Information Sheet: Vaccinations

Vaccinations have become a fixture in modern healthcare and are an integral part of well-baby visits.  This info sheet endeavors to help sift through the issues involved and help you make your decision about vaccinating your child.  It is not intended to be comprehensive, and further education is definitely warranted in some cases, but here I will present some of the issues to think about regarding vaccines.  

Issues of immunity

A vaccination is an injection of a small amount of a pathogen—a disease-causing cell.  The idea behind vaccines is that by introducing a small amount of the pathogen into the child’s body, the child’s immune system can react and make antibodies against the illness without actually contracting the disease. 

Illnesses that are vaccinated against range from very mild to deadly serious.  Chicken pox is a relatively new vaccination that many people believe is relatively benign.  On the other hand, no one misses the incidence of polio, a serious illness that killed or maimed, and survivors are seen today with post-polio syndrome, a disfiguring and crippling disease. 

The immunization afforded by any given vaccination is often thought to give life-long immunity, but often does not.  Many of the vaccinations will need boosters at a set schedule in order to remain effective.  Contrasting with the actual illness, most of these illnesses will provide life-long immunity in most cases. 

Another issue is that vaccinations do not always work.  Sometimes a very mild form of the disease will occur, and this form of the disease may or may not be contagious.  Obviously, this is a problem if families are trying to keep disease to a minimum in cases of reduced immunity of family members. 

Issues of vaccine safety

Many groups and individuals are questioning the safety of vaccinations.  Some wonder if they cause autism and can quote stories of parents watching their child go from normal, healthy and functioning to lethargic and developmentally delayed.  Other ills are blamed on vaccines, such as cancer or autoimmune disorders.  The reasons that vaccinations get this blame are manifold. 

The ingredients in vaccines are sometimes seen as quite foreign to what people think should go into our bodies.  Formaldehyde, mercury, gelatin, animal pus, animal fetal cells, human fetal cells, antibiotics, aluminum, egg whites, MSG; the list goes on.  Plus, it includes a real pathogen, something that is known to make people ill. 

Another issue is with how the vaccine is given.  It is injected straight into the blood stream, which is not a normal mode of taking in a substance.  Normal modes would include by mouth, by breathing it in, by permeating the skin, and through sexual contact.  All of these afford a level of “processing” the pathogen before it hits the immune system, through digestive juices, mucous secretions, etc.  When the pathogen is directly injected into the bloodstream, those checks and balances are not present to stop it at the door.  We have tricked the body into believing it has had the illness, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. 

Another issue is with how many vaccinations are given to children and at the age at which they are given.  The first vaccinations are usually given in the first hours of life, before the newborn leaves the hospital.  A schedule of 2, 4, 6 and 12 months is kept, all with several vaccinations given at these ages.  Children can receive many shots at a visit, and some shots include more than one vaccination.  It’s not uncommon for 7 or more vaccinations to be given at one visit.  Can a young baby handle all of these vaccinations?  Some say no, and some parents wait to give their babies these vaccinations.

Vaccinations and Your Baby

What is a parent to do with all this information?  First, educate yourself.  Look at the issues from all sides, and find information.  Here is a list of resources to start you off:

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/autismparentfacts.htm

http://mothering.com (do a search for “vaccines” or “vaccination”)

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/default.htm

Consider individualizing your baby’s vaccine schedule.  If you want to have your baby immunized, but don’t think that he or she needs all of the vaccines or don’t think he or she needs them at a very early age, you can decide what to vaccinate for and when to do so.  Some factors you want to consider in this decision are: how healthy your baby is, whether he or she is breastfed, if there is a smoker in the house, what genetic diseases she or he is predisposed to, how much risk does he or she have of contracting illness.  Will she be in day care at 6 weeks?  Does he have a big brother who might bring home illness?  Do you live with elderly parents who may contract pertussis?  If factors are present that compromise your baby’s health, this may push your decision to earlier rather than later vaccinations, and to choose more of them.  The medical model chooses vaccinations that will be of the greatest help to the population at large, and does not keep any one individual’s needs in mind.  It is your job as a mindful parent to decide whether that schedule is right for your baby and if not, to choose one that is right. 

Deciding Not to Vaccinate

You also have the option of not getting your baby vaccinated at all.  In this case, you need to be aware and comfortable with what that means.  Chicken pox is much more severe the older one gets, so many non-vaccinating parents try to expose their kids to chickenpox when they are young.  Measles outbreaks are not uncommon, especially in college dormitories.  Some diseases can cause damage if a pregnant woman contracts it, and mumps can cause infertility in pubescent boys.  Any of the diseases usually vaccinated for can cause severe illness and even death, if a secondary infection is contracted.  General health will go a long way to ward off serious illness, but is no guarantee.  Consider each disease and think about what you might do in various situations; what will you do if your child steps on a rusty nail?  What if your two-month-old contracts pertussis and has a severe cough for three months?  Be comfortable in your own decision, and make an educated choice.  Understand the risks, both ways. 

This is a difficult choice for many parents, one that has no clear-cut choice.  It probably isn’t the first hard choice you’ll have to make as a parent, and certainly won’t be the last!  Make a decision that you can live with and don’t let opponents make you feel bad.  You are doing the right thing for your child by considering his or her needs.  You are a good parent.