Mother's Who Don't Vaccinate... A Risk?

As mothers, we innately want to protect our children, so concerns are valid. I have been reading literature about vaccinations for the past 10 years. Some suggest that the un-vaccinated children pose a threat to the vaccinated population.

If the vaccine theory was sound, then the unvaccinated children would not pose a threat to the vaccinated population, right? Think about it.

In order to be a threat, the unvaccinated child would have to first come in contact with the disease and have the immune system fail to ward it off. Even if this were to happen… if the vaccination successfully did what it was intended to do (foster immunity towards a specific disease), the vaccinated child should not contract the disease.

This past year a vaccinated child, who sat directly behind my child, contracted whooping cough and hacked directly on my child for days, during the incubation period, before being removed from the classroom environment.

Why did my child not contract the disease?

Why did the vaccinated child contract the disease?

It is hard for me to comprehend why the majority doesn’t think about this paradox. Instead, I think the proactive parent is wrongfully accused of being unmindful of the health risks involved. These parents don’t mindlessly venture into the world of not vaccinating their children. They conduct on-going research and implement lifestyle choices that promote a healthy immune function. They are proactively seeking alternative means to the pestilence occurring in our young children and babies.

It is not my mission to tell people to or not to vaccinate; this is a personal choice between a mother, father, and most likely their physician. However, I do say to educate yourself before entering this (or any) discussion with the physician. Here are some resources on my side of the fence to get you started.

Fisher, B. L. (September-October 2004). In The Wake of Vaccines. Mothering , 38-45.

Kirby, D. (2005). Evidence of Harm, Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy. New York: St. Martins Press.

Miller, N. Z. (1998). Immunizations: The People Speak! Questions, Comments, and Concerns About Vaccinations. Sante Fe: New Atlantean Press.

Vacination Risk Awareness Network. http://www.vran.org/

National Vaccine Information Center: http://www.nvic.org/