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toodiemac
06-Jul-03, 22:35
Any opinions on the MMR vaccination would be greatly appreciated. Personally I am against the triple jag but, having no option I reluctantly let my child have it aged 2½. She is now due for the booster MMR aged 4 and I'm really not sure about it. The fact is (I think) that 95-odd percent of children are immune after their first jab and the second booster jab is given 'just in case the first one didn't work'.

I believe totally that the risk of Autism and related disorders is very real - and the risk of measles is very real also. Help!

brandy
06-Jul-03, 23:20
im not to sure about the jag myself.. but the below link may help

brandy
07-Jul-03, 00:03
here is a website that is all about mmr

http://www.mmrthefacts.nhs.uk/

MadPict
07-Jul-03, 12:08
Hmm, probably not the best place to get unbiased information is it?

brandy
07-Jul-03, 19:22
true but at least it gives you information on it... and all of it is backed up by documentation

satcomguy
08-Jul-03, 11:06
I was not keen on having my sons get the jag. They did both have it though. We get seen by American doctors and they thought it was complete rubbish about the MMR/Autism debate. In fact one asked why I was so worried as I shouldn't believe everything I read in Cosmo!!

I did think that the side effects were only a worry from the first jag. Am I wrong?

Jenni
08-Jul-03, 12:11
The MMR jag was not available when my eldest was little (he is now 14) but my other 2 kids have had it (12 and 9 years) and apart from a light rash on one of them they did not suffer any after effects. There were not so many comments etc about possible side-effects when my lot were offered the jag so I did not have much pros and cons to worry about. I would hate to have to make the decision now adays though. I think I would be apt to go for it all the same, but hey that's just me :o)

satcomguy
08-Jul-03, 18:15
LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of children might be at risk of measles, mumps and rubella because two private clinics did not follow correct immunisation procedures, says the Department of Health.
In an urgent message to all family doctors, the department said children who had received separate jabs against the three diseases at the two clinics should be re-immunised with the combined MMR jab
"The present estimate is that this could involve up to 40,000 immunisations going back over a 10 year period," said Dr David Salisbury, head of the department's immunisation and communicable disease team
Demand for single MMR vaccines has risen following controversial research suggesting that the combined jab might be linked to an increased risk of autism.
Despite official reassurances that the research was flawed, some parents were so anxious, they paid private clinics to give their children the single jabs.
Salisbury said the two clinics involved, at Elstree Aerodrome in Hertfordshire and Hillsborough Arena in Sheffield, had closed as they were not registered with the National Care Standards Commission

The problem came to light earlier this year but at the time it was believed that just over 1,000 children had received vaccines that were not properly made up or administered during the second half of 2002
The problem came to light earlier this year but at the time it was believed that just over 1,000 children had received vaccines that were not properly made up or administered during the second half of 2002.

More information had now become available showing that the "aberrant" immunisation practices began long before
"Our two greatest concerns are that the clinics had not followed the correct procedures recommended by the manufacturer for making up and administering the vaccines," Salisbury added
He said batches of vaccines were made up in advance. "This is not normal practice and might have led to the vaccines being less effective that normal.
"This means that some children who have been vaccinated may not be adequately protected against one or more of the diseases for which they received the vaccine."

Salisbury said the second worry was that the vaccines could have been contaminated because of the way they were prepared.
This could have increased the risk of children suffering bacterial infections from the immunisation or greater side effects to the vaccines."

The health department said that starting on Wednesday, it would use advertising and the media to advise parents who had used the two clinics to have their children properly revaccinated with the triple MMR jab.

toodiemac
10-Jul-03, 21:36
I don't think Tony Blair ever said if Leo had his MMR (I suspect not). Well if it isn't good enough for his son , then it isn't good enogh for my child!!
Has anybody encountered a bad reaction in their child from this vaccination?

jjc
10-Jul-03, 22:10
LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of children might be at risk of measles, mumps and rubella because two private clinics did not follow correct immunisation procedures, says the Department of Health.
In an urgent message to all family doctors, the department said children who had received separate jabs against the three diseases at the two clinics should be re-immunised with the combined MMR jabWhen this story broke my first thought was 'blatant spin'.

Consider the 'facts' of the situation (as reported... I'm no doctor and have only what I've read to go on). Two clinics (one in Hertfordshire, the other Sheffield), both run by the same doctor, have apparently not been following proper procedure when preparing the single measles, mumps, and rubella jabs. The result is that children at these two clinics might (the authorities don't actually know for sure) not be immunised.

The response from the head of the government's immunisation and communicable disease team, Dr David Salisbury, was "It will be difficult, because parents chose to have single vaccines for their children, but we really do believe that the safest and most effective way for parents to put this right is for their children to have the MMR vaccination."

Spot the spin???

Well, the way I see it is that the breakdown in procedure involved just two clinics, and only one doctor. How many clinics and doctors are there around Britain who correctly administer the single jabs for those parents who want it? Why, then, is the government's first response to tell the parents of the children in question to have them immunised with the MMR vaccination? They recognise that these parents took the decision to have the single jabs, but then say that they should ignore that choice and get the triple vaccine.

The overall impression they give is that this problem has been caused, not by a single doctor who has not followed procedure, but by the choices of the parents. Effectively, the government is saying that if the parents had chosen the MMR vaccine this would never have happened.

Once again, our government treating their desired message with more importance than the truth!!! :mad: [mad]

squidge
11-Jul-03, 10:50
My two eleldest boys both had the mmr vaccine but my wee one didnt. As he had an allergy to eggs and a type of asthma i thought long and hard about it and after talking to my GP i decided he would not have the injection.

When I moved here to Caithness i cam e under some pressure for him to have the injection but stuck to my original decision.However ehen he came to have his pre sxchool booster injections at the Medical Centre in Wick the procedure was such a complete shambles and so disorganised that they actually gave my son the mmr injection by accident. i didnt realise this til a few days later and i was livid, however they gave it him and he is fine. i still felt like my choices as a parent were ignored and i changed by GP as a direct result of that incident.

I think that there should be a choice for parents mmr or single vaccinations

toodiemac
11-Jul-03, 18:12
Does anyone know if there is some sort of test that can be carried out to check whether the child already has enough immunity from the first vaccination?
Because of the low national up-take of the triple vacc the government are now predicting an outbreak of these diseases - if this is the case then why are adults who have never suffered from measles, mumps or rubella not offered the MMR? Do adults build up a natural immunity?

There doessn't seem to be anywhere that offers totally independent info on this subject. I don't really trust the Government-backed information - remember the BSE crisis, such a cover up!

Maybe I'm just an overprotective parent The talk of an imminent outbreak of these diseases is supposed to stir up our social conscience - which it does - but of course my child comes first. I feel there is not enough information out there to enable me to make an informed choice in the matter.

Oh, it's not easy bringing up kids is it?

Fluff
16-Jul-03, 21:24
personally, i am for the 3 jabs. even if the child was to suffer a recation and devolp autism(which is still only thery), which would you prefer, your child to be autistic, which requires some care, and maybe medication, or to get measles(or the others), possibly be disabled or die from it. i know id rather my child got the 3 jabs. its safer as far as i am concerned, but everyone to their own. :confused

jjc
16-Jul-03, 22:28
Stainless, you are ignoring the third way. The point is that for each of the three things vaccinated against in the triple jab, there is a perfectly good single vaccine. Indeed, the single vaccines were used first, and quite effectively. The decision to remove the third choice from parents was taken, I believe, for economic reasons only. The government are now ignoring a very real concern that the triple vaccine might cause autism and are pushing the triple vaccine as the 'only' way to go.

Both sides, for and against the MMR/Autism link, put forwards a very believable and apparantly scientifically proven case. As a parent, wouldn't you rather have the option of the single vaccines for your child than be forced to decide for yourself which set of esteemed scientists and doctors is telling the truth?

Fluff
19-Jul-03, 00:33
oh yes, the choice should be there, freedom to choose etc.. but i belive the triple is safer, i thats y the government introduced it i belive. with the single jabs, there is a period in between each jabs. with the triple jabs, its quicker, plus its less stressful on the kids.
the triple jabs have also had a higher success rate than the single ones. that is why there is now an epidemic of the measles going about. kids just arnt being protected.
but i do belive people should have the right to choose which they want, but they should also be clearlly informed about them and all or any implications of each! :roll:
measles etc.. have been around for a LONG time. i trust that our doctors know what they are doing (which'll probs be the death of me, Littlery!lol [mad] )

postie
20-Jul-03, 22:11
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them.

Children and adults with autism are unable to relate to others in a meaningful way.

Their ability to develop friendships is impaired as is their capacity to understand other people's feelings.

stainless does this look like they might need some care I don't think so ,also there is no medication for autism its a disability theres no cure either.
My son is Autistic mildly thank god but bad enough for people to think him strange and to look at him if he is from outer space when he talks rubbish even though he knows what he means. I never got more than 2 hours sleep a night for the first 7years of his life and hes' mild imagine the ones who are badly affected.
I'm on the fence but I'm not really convinced it is the mmr I think it may be a case with the age parents notice things wrong and the age they get the injection are around the same time, they are learning a bit more every day to spot the signs for autism earlier but it was about a year and a half when they aren't developing with things like speech and other things the alarm bells start ringing.My son was about 2 but in hindsight I can now see back earlier and go" oh that wasn't quite right ". I wouldn't like to be in the postion today of whether to give it or not. I have 2 other kids who also had it,a younger one who got it after my son but I never realised because there wasn't much of an age gap, if it was a bit later would I have given it I'm not sure but they are both fine so why 1 out of 3.