Yep, oops. The baby had better odds from the immunizations than from polio. The problem is what we forget in our lifetimes. My grandmother remembers polio, whooping cough, all those horrible diseases that killed and maimed so many children when she was growing up. These diseases were everywhere, the terror of parents throughout the children's lifetime. Children were told not to play with each other, self-quarrentined to avoid possible contact with these diseases. It was miserable, horrible. This is not rumor, this is not government propaganda - this is my grandmother's personal memories.T-Rex said:I thought of you guys and this thread when I read this on Friday. http://www.nypost.com/seven/10212005/news/regionalnews/53757.htm
"An infant died yesterday...had just arrived...from a doctor, who had immunized him for hepatitis B and polio....It appears the baby had a reaction to an immunization."
What do you say in a case like that, "Ooops"?
I think we've seen enough practices go from routine to reviled in our lifetimes (Thalidomide, anyone?), that people shouldn't be afraid to question the status quo.
Vaccines work - for their faults (many of which are myths spread by parents who wish for someone to blame for their child's disease), they work. Society, children, parents are better, healthier because of vaccines. And the vaccines are effective, but not 100%, so when enough people decide not to get them, the epidemics can happen again, kill and maim again. When you decide not to get the polio vaccine, and your kid gets polio, they can spread it to other kids - this decision doesn't just stop with impacting your own family. This was understood when the vaccines first were introduced, but since then people have forgotten what these diseases are like, the impact on others when you choose to take a risk.
Question the status quo - but listen to the answer! Pay attention to the real facts, not rumors, not uncredentialed doctors and frightening web sites which often have fake credentials or 'endorsements' from doctors who have never even heard of the site and disagree with their principles. Find the real substantial studies, and even then, consider the risks from not using the vaccine.