I went to sites like WHO and NSW Health etc. And as I’ve stated, I’m not a scientist. I’m a blogger. This is an opinion piece. But what I also did was to go to the links people were putting up to see if there was anything in them. This is a very emotive topic and people are usually very polar in their opinions on it. I know I am. But I do think these are important discussions. And to be honest I’ve had discussions from this post with a couple of people who are against vaccinations and they were wonderful – respectful and a genuine exchange of ideas. That’s the way it should be.

  • It is always prudent to think carefully before subjecting one’s nearest and dearest to medical treatment … mistakes happen.

    During the early days of polio vaccination, the Salk vaccine was contaminated with SV40, subsequently SV40 DNA is prevalent in many human tumours (suspicious at least). My friend and I were only discussing this fact recently, comparing notes, stating, I remember having the oral Sabin, whilst her parents refused her Salk vaccination. They were right to do so. Oral Sabin was not without its consequences either, as viral shedding in faecal matter and urine potentially infected the unprotected.

    Smallpox Vaccine was ‘miracle’ weapon against the scourge of mankind, but in the end it wasn’t the vaccine alone that eradicated smallpox. It was the selfless and tireless work of a team of dedicated people who formulated a successful strategy.

    Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis are all killers, vaccines have long been used to protect us without much ill effect. Problems arise when pharmaceutical companies (in their quest for tender) bring out new formulations. As for people questioning many of the ‘added’ ingredients, whilst not completely understood, adjuvants are essential for an effective immunological response.

    Measles is another nasty, nasty little disease, but should they have combined the vaccine with mumps & rubella … questionable at best. Besides, if possible, every planned pregnancy should be preceded with antibody check etc.

    Who would give a HepB vaccination to a newborn (unless necessary) … crazy.

    Long story, shortened … Anti D for Rh incompatibility – even the woman in charge from its inception (1968) said ‘oh nothing can contaminate it, it’s too small”, completely oblivious to the Irish HepC disaster … go figure!

    Vaccination is scientifically brilliant, but so is the human immune system. Large scale production of any patented product provokes suspicion. I am very sceptical of Prevnar 13, any rotavirus vaccine (intussusception), to name a couple.

    Anyway, just stop rubbishing each other, we have choices, choose wisely … no camp is completely correct. Following either path blindly, is foolhardy.

  • My son has a mild form of Autism, I don’t regret vaccinating him for a second! I didn’t struggle through my pregnancy to have him and lose him to preventable diseases, his life is too precious! Just like he asks me if he can have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch at school and I explain to him why he can’t. He’s only 6 but I respect him enough to tell him the truth. That their are kids at school who are allergic to nuts and that they could die from them, I also explain to him that those children’s mothers didn’t struggle to have them to send them to school to die! You may think it’s harsh but we live in the real world and I’m not wrapping him up in cotton wool, like most people choose to do in this day in age.

    We all have a choice to vaccinate or not that’s our right in our wonderful “free” country and we are lucky compared to third world countries where mother’s would do anything to save their child from dying but can’t and end up outliving them.

    I don’t agree that people who choose to risk their child’s life should have any rights to exposing vaccinated people with any disease they pick up along the way as I made the right choice to begin with.

    So when Ebola is let lose in our country (because it’s already here in research labs) you are telling me if there was in fact a vaccine you would choose to potentially kill your child by not getting it? Further more since you yuppie types have chosen to go down this path of resistance you should be made to wait until everyone who is up to date with their vaccines gets their’s first! And I will fucking campaign for it because I already chose to put my son’s needs first!

    To rubbish Autism and say things like I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy sickens me! What kind of low life says that?!

    My son may have a mild form he was just outside the full diagnosis but he is amazing and so special. His passion for dinosaurs, reptiles and anything he fixates on is amazing! What kid at 2 or 3 can name the proper full names of dinosaurs? Every child is special and gifted, it’s just unlocking what they are interested in and are good at! And I can’t wait to see him grow up and see what he makes of himself!

    I wonder do these people who choose not to vaccinate go to third world countries? Maybe a study should take place in a third world country on people who travel there vaccinated verses people who travel that aren’t and see what happens when both are exposed to these diseases…..

  • Oh wow, so many things I want to say about this that I can’t pull them all together so am just gonna resort to point form and am gonna keep it simple and also address the issues raised in others’ comments about which I am feeling most passionate first:
    1. To anyone who has said, implied, or suggested that provaxers don’t care about people with ASD’s or their families HOW DARE YOU! Yes, I just shouted that at you! My now adult nephew has an ASD – of which he showed signs from birth (yes, from birth) – and is one of my favourite people on the planet. He is an absolutely glorious human being who is thriving, creative, compassionate and downright hilarious and not a single member of his family, including his mother who has borne the brunt of the negative aspects of his condition, would have him any other way. I also have a number of friends with kids with ASD’s (all of whom accept that this is due to the luck of the draw and would still vaccinate their kids if they had a do-over) and I have nothing but compassion for all of them.
    2. Polio, measles, rubella etc are called preventable diseases for a reason. They are preventable. By the administration of vaccines. D’oh!
    3. Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children more often that not are already suffering from a disease themselves. It is called affluenza and my god do I wish there was a vaccine for that. To allow their own first world complacency to endanger their own and other children, for fear of something that is at the very least unproven and at the most downright debunked, is the most awful kind of ignorance and they should absolutely be held culpable for it if anybody gets hurt as a result.
    These people should all watch the documentary series Cold Chain Mission (starring Ewan McGregor) to see the lengths that UNICEF goes to to ensure that children in remote areas also have access to vaccines. But of course they only do that to profit the drug companies. Yeah, right.
    4. I have a friend who refused to vaccinate her son and I made it my mission to be the voice of reason for her in that process. I read all of the antivax stuff that she had read so I could see how she had arrived at that decision and discuss it with her and also referred her to a lot of stuff written by actual medical professionals. Ultimately she conceded that she was letting fear make the decision for her and though she knew she was potentially endangering others she didn’t really care. So I guess at least she knew she was being ignorant and selfish. For all the good that does. In the end I told her in the nicest possible way that I thought she was mental and on her own head be it. I also told her that if my own children had been too young to be vaccinated I wouldn’t have let them anywhere near her son. She, who purported to have considered all angles of the issue, was actually shocked by this.
    5. Of all of the hundreds of vaccinated individuals I know, not one of them has even the appearance of ‘contracting’ an ASD as a result.

    • As a mum of four beautiful, healthy children – one with Aspergers, I fully support vaccinating our children. I support credible and verified scientific research that has enabled us to wipe out or significantly reduce diseases like small pox, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella (to name a few). I also support intelligent discussion and supporting each other as parents, adults and human beings in general. Let’s be kind and respectful with our reactions to people we might not agree with.

  • Check the increase in Autism over the last decade – do a graph. Count how many vaccinations a child receives before starting school ( approx.40)- This you think helps a child? It completely stops their bodies from protecting itself, which it was made to do. How many babies and children get these diseases within 2 weeks of receiving the vaccinations that are supposed to prevent them. How many children are coming out in eczema and skin diseases now, when that was rare 20 years ago. Their immune systems are shot, they are unable to deal with much more. Count how many injection a baby has before it even leaves the hospital. Many were given the polio when it was a vaccine who actually contracted polio from it, my uncle was one of them. My own son caught English measles 7 days after getting the vaccine to prevent it. Anything can be put into these vaccination under the guise and pretense of what is in them. Sorry to burst your bubble ladies and gentlemen, Iv’e seen too many go wrong, Im one of the nurses who gave them to poor innocent babies.

    • You’re not bursting my bubble, Jay Jay 🙂 Vaccinations save millions of lives every year. A link to autism, despite research, has never been proven. It’s more likely, and I think I’m reading this right (I’m not a nurse or medical professional or researcher), a coincidence that autism is noticed in children around the time of vaccinations. The autism was already there. Here’s a link to a site called Autism Speaks where developmental-behavioral pediatrician Paul Wang tries to throw some light on the question of the development of autism. Hope that helps. http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/10/11/are-children-born-autism-or-does-it-develop-later

      • Considering measles has an incubation period (time of contracting the virus to the time of symptoms) of 7 to 21 days post exposure with the symptoms being visible at day 14 i dare say your son had been exposed approximately 7 days before he was vaccinated!!!!

  • Ok, so I’ve read every comment here & want to say my part for the Anti Vaxers who aren’t raving lunatics. Those of us who have seriously considered & weighed the options. Our reasons have NOTHING to do with ASD, and no one in my circle of family & friends has been damaged from an immunisation. I also know some people left paralysed from Polio. This is not a cavalier decision we have made. Nor is it something I normally discuss because of the divisive nature of the topic but here we go.

    We don’t vaccinate our children for a few reasons. The main one is that there is a proven link between vaccines and allergies & asthma. My family is a medically atypical family in this regard – I literally carry an epi pen with me at all times for my allergies & my husband is hospitalised at least once a year for asthma. In our case, any escalation of these conditions would be life threatening.

    I have had doctors tell me that at least asthma & allergies are treatable. But there is a possibility of dieing from preventable diseases. While I understand this – it is also simply not relevant in our situation. The probability of one of my kids having a fatal reaction due to their inherited medical conditions is FAR greater than that of them contracting a potentially fatal disease. Let alone the chance of them going on to actually die from it. Yes, these diseases are all nasty – but medical treatment has come a long way in the last 20 years too. However, our understanding of complex anaphylaxis isn’t quite there yet – when no one can tell me what my son is even allergic to.

    I know we are relying on a herd immunity to protect us. What I don’t understand is that if your kids are vaccinated – why are mine such a threat to you unless you somehow doubt your faith that they will work?
    I have been asked to keep our kids away from new born babies & other very young children. While this does sting a little, I do understand the fear. I also politely respect those peoples decisions – just as they should politely respect mine.

    The second biggest reason we don’t vaccinate is for all the heavy metals, known carcinogens and other highly toxic ingredients in them. I know it is to create an appropriate immunological response.. But your seriously telling me out of every substance known to medical science that they couldn’t find anything else at all that would have the same or similar results? Why are these things deemed necessary & injected into the weakest and most vulnerable members of society?

    Now for the lessor reasons: the inability to choose (in Australia at least) the type & frequency of vaccinations. It is all or nothing here. Parents do not have the choice to say that they want a delayed schedule. Or to just give a single vaccine at a time. Or to decide that you live in a high TB & Hep C area so just those ones thanks.

    As well as some other points that I’m not as 100% sure I can back them up or they seem more emotional than scientific. I’d rather not get into a character debate.

    As for the question of if I’d have or give my kids the Ebola vaccination. Nope, not a chance. Even if Ebola was in my home town. The fact is, that particular virus can only be transmitted by bodily fluids. Kinda like aids. Bodily fluids. Saliva. Urine. You get the idea. With proper hygiene & precautions I think the risk would be minimal. Also, with the speed at which such a vaccine was produced.. Where is it’s proof for safety in humans? How can it have possibly passed a long term study? How can it be gaurenteed as safe? I would take my chances with a predictably transmittable disease over being used for medical experimentation.

    Also, for travelling to third world countries.. It’s like asking if you would take your epileptic kid to a nightclub. You would have to seriously weigh the risks against the rewards and see if it was worth it. There is also the likelihood of me travelling to a 3rd world country (or any overseas holiday).. Which is about as out of reach to me as it would be to get your little kid into a nightclub.

    I could go on and on but I won’t.
    Please be respectful in your replies & have an actual discussion not just a slander fest.

  • Well said ‘whoisthat’ and Oh so true. I am an RN and used to give these vaccinations to children in both a hospital and clinic situation and you would be surprised just how many returned with the actual disease they were being vaccinated against. The same with the elderly being given flu shots, they get the flu after having the shot. I stopped my mother from having her annual flu shot about 5 years ago and you know what? she has never had a cold or flu since she stopped having what was supposed to prevent it in the first place. Also a huge rise in auto-immune problems have been noted over the past decade or two. Lots and lots of cases of eczema and asthma and skin rashes that dont leave till the child was over 2yrs of age or more (in other words the rest period between onslaughts) and of course the controversial increase in autism. I would not have a vaccination if my life depended upon it either and there are many nurses who feel the same way.

    • That’s a lot of anecdotal evidence you’ve got there, Judy. Unfortunately what you’ve written isn’t quite right. I see anecdotal stories a bit like someone saying they never stop at stop signs and they’ve never had an accident but they work in a hospital and were always seeing people come through who’d stopped at crossings and still been in accidents. But the research is clear that stopping is safer. Here’s a link to how vaccines help control and prevent these deceases 🙂 http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/vaccine-decision/prevent-diseases.html

      • I am a vaccine mummy, both my kids are fully immunised, but after reading the ingredients in some vaccines, I’m beginning to wonder if I could vaccine again if I were to have another child………this stuff is scary, I’ve always just gone with the flow of vaccines, my daughter had the first part of the swine flu vaccine, and had awful reactions, febrile convulsions, hospitalisation etc……..it was so frightening, she never had the second jab (at Drs advice) I wish I never read this stuff now :-/

    • Oh gosh, you and all your other crazy RN friends should be de registered. And make way for people who actually know their science in the profession. You are the reason that nursing is seen in a poor light. AHPRA should have a clause to de register stupid practitioners making stupid public comments. It’s scary how ignorant you are, and this year I hope the Easter Bunny brings you influenza A because some time on a ventilator to consider your life and herd immunity would be a huge blessing to you and the patients and community you endanger by getting around unimmunised.

  • I get my info from the Cochrane Collaboration, not public health (govt) or pharma with something to gain. I object to the myth that the ingredients are harmless. Specifically I refer to aluminum and mercury. There are laws that prevent an IV solution for an adult to have more than a certain amount of aluminum yet we provide 10-20times that amount to children-with developing brains-with each vaccine. I believe the formulations emulate the same problems we see with food supply-all for ease of manufacture, shelf life, and convenience. Furthermore, it is known that certain vitamin deficiencies lead to many of the complications but there is no campaign to let the public at large know this.

    • I confess all I’ve done is a Wikipedia search, but it seems the Cochrane Collaboration has ties with WHO and is primarily funded by NIHR. Not criticizing your source, but it doesn’t sit well with your ‘not public health (govt) or pharma with something to gain’ comment when one of them is funding it. And your ‘I believe’ comment is nothing but speculation. It’s not science, it’s an opinion. Again, vaccinations work. The science is in. Lives are being saved every single year. Not only that, but other side effects, like blindness, are being avoided. I don’t know about the aluminium and mercury thing, because I’m not a scientist, but I also don’t care about it much. I’ll trust the experts doing their best trying to save lives and eradicate these diseases, not those people chipping away at one of the greatest medical advancements in the history of mankind 🙂 Will the researchers develop better ways of doing this? Of course. Have they already identified a problem and fixed it? Yep. That’s science. Isn’t it wonderful?! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochrane_Collaboration

  • I suggest you do more research on Andrew Wakefield. He Published a “CASE STUDY”. There was no conflict of interest. He said that more research needed to be done on the subject as to why those ASD children had measles virus in their guts. Also, if you were up to date, you would know that he has been vindicated and his college, Dr Smith had his license reinstated. All charges were dropped when they found out that the journalist who started the witch hunt, had lied. Other researchers have found the same results he did. I really hope he files more lawsuits against people who continue to smear his name with old false information. Oh, and have you read about the CDC researcher who admitted they left out information in their report about the increase in autism in certain age children, or do you think that has been made up by the “anti vaxers”? Keep believing that vaccine manufactures have your best interest at heart. Why have some of the measles outbreaks been among people who were fully immunized? Why have people immunized with the whooping cough vaccine been spreading it? Too many people believe that drug company marketing is science.

    • Being immunized doesn’t stop you catching something. It gives your body a fighting chance to battle it better. Also, drug company marketing isn’t science, but science is. And the science says vaccinations work. The stats prove it 🙂

  • IT is GREAT to see someone so clearly articulate the arguments for vaccination. And also to point out the dangers caused to the population in general from those who do not get vaccinated.

    People that oppose vaccinations are doing so on false information that is not based on scientific facts. That means people who oppose vaccinations are doing so based on superstition alone.

    Some on this thread that vaccines are about choice. Okay, let’s pursue that logic. I say if some people want to insist on not getting themselves or their kids vaccinated, then they should live separately on their own island. That way they will only infect each other with these deadly diseases. They will see the same rate of autism on that island. If they want to come join or visit the vaccinated mainland population they would need to get vaccinated and sit through a quarantine period.

  • I Do not doubt that vaccinations help. What I am concerned about is the fact that the government and pharmaceutical companies have access to those vials so they can add whatever they like in addition to the vaccine and this is why Im against taking a vaccine, not for the sake of the vaccine, but what else is put into them

  • Bruce Devereaux I can see that you are on one end of the spectrum and Im on the other and we are not, either of us, going to change our minds. You have seen evidence that proves vaccinations protect, and yes, I think they used to, because copious amounts of adverse effect contents were added, goodness wnows why, but…… and any other experimental snippet of whatever is put into them. Something is amiss because the side effects of these vaccinations are getting worse, which means the content has changed or else an entire two generations of infants are developing allergies to them. So you keep your opinion, which you are welcome to, and I shall keep mine. Cause sure as hell freezes over you wont be jumping to my side of the fence and will not be bounding over to yours either. So lets just agree to disagree. Put it this way, the adverse affects are outweighing the good effects and that to me says – dont go there.

    • I appreciate what you’ve said there, Judy. Genuinely. Although I will correct you on one thing. If evidence comes out which contradicts what I’ve written I will change my opinion and I will write about it. That’s the beauty of basing opinions on peer reviewed scientific study, and not hearsay and anecdotal evidence. Science doesn’t say this is the answer and that’s it. It says this is what the evidence is telling us. Currently, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favour of vaccinations.

  • I understand where you are coming from Bruce, you are definitely scientific (Ill believe it when I see it) well…….Ive seen it in reality, over 42 years of patient contact and human response. Im talking hands on reactions, I get to see and nurse the affected children and see the grief of the mothers.

    • I’m not scientific lol I’m a blogger. Was that a dig? This is an opinion piece, not a science journal. But I’m basing my opinion on the best information out there at the moment. And I’m sure you do a wonderful job with the children affected by things, and I am absolutely sympathetic with their plight, but that doesn’t mean that vaccinations are responsible for their woes. In fact, the evidence does not back that up. Correlation does not imply causation, and all that. I just think when you’re dealing with people’s lives then jumping to conclusions and ignoring a wealth of research is a bit risky. And by a bit I mean a shitload of risky.

  • In 1985 there were 350,000 cases of polio per year in the third world. Polio did not exist in western countries at that time because of the vaccination program. Rotary started a vaccination program in 1985 in the Philippines and by 1988 the WHO, CDC and UNICEF became partners with the goal of eradicating polio. There are now less than 300 cases per year world wide and only in areas where vaccines are hard to give because of beliefs in groups such as al Qaeda. Solid proof that science and vaccines work.

  • Back in the 1960’s when the polio sabin was being offered to the world, my Aunty bullied her husband into having it, against his will, he eventually relented and took it, and he was one of the many that actually got Polio from it. He was paralyzed from the waist down and had to wear catheters for the rest of his life. My point is, even the smallest percentage of failure is enough to turn peoples heads away from vaccinations. No body wants to be that 1: 1000 or even 1:million.

    • Then, quite aside from arguing science, I hope people who feel ‘even the smallest percentage of failure is enough to turn peoples heads away’ is a valid argument don’t drive or, heaven forbid, travel on planes. Food would be fraught with danger too, what with things going off and people getting food poisoning. And don’t step out of the house – the sunlight might cause a melanoma, cause it happens in a small percentage of people. It’s silliness as an argument when the far greater danger is being susceptible to the decease itself.

  • Dont be so ridiculous Bruce, you sound like you are trying to sound agreeable, but hate people disagreeing with you.

    • I’m certainly doing my best to avoid rude, but admit it is hard sometimes. This is a very emotive topic. But I don’t think I’m being ridiculous. I think I’m trying very hard to make a point.

  • My brother has Autism and I can tell you we knew from BIRTH that he was different, but were not able to get a diagnosis until he was 5 years old (this was 20 years ago). Saying look at the increase in ASD diagnosis as the vaccination rate increases is ridiculous, in 20 years we have gone from waiting till 5 to diagnose ASD to being able to diagnose at 3, 40 years ago ASD kids were just labelled naughty or difficult. As our medical knowledge advances and we know what we are dealing with there is going to be a spike in diagnosis. Lets just say you create a completely new disease in a lab and release it simultaneously with a new soft drink, would it be ok to say “no one had disease X before fizzy Y came out” and expect it to fly? Of course not correlation does not equal causation. http://www.tylervigen.com/ – for example the divorce rate in Maine correlates with the per capita consumption of margarine in the US, does margarine cause divorce?
    My Aunt became deaf in one ear during a bad case of mumps as a child. This has caused her a lot of difficulty in her life. I am yet to meet one person in my generation or my children’s generation who has had mumps. Yes, some children have adverse reactions to vaccines, I myself have an egg allergy and have had a bad reaction, but the diseases themselves can cause worse pain and I thank everyone who can a does vaccinate against the diseases I can’t.
    Rebecca, if you could just help me understand why someone who claims to be an educated, science minded person would think that we have the highest infant mortality rates??? How about I set you up with a mother from AFRICA to talk about infant mortality, and you can preach to her about why you choose not to use the vaccinations she would die to give her children…
    No, vaccines do not stop you from ever getting the disease, it reduces the severity of the disease, the diseases that killed your grandparents generation only make you uncomfortable for a few days. My cousin who was not vaccinated because she was born 3 months premature had such a bad case of chicken pox when we were kids that she had to be hospitalised when the blisters spread up her nose and down her throat and obstructed her airways, I caught the bug off her and spent a week in bed feeling itchy and sorry for myself, which would you choose for your child?
    If you have a MEDICAL reason not to vaccinate then don’t, but if you are able you have a responsibility to protect those who are vulnerable.

  • I read a pro-vax article a few years back stating how looking in hindsight vaxing every Aussie for swine flu would have been okay as the worldwide stats showed only 1.6 deaths per 1 million vax’s given. – I thought to myself hang on that means 32 Aussies would have been given a death sentence. then think how many people actually caught this potential worldwide epidemic virus here in Oz and of those that did get it how many died (none without other contributing medical factors) – pro or anti vax, this is reason enough for the choice to remain with the individual not the government.

  • Doctors and drug companies are partners in crime. I don’t even vaccinate my animals as I was told by a veterinarian that they are all a marketing scam as well.

    • ‘Partners in crime’? I find it amazing how something as incredible as vaccinations, which is proven beyond doubt to save lives (millions, yearly), has got such a bad rap.

  • Wow! Okay…common sense plays alot into this disscussion.
    I think many throw the baby out with the bath water.
    Do more research!!! All of you!!! These are vacs that have changed the world…
    Polio, Tetnus, measles diptheria and whooping cough(which by the way my 2 year old Grandson almost died from recieving a vaccine from a ‘bad batch’ the virus was not dead!
    Drug stores everywhere are pushing flu shots this year, which have been shown that the virus muted and are not working…2 doctors told this too my elderly parents. Are we creating a new Super Virus with flu shots? Pneumonia vaccines have helped some elderly…some it has not…
    Typhoid… is based from salmonela use a bit of dry mustard in your food and prevent it!!!
    Raise your immunity with Vitamin D3! Protect yourself from Mosquito born disease by taking vitamin B1 (by the way the WHO reccomends this OVER vaccines for Malaria) and GARLIC.
    Put up Fruit bat feeding stations….fruit bats do not carry rabies and do not get in your hair…but they eat many times their weight of bugs.
    And for crying to pete, if you are sick and if your kids is sick, don’t go out in public. It is not a good thing for anyone to push through and visit family or go to the store work or school. Wash your hands a lot with soap and warm water.
    Instead of HPV don’t have risky sex. Morality prevents many diseases.And if you are thinking risky sex makes you need HPV! look into all the problems with this Very RISKY vaccine. I personally know of quite a few girls who suffer serious side affects with this so called safe vaccine…
    Attacking one another isn’t getting any of you any where…except closer to a heart attack from getting all worked up….and visciousness will only make you sick
    It is proven that bitterness is a culpret in many disease like arthritis, cancers, parkinsons and a few others.
    So Guard your heart, take care in what you eat…(i am very careful about aluminum) what you put on your skin…it is the largest organ of your body..
    And wahs your hands, don’t cough on others, stay home when you are sick..and do an act of kindness eveyday. See if you don’t make your world a better place.
    Make informed decisions about each vaccine seperatly, they are not all evil…but they are surely not all good….just like meds you put in your mouth…insulin can save one person but kill another. I don’t take it …because I am not diabetic…many in my family are…I AM trying to prevent it by my diet… But some can not.
    I hope this helps someone…

  • Bruce, don’t be blinded either, there are many ‘big PHARM ‘ scams too…
    I work in the third world as a missionary, my life is divided between two countries but 3 or 4 cultures, including the US. I have to always investigate treatments because of this. Including some real controversial treatments. Ethics are not so great in much of the medical field and folks will say anything to back up their view.
    Be Wise!

  • Unless there was a high chance of my child being allergic / bad reaction I would vaccinate. Even if there was a chance of them growing extra heads after vaccinating them I’d love them because they are mine.
    Don’t swap the chance of one disease for another which is most likely inherited anyway.
    Also interesting that in the third world countries they’d line up for the chance to save their kids, interesting that in the first world they have a choice.

  • Bruce is the perfect example of someone who cannot possibly be proven wrong otherwise he’ll be held accountable for vaccinating 7 of his own children.

    Bruce, I am sorry to say but you messed up by vaccinating your children. HOWEVER with your limited knowledge at the time, you KNEW no better so let it go and hope that nothing happens.

    • Bob, better chance of nothing happening having vaccinated my seven children 😀 I am more than happy to be proven wrong on points and to change my opinion. That’s the difference. My opinion is based on the best known information available at this time. You know like sciency stuff where people are expected to provide proof of their claims and have it scrutinized by their peers who also understand that branch of sciency stuff. As opposed to sprouting anecdotal dribble which has the very real potential to end up killing people. As I recently heard Dara O’Briain say, “Science knows it doesn’t know everything, otherwise it’d stop.”

  • I am not asking for banning vaccination but I am against making compulsory to vaccinate our childrens or ourselves (big business mate!). Rational or not, people has the right to have options, to have opinions and to go against the new religion …scientism which is as fanatising as any other religion. We don’t want another nanny state and Medical Associations already have too much political power. We are now living under the tyrany of “the great goodness”. What happens with individuality? Are we under totalitarian government?

  • Parents who choose NOT to vaccinate need to be forced to sit 24 hours beside a newborns bed as it struggles to breath with Whooping Cough!
    See if you’re ill informed decisions stand up then.
    Personally I think they should pay an extra levy on their taxes to go to Disease research. They’re the reason these diseases are now coming back full force.

    • Do you mean crap instead of crab? That would make more sense. More sense than your comment too. They didn’t pay me anything for it, but the post is, as I explain, sponsored by the NSW Government who wanted their APP put out there. The rant is mine and I stand behind it. If you don’t believe in the benefits of vaccinations, I can’t help you. Especially if you become so accusatory and your spelling falls apart. But then I’m not really aiming my rant at you, am I? I’m trying to ensure people who are genuinely looking for information have something else to rebuff the antivax nonsense. Something with actual creditable science behind it and not simply the conspiracy theory you’re touting. Cheers, and thanks for stopping by 🙂

  • “This despite the fact that even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) admits that the rise in reported whooping cough cases cannot be blamed on unvaccinated children because “they are not the driving force behind the large scale outbreaks and epidemics.”1

    “As reported in the featured article,3 after 2012 whooping cough outbreaks, researchers turned to genetics to determine the cause.

    The study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases,4 analyzed the genomes of whooping cough bacteria, finding that the “acellular vaccine antigen encoding genes are evolving at higher rates than other surface protein encoding genes.”

    This suggests that the disease is not being prevented with mandatory, mass vaccination programs. According to the featured article:5

    “The researchers said that it was happening even before countries like the United States and the U.K. switched from the whole-cell whooping cough vaccine to the acellular whooping cough vaccine, but the evolution of whooping cough bacteria has progressed more rapidly since the new vaccine was introduced a decade ago.

    The researchers further added that the old whole-cell vaccine produced longer immunity to whooping cough bacteria than the current acellular whooping cough vaccine and that the current vaccine may be generating an expanded pool of carriers, particularly teenagers.”

    In 2013, the FDA discovered that while the whooping cough vaccine may reduce symptoms in those who are vaccinated, the pertussis vaccine does not prevent infection and transmission of the disease.

    In fact, you can get a series of pertussis shots and still become an asymptomatic carrier who is contagious and can spread the disease to others without even knowing it. That study effectively shattered the long-held illusion of vaccine-induced herd immunity.” From an article on Mercola.com

    So it would seem that some of these diseases are being spread by people who in fact have been vaccinated. Too many people take marketing hype as scientific gospel. And by the way, the diseases are mutating faster because of vaccines, just like germs resistant to antibiotics. Not conspiracy theory. Facts from CDC.

  • Even if that’s all true, Jim, and I didn’t read the whole thing you copied and pasted, I just skimmed it, then I still don’t see the problem. You said yourself, the vaccine reduces the symptoms. Done. That’s enough. Whooping cough is a dreadful thing – look it up.

  • I think you misread the part that people who receive the vaccine do not show symptoms but they are carriers of the disease and are the ones spreading it, not people who do not vaccinate. It didn’t say it reduced symptoms in people who catch it. Who presents the greater risk… somebody who has not been vaccinated and has no symptoms, or someone who has been vaccinated and shows no symptoms but is carrying the disease?? Which one do you want to be near your children?

  • If given the choice Jim, Id send my children to daycares centres and schools that ONLY allowed vaccinated children.

    Unvaccinated kids have no immunity against these diseases. Its no wonder there getting reports of stronger strains of Whooping Cough coming up with so many perfect breeding grounds around.

  • Both vaccinated and non vaccinated children carry diseases. So those that are vaccinated should have more faith in the stuff they are injected with. It has the right stuff in it to help prevent certain diseases, true, but it is also loaded with poisons that do all the damage to kids e.g. ruin the immune systems, skin rashes and eczema, asthma, allergies, autism, mental damage, ADHD, toxic syndrome. Those parents who choose not to vaccinate, those children raise their own immunity. God didn’t create a human being with no automatic defense systems in place. But really, 40 odd vaccinations before 12yrs of age, is tampering with perfection, not adding to it.

    • Careful with your claims of what God has put in place. Rather than batting for a God who has for thousands of generations allowed children to die of these diseases and claim that’s great, maybe what you should do is look at it that God has given our race the brains and means to save itself.

  • Again, Jim, I haven’t really gone into it, although I did sneak a look at FDA site. I still don’t see this as an argument to not vaccinate. Is that your point? Full blown whooping cough is worth avoiding. Further, from what I read they’ve only done baboon tests, not research into humans, and it’s more a hypothesis at the moment which needs looking into. And then review. I’m prepared to wrong about that because, as I say, I’ve barely touched the surface. But that’s what I love about science and why I will go with the experts and not aggro ranters because science is always looking at new evidence and moving forward instead of being stuck in a blinkered rut. If you’re looking to protect your children, vaccinations are not part of a choice, they’re the ONLY option.

  • I am batting for God alright, the God that made us in his image, therefore made us with an immune system to fight disease. Think about who spreads them, its not him, its mankind himself. He has nothing to do with what man in his stupidity and swollen ego does to both make money and become powerful and full of ego. He gave us free will and mans will is basically one of destruction and greed. Mankind is the one that makes the mistakes, makes poisons and under the guise of protection injects a few more poisons into the mix at the same time. I do believe that some vaccinations have the power to work effectively and efficiently, BUT why on earth would man add so much garbage to the mix and then inject about 40 vaccinations into our very young fragile babies before they even get half way through their schooling. That is overkill.

  • Because people who’ve read a lot of books and done tests and are genuinely rather clever have worked out that’s what works. If they come up with something better, I’m sure they’ll start using that. Again, that ability to acknowledge a better way is why I will go with science. If it turns out we don’t need a certain vaccine anymore, I’m sure they’ll move on to something else. Also, I think you might be mistaken about how diseases work – we didn’t invent them like the combustion engine or thongs.

  • And while I really don’t think theology has a place here in this argument, I am interested to know where you draw the line on what is allowable and not regarding medicinal breakthroughs the human race have, in their greedy and egotistical way, made. Painkillers? If you get cancer can you have treatments? Blood transfusions? Some of these you would be okay with, in terms of your religious beliefs, but others are scripturally wrong? And where is the biblical, or Quran or Torah or whatever belief system you have (not attempting to be rude here at all but you weren’t specific), reference for that?

  • Ill take fact over fiction any day Judy and the fact is we are creatures of Evolution not Gods.

    As for the 40 injections – Maybe you should see another doctor because a child only requires about 9 injections before starting school and there’s no way they’ll ever need another 31 during their school years.

  • REBECCA you are an ignorant and dangerous person! Science education is not a science degree, it is an education degree. Reading a journal does not mean you have the ability to comprehend the information. Scares me to think you might be teaching science to children. You are not educated enough on this issue to have an opinion that matters. There are risk to all medicines, vaccines, medical procedures etc. One has to consider the risk and reward of vaccines. If you were truly educated on this matter you would understand statistics and realize that your story of about your cousin is merely a single data point. One data point cannot statistically validate anything.

    I encourage you not to vaccinate your children Rebecca. Hopefully Darwin will take care of your bloodline.

  • Karen,
    I don’t know where you live but the U.S. CDC vaccination schedule has 29 vaccinations before the age of 6 and 16 more from 7 to 18.

    Bruce,
    The point I was trying to make is that there is a false sense of security with the pertussis vaccine. It has been spreading because people who have received the vaccine, not showing any symptoms of the disease, but are carrying the disease, not by people who have not been vaccinated as most “vaxers” claim. Not every child or person who has not been vaccinated is a carrier of all these diseases as some people seem to think. But make sure you go get your booster shots because the vaccine does not provide long term immunity. Less time than they originally thought. Yes, a child who hasn’t been vaccinated may catch the disease, but how ironic if it is from somebody who was vaccinated.
    Also, according to the CDC, the vaccine is mutating faster since the introduction of the current vaccine which was adopted because the previous one caused a lot of serious problems, including death. So maybe we are messing too much with “mother Nature”.
    By the way, are you aware that the efficacy rate they claim is only that the vaccine creates anti-body’s? Not that it provides protection from the disease, and that the safety testing is done on healthy children, but not on children who may have other underlying heath problems, but are given the vaccine as though they were healthy?

    Mark,
    What branch of science is your Phd in?
    By the way, Darwin was wrong. It isn’t survival of the fittest, it is survival of the most adaptable. Read Bruce Lipton’s books.

  • Dear Mark,
    I am sorry you feel that way. I didn’t realize we were throwing around strawman fallacies….because if so, I then say – who are you to say I am ignorant, and what my degree is in? Did you read my diploma or examine my program? You call me ignorant by what you read in a few blurbs about me! You also say I am in capable of rising to the task of…reading…after already acknowledging that I graduated from college! Clearly, I am not illiterate, so why say I am incapable to reading? Because saying I cannot study or research or READ research papers and studies is exactly what you are saying. To invalidate my opinion, based in your opinion, is ludicrous.

    My son’s pediatrician calls vaccinating your children “morally and ethically irresponsible”….I guess she is ignorant too, with all her years of practice, knowledge, and education and stuff…

    Peace and wellness to you….

  • Yep Australia Jim and here they have 2-3 vaccinations in each injection.
    Just read an interesting comment on the current health in Africa where it stated that they’ve almost fully eliminated Polio in the country due to vaccinations.
    Guess that was morally and ethically wrong of their govt for doing that. They should have just let nature take its course and watched thousands of children die. Hope they’re truly ashamed of themselves!!!
    Honestly there’s just no getting through to some people. I just hope they don’t have to outlive their children because of a disease that could have been so easily prevented.

  • Great post, having 2 kids in daycare and having heard of kids getting diseases and never coming back to daycare prior to the new laws in Australia of no vaccination – no entry, I am definitely a pro-vaccination mum! Can’t believe how naïve people can be!!!

  • I guess I have to wonder why if people who are so firm in their belief in the science of vaccinations, they are afraid to have Dr Sherry Tenpenny visit Australia to talk. Are they afraid there may be some truth behind what she says? She advocates informed choice.
    Why not listen to what she has to say and prove what she says if she is wrong. Or maybe they are afraid that people may find out they haven’t been told all of the truth.

  • Oh, I see how dangerous she is. She is selling t-shirts and DVDs and making money so obviously she is a quack. The vaccine industry is a 7 billion dollar per year business. Can’t have anybody impacting that. It still appears that people are afraid to listen to an opposing position. They let other people make all their decisions for them.
    Interesting how people who have been involved in medicine and have changed their minds because of the knowledge they gain are suddenly called wacko. Reminds me of the fact that science once said the sun revolved around the earth. When Galileo said otherwise, they threw him in jail. Things haven’t changed much since then.
    Don’t forget to get your booster shots and remember the flu shot. Even though this years flu shot doesn’t work here in the U.S. , they still tell you to get it anyhow. It “might” do something for you but they don’t know what. That’s great science.
    By the way, one of the things I notice in many of the comments is that people assume that anybody exposed to a disease is going to catch it. Not true.

    • Wasn’t it the Catholic Church who were so anti Galileo’s discoveries, Jim? I probably don’t need to say it, but correct me if I’m wrong 😉

  • Bruce poor you! All you do is present well reasoned, sound science ideas and you have to constantly go back on here and defend yourself from some frankly strange ‘evidence’ about vaccinations.
    Do yourself a favour mate and close the comments. Those who agree with you will completely understand and those who don’t can go put their keystrokes elsewhere on the web.

  • Yes, but the church also controlled science such as it was back then. The point being that authority doesn’t like being questioned and possibly shown to be wrong.
    This is my last post so have a great day and I hope your kids stay healthy.

    • Authority may not like being questioned, even I get the shits with it sometimes, but science is all about questioning and retesting and confirming and new discoveries. Simply saying you don’t like something and providing a anecdotal based hypothesis isn’t science and isn’t good enough for making important decisions. Thanks for joining in the discussion, Jim.

  • This site is obviously been assembled by the The Vaccine Companies, and their followers, or fans.
    Brain-washing that particular sector of humans who are actually born, lacking ‘common-sense’ gives you the easiest bunch of humans, for the Drug Cartels to hock their wares, to make their billions, and sing their praises, while the health of the Planet takes a nose-dive, in every area.
    These people do actually exist.
    Nothing throughout their lives, is ever looked at, with one iota of common-sense !
    It’s simply missing !
    The question that these people, born without common-sense, kind of a disability really, is, Why have the Drug Companies made many, huge Payouts, to some affected by the Vaccinations ?
    If your Vaccinations haven’t worked & the first person that comes near you, gives it to you, then, like you would return faulty goods, go Sue the Drug Companies !
    Don’t make silly, nonsensical excuses for their failed product !!

    • Hi Barbara, you nutter 😀 I usually would be more polite but you started it. Not sure what the nose-diving planet has to do with this area of medical science but you’re right about one thing, I most definitely AM a fan of vaccinations. Because they are the best defense we have against these diseases. One day science might give us something new and better, but for now this stuff is the way forward. Vaccinations aren’t the be all and end all, but they are best current option. Thanks for stopping by 😀

  • I didn’t have time to read the many comments that there are but, sufficient time to read down until I read the first of the comments that support the anti-immunization argument. One particular person stated they didn’t like to be characterized as being anti-immunization rather than pro-choice.

    As oft quoted ‘those that fail to study history are doomed to repeat it.’ Very apt and sadly very true.

    If pro choice is a valid argument then I’m sure that there are many who would like to invoke their pro choice to, say, not pay that portion of their income tax that goes to fund the Armed Services, or any Government research that involves using live animals or, for of those who don’t agree with using seat belts or helmets on bikes/motor bikes, not to use them… the list is long but,the solution is as simple as we heavily tax alcohol and cigarettes to pay for the negative effects for those exercising their pro choice to smoke or drink (to the point it effects their health).

    Simply, if your child catches one of these diseases we have free vaccines for then, instead of free hospitalization (and/or free carers to mind severely affected children), then you pay.

  • I had the measles and I lived through it. Every child I knew had the measles. It was just one of those childhood diseases that we all got. I never personally knew any child that had complications from them. I do believe that there can be those of course but if there is one tiny chance that it could cause a child to develop autism from that vaccination that we didn’t even have, then no I would not allow my children to be vaccinated. It was a miserable experience but if you take care of them correctly the chances of complications are very small. I would rather risk that than autism or some other mental disease that they would be stuck with forever as opposed to a couple of weeks of misery

  • Sorry for my english.
    Well.. IF vaccines work, why people even worry about non vaccinated kids? Let those stupid and stubborn unvaccinated people die right? Measles,rubella and etc dont kill children in developed countries no more. Even before mandatory vaccination program in US, death rate from these diseases was less than 0.1% among the people who were sick from these disease. well this statistic shows mortality rate among infected in england. sorry i had one from us before but i deleted and it shows even less.
    http://whale.to/m/measlesdeaths1.html
    Now we are living in 2015 and not talking about year 1967. Do you think our medical knowledge hasnt improved since 1967? Even if you were unvaccinated and get sick, your chance of getting serious consequences might be less than 0.001% with medical technology today.
    Let’s not talk about some third world countries with no medical assistance like india, africa and etc, we simply dont live in those countries. People die there with food intoxication, simple infection and etc because lack of medical assistance. so it sounds incredibly stupid when people scream “oh 150.000 people died from measles and rubella but no one die in US because everyone is vaccinated”. Living in these places you ll have a lot more chance of dying from many other things such as food intoxication, car accidents, robberies and etc. As I live in korea, there were a couple of outbreaks of measles and rubella from 2010-2014 and yet no one died from it. sorry I forgot to mention there was reported only one miscarriage as serious consequences in japan. The death rate for theses diseases even in non vaccinated people who contacted was none. So I dont understand your statement of ” OH I’D RATHER HAVE a AUTISTIC SON THAN DEAD ONE”. Your kids will not die from these diseases, unless you ll live or travel to some third world countries with no medical assistance. Anyhow It is not safe to travel to these countries. Well influenza kills more people so does cars accidents.. all pro vax people shouldnt be walking on the street because it is so dangerous out there..

  • You have incorrect information in your article. Dr. Wakefield was just exonerated in the UK this past week. Dr. Thompson, a whistle blower from the CDC who was part of the MMR/autism trial admits to omitting data, this news came out in August 2014.

    • Funny, I can’t find a single link in Google. You’d think that might make a few waves. Give us a link, Mary, so I can check it out. If you can.

  • LEE, Yes people die in those countries like Africa etc but people also work in these countries like me. I am an Australian citizen and I have had everything recommended by my Australian doctors including a shot for whooping cough when I was home last July/ August as there was a epidemic of it in Queensland and other states. I have had all injections possible and take Malaria tablets every month so I do not suffer from it or have time off work. Thousands of foreign doctors, nurses, teachers, foreign workers fom China (doing a large airport contract) work in Africa and I have not had a single day off sick as I look after my health. Never take lightly that people in these countries die by the dozens every day because they do not have the knowledge,transport or money or hospital beds to admit them.. Every life is precious no matter where you live.

    • I remember when I was growing up listening to some adults talking about people in Africa having lots of kids even thought they were basically starving out a life – maybe because they didn’t have contraception or maybe in the hope one or more would live to adulthood to take care of them (this was the main reason I heard). In this conversation, one of the adults said, “Do you really think, when one of their children dies, that they don’t feel every bit the grief at losing a child that you would?” It was one of those moments when life gifts you an epiphany. I realized how wrong so many people view the world.

  • The comment that vaccinations are “for free” isn’t necessarily so, but it should be. When you go to a doctor for vaccinations, often it costs a whole bunch plus an office visit. That is a good reason that people on the lower end of the economic scale don’t always get their vaccinations. Also, those states where vaccinations are not covered by the public health service, are often also those states where Obamacare has not been extended to the lower economic echelons.

  • I would say my opinion on this topic in four words don’t be a sheep. It is said that we can live our own way, I do not won’t to judge yourself becouse you vaccinate your children with every stuff the drug companies will provide, but there are really cases where the vaccination was realy dangerous for a child, because not all people are the same. So to generalize is not so good, there is also reason why people think it could do if you do own research there really were some cases where one or two batches of the vaccines were toxic. There were also posted some of cases which were of course not confirmed by MDs that a child has suffered from meningitis after vaccination, but they refused to confirm the relationship. I would say that it’s my responsibility to protect my children from both desease and the risk from getting any defect from vaccine which could be also deadly. So it’s up to you to consider which risk is higher. I was not vaccined against measles as there was no vaccinaction, I’ve have overcomed measles as a child and here I am.
    cheers.

    • Hi notsheep (if indeed that is your real name). I don’t think you understand much about what you’re talking about. Vaccinations save millions. Millions. You’re talking in tens and single units. So your responsibility is to vaccinate. As for your having had the measles and not been vaccinated and lived, well Whoop Dee Doo. Shame the kids who aren’t here can’t write in. Honestly, I’m getting tired of this.

  • In reply to the last post. You may has escaped Measles as a child but you can still get them as an adult and you will possibly be very sick. I contracted mumps as an adult whilst Nursing and I though I was going to die with the pain. I had to get my mother to come and nurse me. I did not think I would be so sick. Do your research and now combinations are possible which makes it very easy for most people. If you are a special case or have a special reason everyone will understand the circumstances. Using excuses for laziness and infecting other people is not nice.

  • A few things.
    1.Rudeness never helped anyone ‘see the light’. If you are trying to convince someone you do it with facts and respect.
    2. Science is incorruptible even though a scientist is. Who’s to say who you can trust these days?
    3. How often are reactions statistically likely for each vaccine? Answer: No one really knows. Oh that’s not true, you may argue but isn’t it? How many Dr.s ALWAYS report an adverse reaction? Why just on this comment section for this post someone reported that their Dr. refused to report. The fact is you can only base the probability of a reaction on REPORTED reactions.

    I find the gross lack of respect from both sides disturbing. No need to bait me to reply. It’s clear that there are some who refuse to acknowledge that vaccines are not 100% safe which explains why so many want to force children to be vaccinated. Sure let someone else’s child be brain damaged, drooling and in diapers for the rest of their life so long as YOUR child is safe.

  • Interesting that your post is government subsidized. How do you expect people to believe what you say when you are being paid to say it by the government that is suspected of malpractice? I think you should be honest.

    • By honest, you mean acknowledge up front that the post is sponsored? Like in the photo at the top of the page? Was it difficult to find? The post was sponsored by NSW Govt to get news of their Save The Date App out there. The rant, however, was all mine. Ironically, on your point of not trusting what I’ve written because I was paid to write something up, it’s both amusing and saddening to see how many people claiming to be well researched antivaxxers don’t trust the experts in this field because they’re paid. Suddenly we can only trust hobbyists in any given field to give truly accurate advice? Bonkers.

  • Yes certainly bonkers. They find fault with everything that is written but their opinion is worth gold. When one of their children or indeed themselves get Whooping Cough they will be the first to complain that they cannot get the best treatment by a hospital. Indeed if your comments are correct you will be eating healthy food so you will not catch it. What a lot of rubbish in this day and age when people fly frequently and gather in huge numbers in churches, activities etc. I came home to Australia for 3 weeks last year and visited my doctor to inquire what if anything I needed to update and the first thing he stated was I needed to have Whooping Cough injection as I could get it very easily as there was an epidemic of it in Queensland. Guess what!!I had it that very day and I am a triple quaififed midwife, a law graduate and an educator.

  • You really should have to get a licence to have kids. A healthy diet will prevent Whooping Cough. WTF??????? I’m speechless.

  • Maybe I should have told my friend who recently died of cancer. Maybe an apple would have saved him. Or is that just for Chicken Pox? LOL

    What a load of rubbish.

  • I agree Bruce and where is the moderator of this site. One should not be able to write such slanderous rubbish on any site. You may not agree with it but no need to be blatantly rude. No one will take any notice of this type of comment other than to tell you how inappropriate it is.

    • Ummm….I’m the moderator lol I let them have their fun if it’s directed at me because I get to give it back 😀 But I try not to be too rude. I try. Honest.

  • Hi Rebecca.

    My dad used to work as the sub-editor for the Adelaide Advertiser in the ’70s. He had no tertiary education – just experience. His job was to proof-read and correct the work of reporters and columnists, because there weren’t spell-checkers back then, and the younger journalists were notoriously lousy at written English.

    When we moved to regional Queensland, he worked for a couple of newspapers where the journalists weren’t as appreciative of his corrections.

    He had a run-in with one journalist who was notorious for grammatical errors, and who demanded he stop correcting her work because she had a degree in journalism and didn’t need some “subbie” trying to show her up. “Besides”, she added, pointing to the dictionary and thesaurus sitting on his desk, “if you’re so good at English, why do you need those things?”

    “Because”, he replied, “they are why I’m so good”.

    The point being, having a degree in anything is pointless if you decide you know everything once you have it.

  • I have experienced first hand what happens when parents don’t vaccinate. I am grateful to be alive today after contracting the measeles and then meningitis. All of my children have been vaccinated and it upsets me greatly to see so many ignorant people in our community.

  • Hi, I am just a Bachelor of Social Work student. No science degree here but although I am a huge breastfeeding supporter, I do wonder why third world countries have such high rates of these diseases when breastfeeding is actually their children’s main source of nutrition? I understand it may well be cramped living and poverty. The same kind of poverty that the “first world” is now encountering. Here in New Zealand we are experiencing child poverty at levels well above what is considered “acceptable” (is any child poverty acceptable). A housing crisis is seeing families of 12 cramming into a house built for 4. It is seeing young children living in garages and shed, tents and caravans with their parents. Vaccinating these children is essential to stop the spread of dangerous infection in cramped communities.
    My son has Crohn’s disease and has to take Azathioprine every day. If you look it up, it’s nightmarish. I could be giving him cancer! I could be killing my child BUT because I researched it, I looked at the risks and I talked to the professor who wanted him to take the drug, I also talked to a few pharmacists and the general consensus was, “You will rob your son of a chance at being a happy little boy if you don’t intervene with medicine.” They were right. He isn’t pooing himself at school anymore and suffering the fevers and pains he used to get. He is growing! Oh I’m so proud. I get his bloods done to check his levels, I ride those doctors like there is no tomorrow making sure he is being monitored but I would never choose to go back to how we were before.
    My child has limited immunity now and I need you to vaccinate your children to help mine. If there was a vaccine to cure his auto immune disease, I’d get it for him. My other children are about to go and get their flu jabs soon, as am I and my husband. We do it for the one who needs our help to stay well. You are probably going to argue that my son got his auto immune disease from his vaccinations. It’s not the case. I breastfed him, never gave him anti biotics, did all the things that would lower his risk of Crohn’s but boom genetics are a bitch. Why is no one studying the massive crossing of the gene pools now? Why is no one saying that certain cultures never had a particular disease until they started breeding with cultures that did? I love the idea of a global community by the way, lord please don’t disregard all I just said because you think I’m a crazy racist.
    I’m pro choice in a way but I am anti ignorance. I hope all you people that so anti vaccine are not hypocritical and take no artificial anything into your bodies. I swear if I catch you at the local Macca’s I will call you out as just trying to be fashionable. Anti-vax is the new black.

  • The reality of Autism is that nobody really knows where it comes from. To say that vaccines do not produce autism is as much a lie as to say that vaccines do produce autism.

    Nobody knows. Scientific reports only state that there is no evidence that vaccines produce autism, but these reports left out the fact that there is no evidence to the contrary either.

    • They’ve done studies. There is no link. Only suggestion I’ve heard is it may trigger it early. But again, no study has proven this. They’re working on stuff and one day we’ll know I’m sure. Hoping.

  • Thanks Bruce for stating that no definite report states what parents are worried about but take for instance it did cause Autism then many more children would be autistic. No proven cases and billions of children!! The Prime Minister of Australia announced last week that No Jab (injection or other) no Centrelink money to assist children in some categories as hospitals and private funds are spending billions per year on hospital admissions for sick children with a wide range of problems. Public hospitals are over burdened every single day of the week and private funds rose again at the beginning of April by another 4-6% depending on your fund. Higher than the inflation rate and stats to prove what they spent must be submitted to the government who approve the increase for each individual fund. I cost the government nothing but some people cost them millions. It cannot continue to go on this way!

    • Current evidence is it doesn’t cause autism. However, current evidence also shows the very real dangers from not vaccinating. Easy decision really, yes?

  • Yes Bruce it is a no brainer unless there are very compelling circumstances to Not vaccinate. We do not take drastic action when we read in the papers about other dangers so why put your children in danger without hard evidence. The people who do then want their children (and the child should not suffer) to go to kindergarten,
    school, fly on aeroplanes and mix in general outside the house. It simply is crazy to hide behind some persons opinion that vaccine caused autism without hard evidence as none exists in the current research as of today because you do not want to wait at a public hospital or pay.

  • Really great post. There are two comments I’d like to add.

    Firstly, the people who oppose vaccinations have grown up in a world that is no longer at the mercy of measles, smallpox, polio, etc. My parents remember what it was like to be a child in the 1940’s and early 50’s, when polio season (it was worse in the summer, apparently) would come around each year. Everyone personally knew somebody who was crippled by polio, and parents (my grandparents’ generation) lived in constant worry that their kids would get it. The polio vaccine changed everything. But what do we see in countries where war or political instability have destabilised vaccination regimens or people become suspicious of “western” clinics and vaccinations (like Afghanistan and northern Nigeria)? Polio rearing its ugly head again, ready to strike as soon as the vaccinations stop. Vaccinations have taken us out of the dark ages of children being at serious risk for being killed and maimed by disease. It boggles the mind that educated middle class people want to take us back there.

    Secondly: I live in South Africa, were we have a very small percentage of the population middle class and well educated (less than 20%), and the vast majority desperately poor and under-educated, due to out history of colonialism and Apartheid. The folks who who choose not to vaccinate their kids are all from the affluent set. So if their kid gets measles, they can afford the best health care and the child will probably come out a-okay. But what if the sick child infects the nanny / maid, who goes home where she shares a 2-room bungalow with her partner and 4 children? And they infect the family next door, who are living with HIV, and the family down the road who are a child-headed household barely surviving on social grants and chronically undernourished and struggling with various infections already? Can you imagine the devastation this outbreak would cause in that community? Saying “My family is well-fed, vitamin-supplemented, and we can afford all the care and medicines we need, therefore we can manage without vaccinations” is a gross insult to the poor who are ALWAYS more vulnerable to disease. The free choice folks may not have realised that they are allowing their child to be a vector for a disease that affects other people SERIOUSLY. Everybody needs to vaccinate so that we protect everybody, especially those more vulnerable than ourselves. The best example here is vaccinating your kid against Rubella, so that they will not catch it and inadvertently infect a pregnant woman. Or have we also forgotten the potentially tragic consequences of Rubella infection in pregnant moms?

  • Libby, Great explanation. Some of these people have read research data and not being critically literate they simply go with what they read and no further investigation into the consequences.Others are fanatics who read all adverse data and make their selfish decision possibly not even thinking about any other child. Many fall into the class (middle) that you describe so well) and of course all the consequences happen to others. Where I am located our present government charges poor families for basic medicine and they cannot even get a malaria tablet unless they visit the pharmacy so you can imagine them getting any other preventative for free. It just does not make sense unless you have a individual case that warrants the decision NOT to Vaccinate.

  • The science is from the drug companies, their funded universities and their contracts. Some very good studies that are independent but kept well hidden. The drug companies are controlling everything, a proven fact in the US, Canada and to some extent around the world. It’s refreshing to see a former French Dr of Merck in a mainstream paper in France tell the truth about the HPV vaccine, biggest medical scandal ever. What you hear about vaccines is far from true. Millions of children have been injured and died. Don’t read mainstream newspapers, it’s a promoter as are the Drs. Find good independent science. Vaccinate every single child, no caution, no tests, no commonsense. It’s a big mistake and it doesn’t apply to the Drs or the rich.

    • Where are these peer reviewed, independent studies? This is the internet age. They can’t be hidden. They can simply be disproved. And once they are, then you should move on. If you buy into a conspiracy theory of the magnitude you’re promoting, I can’t help you. Maybe seek professional help.

  • No wonder you are not game to give your name. Million of children have died? Where? If this was a true fact then governments all over the world would be compelled to act. No one ever stated that very child regardless of circumstances like medical condition should be vaccinated the majority YES. Drug companies will from time to time be forced to withdraw a drug that is giving dangerous side effects but when you consider the millions and billions that they spend developing drugs that help millions of people live to a much older age and treat chronically ill people you have to judge news with balance. Certainly do not vaccinate but do not infect other people’s children because you do not agree.

  • Perfectly said Madeline. You summed it up with one key word -Irresponsible.
    Luckily in Australia the Govt has taken a new approach to get around these people and will be cutting govt handouts to those who choose not to vaccinate. I wonder if their ideals will win out when their hip pockets are affected.
    My guess is there will be one hell of a line up at the free immunisation clinics come January 1.

  • Vaccinations are a wonderful thing and I didn’t hesitate to have my child vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. The complications these illnesses can have are horrendous. She has also been vaccinated against many other diseases.

    There was a lot of nonsense about links to autism at the time. To be frank, if a risk of autism is your reason for not vaccinating your child then you should not be a parent. You are unfit. As someone who is on the spectrum, if you would rather risk your child’s life than have their brain function differently from yours then you shouldn’t have had kids in the first place. Incidentally, I would not be neuro-typical for anything. As Temple Grandin once said, “If there were no autistic genes we would still be sitting outside the cave talking about creating fire”

    On the other side of the coin, I don’t have a flu vaccination because the disease mutates too fast for it to be terribly effective and I’m healthy enough that getting flu, whilst unpleasant, is not disastrous. I stay home and get over it.

    I do recognise that vaccines can have nasty side effects. My daughter’s friend has narcolepsy after receiving Pandemrix, a swine flu vaccination. The link has been proven and that is a massively life-affecting problem. There are so many things in life she can’t do. Before any vaccination I like to know how long it’s been around for and any potential issues. There are occasions, like with Pandemrix, where doctors have gotten it wrong. In the overwhelming majority of cases though, vaccinations save lives. In addition where diseases have debilitating after-effects, one must also consider how many people have a better quality of life because they did not contract one of these illnesses.

  • Anyone wishing to go anti vaccine should first read the book Mrs. Mike and follow it with some other historic biographies.

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