Immunization.

I know I've offended a few of my friends with my blog, and I'm sure that this will be not be the last time I do. I have been seriously thinking through some of my beliefs. There are quite a few issues that I have sat on the fence on because I didn't want to ruffle any feathers. So here is the beginning of me jumping off the fence.

I've been researching the vaccination debate off and on for the last six years, ever since the boys were born. We did immunize our kids, but I have always been uncertain if that was the right choice for us. I now can say that I am certain that I made the right choice for our kids.

I was actually inspired to look into this more after talking to my sister Deb. She traveled to Burkina Faso, West Africa last summer (July 12 - August 6, 2008) with students from Messiah College http://www.thecollaboratoryonline.org/wiki. The team went to improve and build new trikes for physically disabled persons in this very poor country. A surprise for Deb was that many of them were disabled from polio. We are so sheltered in the United States.
History of Polio: http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/poliotimeline.htm
Little bit of polio info: http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/polio.html
So, to start with, I am glad that my children do not have to fear this disease.

"Ironically, the successes of vaccine coverage in the United States have made it more difficult for the public to weigh the benefits and complications of vaccines because the now-controlled diseases and their often-serious risks are no longer familiar."1

"Parents who believe that vaccinations are linked to autism, or who object for religious or other reasons, balk at government regulations that bar their unvaccinated children from attending school if they don’t have the required shots. One anti-vaccination group calls forced vaccination “a violation of human rights.”
"But those on the opposite side of the argument say not vaccinating violates the rights of others. According to officials at the Centers for Disease Control, “The decision not to vaccinate is a decision for your child but also a decision for society.” They say that unlike other medical issues where refusing treatment affects only the patient, refusing vaccinations puts others at risk as well, including newborns and people with suppressed immune systems.
"Parents of unimmunized children rely on the vast majority of kids who do get their shots, figuring there’s little polio, measles, chicken pox or other pathogens to be found among so many protected kids. But with recent measles outbreaks in four states, that protection may not be enough."2

"Immunization is widely regarded as one of the most effective and beneficial tools for protecting the public's health. In the United States, immunization programs have resulted in the eradication of smallpox, the elimination of polio, and the control and near elimination of once-common, often debilitating and potentially life-threatening diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae type b."1

It is my goal now to look up a little info on all these diseases and to learn a little more about what I have chosen to protect my kids from.

Vaccine Descriptions:
HepB: protects against hepatitis B
DTaP: a combined vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
(whooping cough)
Hib: protects against Haemophilus influenzae Type b
PCV: protects against pneumococcal disease
Polio: protects against polio, the vaccine is also known as IPV
Rota: protects against infections caused by rotavirus
Influenza: protects against influenza (flu)
MMR: protects against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles)
Varicella: protects against varicella, also known as chickenpox
HepA: protects against hepatitis A
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/infants/downloads/rec-iz-babies.pdf

And lastly, I read an article in Brain,Child magazine about vaccines and a modified immunization schedule. I will edit this post tomorrow with that info because I am going to bed.

Here is the commonly recommended immunization schedule:
http://www.cispimmunize.org/IZSchedule_Childhood.pdf

1. Immunization safety review: measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism
By Kathleen R. Stratton, Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Alicia Gable, Padma Shetty, Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Immunization Safety Review Committee, Marie C. McCormick
Edition: illustrated
Published by National Academies Press, 2001
ISBN 0309074479, 9780309074476
86 pages
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nw75d4t_V9sC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=immunization+and+autism&ots=pjmxXSM5Gf&sig=5Eph5abREztZflJSvb-VBr5sT6o

2. Needling Questions: Immunizing Kids
June 30, 2008 By Kathy McManus
http://www.responsibilityproject.com/blog/post/needling-questions-immunizing-kids/?src=keyword_s=ggl_K=VaccineAndAutism_C=Parenting_G=Needle_Autism_M=Broad