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Getting on the vax soapbox
So, our part-time nanny just told us she has the measles.
She had, in fact, been vaccinated, but as health people tell us, vaccines don't work for every person, which is why we need herd immunity (the whole reason why people push for vaccination). She works for several other families, and probably got it from one of the other kids, who may or may not have been old enough to have the vax (I don't think she even knows where she got it from).
Thank GOD she was responsible enough to call me last week and cancel because she felt sick, otherwise DD would have been exposed, and DD is too young for the MMR vax, and it could have had terrible consequences.
We live in Boulder, which has one of the lowest vax rates in the country. I would have FLIPPED OUT if DD had gotten measles from our properly vaccined sitter if some irresponsible parent somewhere up the chain had opted out of vaxing because they were scared of the MMR vaccine.
I know this topic comes up often in parenting circles, but I've never had it hit so close to home before. So unless you have a seriously good medical reason to not vaccinate, get those kids vax'd!!! ***end rant***
Re: Getting on the vax soapbox
Katie Talks About...
Amen!
And to add to it- as a parent make sure you are up to date on your vax as well. I just got my updated Tdap for this very reason!
I'm very sorry for your cousin, but I really hope you never say anything like that to her. Her baby was 3 months old and the HIB vac, even if she had had it, is not 100% effective at that age since you need 2-3 shots and even a booster.
This is the problem with vaccines, they aren't 100% effective and their effectiveness decreases over time. I'm not anti-vac at all and I really think they are important and it's great that the op's nanny didn't infect lots of kids and has the opportunity to encourage others to get vac. However, even MMR is not fully effective with the first dose and most kids don't get that until they are a year old, so if she nannies for younger kids she could be exposed - or kids from afluent families that travel a lot. From what I understand the vac rates in Europe are much lower and I know that my cousin's friend;s son from Denver got measles after visiting Europe when they were about 8 (and they were vacinated) and happened to pass it on to my cousin's kid (8 year old best friend who was also vaccinated) before it was over.
It's great to be vaccinated, but even with a 100% vac rate, there could still be outbreaks and sad situations.
Are you united with the CCOKCs?
Oh my gosh, OF COURSE I'd never say anything to her about not vaccinating! She's blaming herself enough, there's no need for anyone to lay any more on her! I think the main thing is that, despite not being 100% effective immediately, having the vaccine reduces the risk of disease contraction significantly. Before a vax-preventable disease touched our family, DH and I considered not vax on schedule and/or skipping some. We decided to go with our pedi's rec's because he's a CD'ing/alt med giving father himself and we trust him. Now that we've experienced what COULD happen without vax (you think it can NEVER happen to you...), we're glad we went the way we did. Our cousin was SAHM so no daycare or crazy amount of stranger interaction... they don't know where or how the baby contracted it. Also, from what I understand, HIB used to be contracted often and wasn't such a huge deal. What IS the big deal is the Meningitis and other things that HIB can lead to. HIB vax specifically is one that lots of people skip because it's "just a virus" or whatever but they don't realize that it can lead to other infections really fast and without warning. So sad.
Are you united with the CCOKCs?
You're right, my choice of words was bad... I'm nothing but completely empathetic and compassionate for her and her family. There's no other way to be when someone loses a child.