RE: Vaccines

RE: Vaccines (Full Version)

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hausboy -> RE: Vaccines (10/24/2010 5:44:48 PM)
Subkatslut: Please consider some of your sources carefully (not saying you don't) but there are lots of sites (with alleged experts) who make completely false claims, have unsubstantiated numbers and zero research. This is a field that I work in every single day. My division handles infectious disease outbreaks...every day. And we see the heartbreak when a parent loses a child to a disease that if they could have vaccinated against. When a parent is mourning a dead child, it's not the time for "I told you so," but it is devastating to the healthcare community as well. Refusing to vaccinate a child is not acting in that child's best interest. I would hope that all parents would make their decisions with their child's best interest in mind-- so please keep speaking with your pediatrician about different options. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website www.cdc.gov is a truly excellent and reputable source of research founded information.

subkatslut -> RE: Vaccines (10/24/2010 10:54:00 PM)
hausboy: Yes I am aware there is a lot of misinformed paranoia running rampant on this very topic. As I stated my personal choice and research fell on the side of opting to vaccinate. We had no family history of vaccine damage, sensitivies, etc...I still stand by my point that every single person is allowed to do their own research and to make their own choices (smart or not) when it comes to something that could have lasting damage on themselves or their child. What originally caused me to respond wasn't so much that I didn't agree it was wise to get certain vaccines but that the prior responses did not differentiate between them and seemed to take a stance that anyone who wouldn't was doing a disservice to others or misinformed. When I make a decision for my child I am responsible for that decision. While I would indeed feel horrible should something happen to them because I failed to vaccinate them under popular thought I would feel even worse vaccinating them against my gut and causing them harm and lifelong damage out of fear of something they may never even have encountered in their lifetime. So weighing the risks and what I (or any other parent could live with) becomes a little more complex versus someone saying all vaccines are good for every child/person. Regardless I haven't seen anyone really address a big part of the OP's question which was more along the lines are all vaccines necessary. Most of us have natural immunity from having had chicken pox as kids and we survived. I also have known several people who've had measles and mumps and acquired natural immunity from those as well. My children have acquired natural immunity with chicken pox because when it came time for that vaccine the doctors weren't even clear as to when a booster would be needed and it hasn't been in existence long enough to truly know any negative impact it could have down the road. I didn't think any risk of the disease could compare to having my children be a sort of lab rat for a new vaccine. I am also going to shy away from gardisil at this time for my daughter. Why? Because my daughter is 11 and is homeschooled and is not in any situation yet that puts her at risk. Yet I've had friends who got the vaccine for their child as young as 8 purely because it was recommended, at 8 I can't fathom why. I've heard some negatives so will do further research prior to it being an issue with my own. I never had it and I've never gotten HPV, had cancer or had genital warts. Seems like there are alternatives out there to protect yourself instead of injecting who knows what into your body and assuming you are safe when there is research to prove not all vaccines work 100% of the time for everyone. Or how about the flu vaccine? I've never had the flu nor have my kids...ever. Yet I've known countless people who've had it after receiving the vaccine. My mother gets it every year and every year she has the flu. I won't discount it for those who are in the health field, the elderly, young children, or individuals with other health issues which would make the flu far more dangerous to them, or even pregnant women or those who have babies in their household. I still don't see why the average healthy american needs this vaccine since clearly it is limited in what it can prevent as well as weak in its protection yet millions inject who knows what into their bodies every single year. I think I can survive the flu should I get it. ;-)

subkatslut -> RE: Vaccines (10/24/2010 11:10:54 PM)
quote: Unless this group is a nationwide group of people with children injured by vaccines then you still haven't met many parents with chidlren injured by vaccines. out of 5000 moms the odds are good that none had a child with serious complications from vaccinations, they really are that rare. For instance the MMR vaccine has a serious side effect rate of less than 1 in 1 million doses (each mom has more than 200 kids?) Well I think what you just did was support what I've already long known. That if the rate of incidence in a group of 5000 is higher then what is claimed by the government, etc...it's probably not as safe as they would like us to believe. I've personally met a handful of these women as well as their children so I've seen it with my own eyes and no one, I can assure you, has done more research and tried to find the answers then a woman whose had this horrible experience. The doctors say I have an orphan disease which currently has no treatment or cure because it only affects 1 in a million people and money has not been devoted to research for that reason. Well those of us who have it know it's not quite as rare as they claim. Many people like me lived with it for years before realizing I did once it became more of a hassle and because it's seen as so rare many doctors often misdiagnose and treat for other things never realizing it's something else. I was fortunate my doctor knew right away. Others have gone through years of pain and numerous doctors who were clueless. So numbers and statistics can be useful but they are far from always accurate.

subkatslut -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 2:15:06 AM)
I know this post is coming after my previous 2 but I'm frustrated because I see no edit button so that I can remove my posts or to at least delete the content. After posting I realized I really don't want to keep hashing anything out with anyone and would have rather not have said anything further. Problem is I can't although I've edited before so I don't quite understand why. I made a mistake of jumping into a conversation I really didn't want to get into and then further got into it even though I didn't even want to. This is supposed to be my fun board and venturing into topics like this is not what I want. lol So please carry on and proceed as if I was never here. I actually want to cry because I just wanted to delete my posts and move on.

Moonhead -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 2:28:40 AM)
Have you tried messaging a moderator? Perhaps one of them might be willing to delete the posts, if any of them can be found.

CynthiaWVirginia -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 2:33:40 AM)
(((hugs))) to subkatslut. Sometimes it is very frustrating to want to do something and the computer laughs at you instead. I threaten to toss mine out the window if it doesn't behave, but my brat computer isn't very impressed. [;)] Btw, I won't take flu shots either...and I don't catch the flu. Mom gets them every year, as does another friend and both of them catch the flu, lol.

Moonhead -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 2:38:20 AM)
Are you sure they catch the 'flu every year, or is it just a nasty cold they get?

DMFParadox -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 3:44:18 AM)
Subkat, it's a forum. 80% of the people here will never read past the first sentence or two in your post, and of them another 80-90% won't remember what they read in a day. The leftovers will forget after a couple weeks. Do not die in a fire over this. It's ok.

sunshinemiss -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 3:48:24 AM)
This excellent talk deals with this (somewhat peripherally), but I think it's apropos. http://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_how_social_networks_predict_epidemics.html

CynthiaWVirginia -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 3:49:39 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DesFIP It isn't just children that are at risk. You know anybody whose undergone chemo in the last five years? Their odds of contracting a fatal illness is on a par with babies under three and over three months. Anybody with an immune system disorder who may be on immune system suppressants or large amounts of steroids? But you wouldn't know that they had it because the meds would be suppressing symptoms. You will discover this when it's your unvaccinated child that gives them pertussis. I think that killing someone by not letting your kid be vaccinated and still letting them wander around the community without telling parents in their class or playmates' parents would earn a major payoff from most juries. I am not against vaccines, they have their place. I don't agree with there being so many that must be given to young children whose immune system isn't even fully developed yet. My son had a reaction to the shots...fever, swelling up, and screaming for days. About the chemo. When I was having mine I had to fight with the RN at my oncologist's office...she was trying to put me beside someone with bronchitis and I refused. She insisted that it would be good for me and keep my immune system strong. I disagreed and dug my heels in and insisted on being given my chemo in another room, even the ruddy hallway. When I went out into public, I wore a germ mask and used hand sanitizer copiously, and didn't get into places like elevators with someone who was obviously ill. It is my responsibility to take care of myself. If I hadn't had my shots, before starting chemo I could have had them...regardless, there are still a lot of germs that can make someone ill that we will never have shots for. My neighbor went to dialysis for years and finally decided to go on the list to get a new kidney. The doctor explained to her in advance that she would have to be on immune suppressant drugs for the rest of her life so her body wouldn't reject the organ. This was when she should have had all of her shots, before getting the transplant, if she hadn't had them already. I am only talking about adults taking responsibility for their own actions, and not blaming unvaccinated children for everything. If either my son or I am ill, I do not visit with my neighbors, except over the phone, and I tell them why. I keep my germs to myself and expect friends to do the same. If a friend has the flu or bronchitis and visits me without my informed consent, then I will rip them a new ass. If I am aware of it but they need me to take them to the grocery store, they had better not be deceptive, then I will wear a germ mask if they are too selfconscious to wear one. I have taken my mother to the doctor or grocery shopping when she has been ill, but I also hand her one of my germ masks and hand sanitizer. When my son has been sick, I made him stay home and didn't let him wander around the community. Kids in public schools are germ factories...before my son was homeschooled we caught something once or twice per month. All the kids in school were vaccinated...and it's funny, but a girl in my class when I was in junior high...she had been vaccinated...but caught scarlet fever. I had had a teacher at college who had eaten that sugar cube with the polio vaccine...but somehow he had caught polio. Sometimes there are bad batches of shots, or else something just gets snafu'd and we don't know why. If an adult does not get vaccinated and catches the disease...I cannot see how logical it is to sue an unvaccinated child; if the adult had been vaccinated then whether or not the child had a disease would have made no difference. This talk reminded me to see that my son gets his tetanus booster...and yes, I agree about some of the vaccines like diptheria, tetanus, and polio. Some I think should be optional up to a certain age, like mumps. I would definitely have wanted my son to have this before puberty as it could leave him sterile if he caught mumps afterward. It's funny, but in my parent's time, if a kid got sick with some disease like mumps or chicken pox, other kids were brought to visit to infect them and get it over with. The immunity lasted for a lifetime, guaranteed. I was one of those kids herded into see a friend with chicken pox. I dearly wanted to catch it so I could get out of school for a few weeks. Btw, I was not living at home at that time, but in an institution. This was not some crazy parent trying to give me chicken pox...anyway, for some reason I didn't catch it...but I caught a mild version of it (smaller bubbles) when I was 28. When I lived in California and was staying at some shelter, someone had Measles, so the health department came roaring in and rounded up everyone and forced us all to have rubella shots. I didn't have my old shot record so I had to get them again. I'm okay with that. I just wish someone had told me it could give my baby autism if I got pregnant within weeks afterward. It wasn't fair for the school kids to get shots because they had to have shots to be in public school. Btw, our family moved almost every year and my records usually were lost...I cannot tell you how many blessed times I had to have my "school shots" again and again. And it gets better...I was in a long line of children and one year the guy used the same "gun" on all of us. Same needle for all of us and it was not sterilized in between. Ick. ************ Now to comment on anjelica's post. :)** quote: However, to be fair to the caregivers, it may be possible that since they were adults their doctors dropped the ball on determining their vaccination status and didn't discuss it with them. How many of us have been told by our physicians that a diptheria booster is a good idea? When I worked as a home health-care giver I had to argue with my physician to give me an MMR booster when there had been a massive college outbreak of measles among previously vaccinated kids. As it turned out the vaccine they were given was at fault. I was working with children periodically and did not want to take that risk. angelica, I heard rumors from other adults that they had known people who caught diseases they had shots for, and so when my son had to go to special ed, early intervention, I asked my doctor for booster shots for me. I didn't want to catch anything from all that contact with children. He laughed in my face and refused, saying this immunity lasted for a lifetime. I was bent out of shape at him, because this is my body that I am responsible for, and if I want to feel secure that my vaccinations took then I should be able to pay for it myself if my insurance wouldn't cover it. As long as taking them again wouldn't somehow damage my health...and unlike my son, I have never had a bad reaction to shots. I still haven't had any new shots except for tetanus and that rubella shot I had to have at the shelter. None of my doctors here have ever mentioned that it's a good idea to get a diptheria booster, but I will ask. I also wonder about that new shot they are giving only to young women, to prevent them from getting cervical cancer. A friend of mine had that disease and got cancer from it and I had to help her through her chemo and radiation. If they "think" most of us in our thirties and fourties have been exposed to it and already have a nautral immunity, why not let us be tested and get the shot if we have no immunity? I don't know the right words to use to a doctor to bring this up, and I sometimes get weary of being patted on the head like I am some child and then told no. Nobody offered me that chicken pox vaccine either...I had hitched a ride to WIC and the woman and her daughter, but she commented that normally there would be no room in the car, except her younger children were at home with chicken pox. Do you know how ridiculous it was to be 28 and have chicken pox when I couldn't catch it when I was in second grade no matter how hard I tried? LOL. *********** Now I'm talking just to throw in my two cents, not to anyone in particular. One of the times when I had to start chemo, I went to my family doctor and demanded a flu shot and a pneumonia shot before starting my treatments...and she gave them to me. I took responsibility for my health. I am in remission these past few years and I do not take flu shots anymore...my immune system is okay and I get sick only once every year or two in spite of my son's best friend who goes to public school and is a germ facory. If a woman is pregnant and hasn't had any rubella shots, then she needs to avoid children and wear a germ mask when she cannot. If someone is a health care worker or in the armed forces, then I believe in vaccinations to help keep them safe. At the same time, I think most of the shots for little kids can be put off until they start daycare or start attending school. This is just my own opinion and it doesn't bother me if others disagree or try to call me an idiot. [:D]**

DMFParadox -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 4:27:15 AM)
This is a difficult topic to form an opinion on. On the one hand, vaccines are vital for keeping deadly infections away from the general population. And they significantly improve overall quality of life. On the other hand, scrutiny over the safety of the vaccines themselves is a good thing. Fear may make some people act irrationally, but it makes the rest of us look at things at bit more closely. For the first 2/3rds of my life, it never even occurred to me that vaccines might be harmful, and I really should have known better given my exposure to the medical profession. This I consider a personal failing. Because vaccines are merely stripped-down versions of the microbes themselves; normally harmless, sure, the same way a gun without bullets, a firing pin or a trigger would be. But medical labs are run by people, and they can and do make mistakes. Especially if the general population gets too complacent about trusting them. On a larger scale, not all vaccines are created equal. Influenza is the prime example; flu vaccines have (had) the worst controls and the shakiest science backing them of any others. There are some good excuses for that; the flu is a very fast-moving target, and it's good at hiding sometimes. On the other hand, a solution to the flu problem is pressing; we may think of it as a fever and a bad week, but historically influenza and its cousins have been the absolute deadliest threat to humanity, aside from other humans. The problem is that epidemiologists aren't certain of all the tricks a flu bug can pull. Because it edits its 'wrapper' so quickly, the best solution for a vaccine that scientists have found is to capture recent versions of the bug 'in the wild', breed them, 'kill' or sterilize them and then use that as the vaccine. This is in contrast to vaccines such as polio, where the virus has been (relatively) stable and we have a better understanding of it; the same vaccine that worked 10-15 years ago still works today. But for the flu, not so much. The methods that scientists use to breed flu virii are pretty safe. So stories of leukemia, papillomavirus, and other virii getting mixed in are myths. However, the methods they use to kill the influenza are not as guaranteed; heat and radiation, but they have to leave enough of the virus for the immune system to learn its shape and build a defense, so it's a fine line. Sometimes too fine, and a significant enough portion of the microbes remain functional to cause problems. Sadly, we can't just give up. We have to try to find a good solution for influenza, because the risks of letting it hit us again in an epidemic form are just too great. Think 'black plague' but with denser population centers. So, we as the general public are being used as guinea pigs, to a small degree, because the risks outweigh the benefits of complacency. But we can and should keep the heat on the people making the vaccines to find better ways of producing safer product. So in that sense, I endorse a small bit of hysteria.

DesFIP -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 4:32:09 AM)
Cynthia, scarlet fever is a form of strep throat. You can't be vaccinated against strep. As far as people needing chemo waiting three months to revaccinate? Not a good idea.

DomKen -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 6:13:40 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: subkatslut Regardless I haven't seen anyone really address a big part of the OP's question which was more along the lines are all vaccines necessary. Most of us have natural immunity from having had chicken pox as kids and we survived. I also have known several people who've had measles and mumps and acquired natural immunity from those as well. My children have acquired natural immunity with chicken pox because when it came time for that vaccine the doctors weren't even clear as to when a booster would be needed and it hasn't been in existence long enough to truly know any negative impact it could have down the road. I didn't think any risk of the disease could compare to having my children be a sort of lab rat for a new vaccine. And if you children get shingles 40 years down the road? (shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. When we get the disease our immune system can never kill off all the viral particles and sometimes, decades after the initial infection, the virus will infect the nerves and the victim gets to spend weeks or months or the rest of their life in agaonizingvirtually untreatable pain.) quote: I am also going to shy away from gardisil at this time for my daughter. Why? Because my daughter is 11 and is homeschooled and is not in any situation yet that puts her at risk. Yet I've had friends who got the vaccine for their child as young as 8 purely because it was recommended, at 8 I can't fathom why. I've heard some negatives so will do further research prior to it being an issue with my own. I never had it and I've never gotten HPV, had cancer or had genital warts. Have you had the antibody test for HPV? Most HPV infections have no symptoms. The overwhelming majority of sexually active adults have had at least one HPV infection. The HPV vaccines are some of the safest vaccines ever put on the market. Also I'm unclear how homeschooling your child will prevent that child from ever getting a sexually transmitted disease?

angelikaJ -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 6:38:12 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: CynthiaWVirginia Now to comment on anjelica's post. :) quote: However, to be fair to the caregivers, it may be possible that since they were adults their doctors dropped the ball on determining their vaccination status and didn't discuss it with them. How many of us have been told by our physicians that a diptheria booster is a good idea? None of my doctors here have ever mentioned that it's a good idea to get a diptheria booster, but I will ask. I also wonder about that new shot they are giving only to young women, to prevent them from getting cervical cancer. A friend of mine had that disease and got cancer from it and I had to help her through her chemo and radiation. If they "think" most of us in our thirties and fourties have been exposed to it and already have a nautral immunity, why not let us be tested and get the shot if we have no immunity? I don't know the right words to use to a doctor to bring this up, and I sometimes get weary of being patted on the head like I am some child and then told no. Nobody offered me that chicken pox vaccine either...I had hitched a ride to WIC and the woman and her daughter, but she commented that normally there would be no room in the car, except her younger children were at home with chicken pox. Do you know how ridiculous it was to be 28 and have chicken pox when I couldn't catch it when I was in second grade no matter how hard I tried? LOL. ************* I will look for the link that talks about diptheria vaccines and include it when I find it. Re: the Gardisil vaccine; they are looking into extending the official age the vaccine can be given, it may be announced within a year to reccommend it up to age 45. I think they should do the HPV DNA test with your pap and offer it. It is now recommended for boys. It does not prevent every HPV infection but 2 of the strains it protects against are responsible for most of the cervical (and now oral, penile and anal) cancers. Anal cancer is what killed Farah Fawcett. There is a shingles vaccine, recommended for people age 60 and older. It reduces the incidence of shingles by 50% and can cause less pain in those who get shingles despite being vaccinated.

angelikaJ -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 6:40:44 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: subkatslut I know this post is coming after my previous 2 but I'm frustrated because I see no edit button so that I can remove my posts or to at least delete the content. After posting I realized I really don't want to keep hashing anything out with anyone and would have rather not have said anything further. Problem is I can't although I've edited before so I don't quite understand why. I made a mistake of jumping into a conversation I really didn't want to get into and then further got into it even though I didn't even want to. This is supposed to be my fun board and venturing into topics like this is not what I want. lol So please carry on and proceed as if I was never here. I actually want to cry because I just wanted to delete my posts and move on. I am sorry if you feel picked on. This is a topic that people feel very passionate about, but if my posts towards you were harsh, I am sorry.

subkatslut -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 8:22:05 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: angelikaJ I am sorry if you feel picked on. This is a topic that people feel very passionate about, but if my posts towards you were harsh, I am sorry. You're fine...I'm a big girl and it takes a lot more for me to feel picked on or to care if I am. It's because I know it's a topic many are passionate about on both sides of the fence and when I initially responded I forgot that important fact. I bit off more then I wanted to chew that was all. ;-)

tazzygirl -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 8:52:37 AM)
quote: Regardless I haven't seen anyone really address a big part of the OP's question which was more along the lines are all vaccines necessary. Most of us have natural immunity from having had chicken pox as kids and we survived. I also have known several people who've had measles and mumps and acquired natural immunity from those as well. Before the advent of the current measles vaccine, there were about 500,000 cases of measles in the United States per year; almost everyone got the measles. But since 1963, the number has fallen precipitously (figure 1B) with a low of only 86 cases in 2001, all of which seem to be imported. In the less developed world, measles still takes its toll with an estimated 30 million illnesses and 770,000 measles-caused deaths in 2000 of which 58% were in Africa. http://pathmicro.med.sc.edu/mhunt/mump-meas.htm The natural immunity had its costs as well. You state no one should be able to tell a parent what to do with their child, yet society does it all the time. From school and truancy laws, to your homeschooling, to obtaining medical assistance when a child is ill. Now, there are a certain number of immunosuppressed children, and adults, in this country. They cannot take vaccinations period. Where do you get off saying another parent has the right to determine how those children will live or die?

hausboy -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 7:01:48 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: subkatslut Or how about the flu vaccine? I've never had the flu nor have my kids...ever. Yet I've known countless people who've had it after receiving the vaccine. My mother gets it every year and every year she has the flu. I won't discount it for those who are in the health field, the elderly, young children, or individuals with other health issues which would make the flu far more dangerous to them, or even pregnant women or those who have babies in their household. I still don't see why the average healthy american needs this vaccine since clearly it is limited in what it can prevent as well as weak in its protection yet millions inject who knows what into their bodies every single year. I think I can survive the flu should I get it. ;-) Thanks for the response subkatclut--and I'm glad that you made a well-thought out decision--and I also don't disagree with you that for some of the newer vaccines out there, it's always wise to discuss with your provider and do what's best for you and your kids. And you're right, we've yet to hear from the OP re: what the intent of this thread was. As you can tell, it's something I'm passionate about--it's my career--so I appreciate the good dialogue on it. Here's the real skinny on flu vaccine: The injectable vaccine is not live (unatenuated) You absolutely do NOT get flu from the vaccine. Here's what happens: people take approximately 10-14 days to appropriately build up antibodies once they've been vaccinated. Right before they get vaccinated--and sometimes during that 2 week period--they get exposed to the virus (from a sick person) and incubate it. They haven't build up sufficient antibodies, and viola--they get sick--and blame it on the vaccine they just received. You also have to remember that the flu vaccine only protects against three strains of flu--there are numerous other respiratory ailments out there that strike the same season, and many times what the patient has is NOT flu, but often some other ailment. I can't tell you how many times we hear "I have flu" and it turns out to be something else. (only a lab test can truly confirm flu, and it's best to swab in the first 72 hours) Last point---flu kills 30,000 Americans every year. The flu vaccine protects hundreds of thousands of people from becoming ill. In some cases, ANY respiratory virus would kill those patients, who are often immunosuppresed or otherwise medically comprised with other co-morbid factors. It is not a weak vaccine--it's actually an extremely effective one. If everyone opted to forego flu vaccine, we would have a pandemic of epic proportions on our hands, and it would cost hundreds of thousands of lives needlessly. One of my immediate family members (sibling) is young and healthy--he became sick with H1N1 during Phase I one of the pandemic (pre-vaccine) and developed pneumonia that hospitalized him and could have claimed his life. No vaccine is 100% effective, but the influenza vaccine is quite good. The years where folks still get sick even though they received vaccine--remember that the vaccine must be developed months in advance. It takes approx. 6 months to manufacture flu vaccine, and the strains are selected based upon the epidemilogical trends in the Southern Hemisphere, which gives us North Americans a pre-cursor of what's to come. There's something called "Antigenic drift", a naturally occuring mutation of the virus--and there are years when the vaccine development misses the mark, or the virus itself outsmarts us, essentially, and the vaccine doesn't match up well with the influenza sub-types. Antigenic shift is where the virus completely mutates into a novel strain--one we've never seen before--and one without an existing vaccine--and that's what we saw during H1N1. Unless you are allergic to eggs....in which case, you can't get ANY vaccines...or you have a strong sensitivity to Thimerosal, an additive, vaccine ingredients are safe....and no mystery. You can get the full disclosure of ingredient listings. There are many people out there who believe in conspiracy theories and there's not much I can do to convince them otherwise, so I don't try. I do roll up my sleeve and practice what I preach. In any case, I hope you and family have a very healthy winter season. If you opt to not get flu vaccination, remember to wash your hands frequently and properly, cover your cough/sneeze and sneeze into your elbow, not your hands, and if you do get sick--stay home until you are fever free for at least 24 hours without fever reducing agents. Be well!

January -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 8:02:22 PM)
quote: Have you had the antibody test for HPV? Most HPV infections have no symptoms. The overwhelming majority of sexually active adults have had at least one HPV infection. Hey DomKen, My understanding is that HPV is one of the tests done during all pap smears. So I'd say most sexually active women DO know--symptoms or not. I wonder about the wisdom of Guardasil vaccinations. I have left it up to my daughters. But vaccination against HPV (and some cervical cancers) really is an individual choice. This bug is not like whooping cough, where parents may be risking the lives of other children. Some parents may not value the lives of other children. But protecting all children is absolutely the job of society. January

DomKen -> RE: Vaccines (10/25/2010 8:15:21 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: January quote: Have you had the antibody test for HPV? Most HPV infections have no symptoms. The overwhelming majority of sexually active adults have had at least one HPV infection. Hey DomKen, My understanding is that HPV is one of the tests done during all pap smears. So I'd say most sexually active women DO know--symptoms or not. I wonder about the wisdom of Guardasil vaccinations. I have left it up to my daughters. But vaccination against HPV (and some cervical cancers) really is an individual choice. This bug is not like whooping cough, where parents may be risking the lives of other children. Some parents may not value the lives of other children. But protecting all children is absolutely the job of society. January The test for HPV antibodies is called Digene and it is not routinely part of the pap smear although it is becoming more common. HPV is like Pertussis. If the vast majority of people are vaccinated against it the strains in question ill be unable to spread and those who cannot be vaccinated will be protected by herd immunity just like all the other vaccine controllable diseases.

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