Did you have the measles as a child and don't vax?

Mommyg8

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:36 pm

youngishbear wrote:

Lol. Thank you for your honesty.

We've achieved this goal with one disease. It's called smallpox. You know how we got here, right? It's a magic 7-letter word... Starts with a v...

This is actually not 100% correct. We achieved the eradication of smallpox through two simultaneous actions- vaccinations and quarantines. So for those that don't vaccinate, the least they can do is quarantine....

JoyInTheMorning

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:40 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

The reason I am very vocal IRL AGAINST the flu vaccine is because my DH got the vaccine three years in a row. Three years in a row, straight as clockwork, he got the flu exactly two weeks later. I was having this conversation at a recent Shabbos table with guests and TWO people chimed in that they had the same experience!!!

The flu shot does not have this "side effect" but it's also not as effective as the live vaccine. I guess they discontinued the live vaccine for a reason, even though it's not as effective....

Mommyg8, your DH got the nasal vaccine?

I've only ever had the flu shot and have not had major problems. A couple of times, some low-grade fever and aches that passed quickly. OTOH, I've had full-blown flu and it has been awful.

Why doesn't your DH get the shot?

Mommyg8

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:42 pm

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

Yes he had the nasal vaccine because thats what his doctor gave him ( this was a few years ago). He got the shot this year and b'h no symptoms, but I heard it's not as effective.

JoyInTheMorning

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:47 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

Yes he had the nasal vaccine because thats what his doctor gave him ( this was a few years ago). He got the shot this year and b'h no symptoms, but I heard it's not as effective.

Well, it's certainly more effective than the nasal vaccine that gives him the flu each year! I hope he stays free of flu.

amother

Blush

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:49 pm

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

I don't think its fair to equate the flu shot with the rest of the vaccines. The flu is a mutating virus, needs yearly shots and even then vaccines are only somewhat effective. The rest of the vaccines eliminate the need for lifelong repeats, and are very effective.

I'm a staunch vaxxer, but the flu vaccine does not work for me. It never was effective. I'm even coming to believe that all these complaints about it causing the flu are somewhat true.
All of my life, I never caught the flu. The last three years I did take the shot, and came down with it each time. This year I avoided the shot, and I did not get the flu. I know this is anecdotal at best, but its enough to make me pause.

JoyInTheMorning

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:53 pm

amother [ Blush ] wrote:

I agree that the flu shot is not nearly as effective as the ones we're all arguing for, such as MMR and TDaP. I've nevertheless decided that I should be taking it for many reasons, including caring for an elderly relative. Unfortunately, the flu mostly kills elderly people, and the vaccine is least effective for them. But if the vaccine helps me avoid transmitting disease, that's a good thing, I think. I reserve the right to change my mind if the flu vaccine makes me sick.

amother

Yellow

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:56 pm

Tdap is not really a good example, as the pertussis vaccine is not very effective, and does not prevent you from transmitting disease. (Herd immunity doesn't work for whooping cough, all the vaccine does is potentially give you a milder case.)

Even the most effective vaccine, the MMR, is ineffective on 1 out of every 33. (Although I wonder if that is across the board, or greater in certain sub-populations - like could it be higher in women, Ashkenazi Jews, or those of Eskimo descent?)

amother

Blush

Thu, May 16 2019, 6:00 pm

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

My rationalizations are only for myself. The minute I would have to consider anyone else, I.e. caring for an elderly relative or someone immunocompromised, I would definitely reevaluate my current opinions.

gamanit

Fri, May 17 2019, 1:31 am

B"H my mother vaccinated me on schedule so I did not get the measles. I do remember having the chicken pox though and it was not fun at all. B"H I have no permanent scarring but I know a few people IRL who do, two people I know have marks on their faces. I had stopped taking the flu shot for a while as I personally had a negative experience with it once (if anyone is overly curious you can pm me for details and I might answer you) but my midwife convinced me to take it in my most recent pregnancy. When my baby was about two months old my other kids came down with the flu (I hadn't vaccinated them that year). My baby and I did not catch it from them. This year my kids were all vaccinated. While they actually did catch the flu, the fever was gone within 24 hours. I wouldn't have even suspected flu with such a short duration of fever if not for the flu test by the doctors office (which the doctor gave because of how high the fever was).

Chayalle

Fri, May 17 2019, 10:46 am

My father remembers having the flu at age 6. Said it was awful. We all got vaccinated.

He also had the whooping cough at age 2. He has no memories of it, but my grandmother, may she live to 120, says it was TERRIBLE. She was advised to go to train stations - apparently the steam from trains was believed to be beneficial to the cough - so she sat there all day. One can only imagine how many people got exposed that way.....

My memories of having the chicken pox at age 5 are not too bad....but my memories of caring for my little sister, who got it when she was not yet two and I was 16, are totally traumatizing to me and the reason I vaccinated my kids for it. She got a terrible case just after my parents had left for a family Simcha in Europe. We were supposed to go away for Shabbos, but her getting the chicken pox kept me home with her. She was covered with a rash from head to toe, was shaking from high fevers all Shabbos, couldn't keep food down, was in terrible pain....I spent all Shabbos with cold compresses, tylenol every few hours which wore off before the time I could give her more, trying to keep her hydrated.....I was scared out of my wits.

My sister told me that when she was doing her residency at a NY hospital, a child died from complications from the chicken pox.