Homeschooling causes measles outbreaks

Or at least, you'd think HSers were the cause to read what MSNBC has to say :evil:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26333787/

But I'm confused.... if our kids are sheltered from the world, how could they possibly contract or spread measles? :roll:

 

Well in order to start school (other than home school) all children are required to be vaccinated (it's very difficult, at least here, to get an exemption, I tried to get exempt from chicken pox vaccine for my son, but was not able to because he was being enrolled in public school), so I guess they are assuming that all the kids in public schools are vaccinated and blaming home schooled kids and their parents for not acquiring the vaccine to prevent the kids from getting and spreading the disease. I think that it's unfair to blame home schoolers, when it's more often illegal immigrants bringing it into our country and spreading it. From a quick read of the article, it looks like they are saying 11 of the 131 cases involved home schooled kids, but I didn't see a specific number involving illegal immigrants, which I would imagine is significantly higher and most likely the majority of the cases.

 

I read this last night and thought it was a hoot!LOL


Opps! I actually read it early this morning!

 

In most states it's very easy to enroll in public school without being vaccinated. Often times, the school officials will insist that you must be fully vaccinated against x, y, and z before enrolling, but a quick scan of the state laws will show otherwise.

 

I agree. My cousin had his four children in public school for five years before the school finally called him about the children not being vaccinated. The Health Department didn't even contact him.

 

In Missouri you just have to sign an exemption form. Usually the school nurse has them on hand for you the day of enrollment.

 

Interesting article....

I know a lady who does not vaccinate her three sons and sends them to public schools. She gets an exemption signed by a doctor every year. I bet it is hard to find a doctor that is willing to do that though.

I vaccinate my children and I homeschool.

I'm not saying one is better than the other. It's up to the parents.

 

My son nearly died from vaccination (as an infant) and his doctor still refused to sign a medical exemption. Good thing I don't need it, even if we send him to PS.

 

I personally can't imagine not vaccinating. What do you say to your kid if they get a disease that could have been prevented, had they been vaccinated? It's just my personal feeling, but I wouldn't want to be in that position.

 

Well, my neighbor doesn't vaccinate, and she's told me that if her children get something, she'll tell them it's a consequence of their actions. We were specifically talking about Hep A, so she said, she's taught her kids not to put their hands in their mouths, that doing so could cause diseases. So, if they contacted Hep A, she'd tell them they shouldn't have put their hands in their mouths. Now, I do not agree with her logic, but I guess that view is out there.

Most people who choose not to vaccinate do so because of the possible side effects, not because they don't want to protect their children form diseases. I have chosen to refrain from some, not all vaccines. My decision is based on whether or not the side effects could be more harmful than the disease, if acquired.

 

I would tell them that I love them too much to risk their lives again.

Once you've held your 8 week-old's tiny, near lifeless body in your arms while you beg God not to let him die, you kind of think it's not worth doing what led to that in the first place

 

You know what gets me about this? the statement that the docs are frustrated about having to convince the parents about the shots. Sorry, I have a brain, and I can use it to think with...I do get shots, but I can think and ask questions...isn't that what your dr is for?

 

They talked about this on the news last night. A mall near here had a station set up and they were doing vaccinations right there in the mall. The nurse they interviewed said the problem with not vaccinating is an unvaccinated child can easily be infected from another child. The protection just isn't there for them. That would be my fear.

 

The only vaccination that I think is an absalute imparitive is Ruebella (german measles) As a child can have this and not be symptomatic, and a pregnant woman can have a deaf or deformed child if she contracts it... or the child may die. There are very very few reactions or complications from the vaccine, and the consequences are so severe.
My aunt lost an infant from ruebella, her neighbor's child was born deaf.

 

There are some who believe vaccinations lead to autism, and other studies that show it does not. Some children have adverse reactions to them and others don't. The problem is it's roulette, you can't know what kind of reaction they will have.

I have a very bad egg allergy and certain vaccines are delivered in egg albumen. The doctors didn't know that when I received my shots, but I had a terrible reaction. I haven't had any since, and have grown up very healthy.

 

I do get vaccinations for my children, but I don't get all of them. Basically we tend to stay away from the newest ones that haven't been around long enough to really study them effectively. The only time we deviate from that rule is if not getting it would be worse than getting it. Neither of my boys got the prevnar Vaccine. Though my oldest couldn't have gotten it even if we wanted him to because there was a shortage of those vaccines on the base where my husband was stationed then.

 

With the autism studies it's been the vast majority that have shown no links. Ones that show links are limited to less than a half dozen that have serious flaws.

I'd add measles to the must vax list myself. The reason comes from this excellent blog, Junkfood Science:

The implications of getting the measles may be more serious then a lot of people think (certainly more serious then I knew):

My kids are all vaxxed but I didn't start them on that course as an informed mom who knew the risks and diseases well so I'm not a vax crusader. But not being informed I didn't realize how serious and infectious some of these diseases were.

I think that's the failure of the vaccination system. Sure, most people do it but probably the vast majority are uneducated about ALL aspects from risks to the schedule to what these diseases do.

Groupthink!

 

We also have not done the newer ones. I was going to have DD get the Gardasil one but I just don't know enough about it and with her seizures not being at all well controlled (and at this point we do not know what the cause is) it was a choice that I had to really think hard about.
DD had the measles as a toddler....she was scheduled to get the MMR a week after she broke out in the rash. I had no idea what it was and took her in to get it looked at and that doctor told me it was just a rash and not to worry about it. Well, that did not satisfy me and I took her to a different doctor, he thought it was either the measles or a drug reaction and sent me to the local German hospital who confirmed that it was indeed the measles. DD had exposed the whole hospital waiting room (we were not put in isolation even after I showed the receptionist the rash) including several pregnant woman one of whom was a friend of mine. I felt just horrible after that.
***Sorry for threadjacking***
There was two cases of measles in the miltary community that year. One was my child. The civilian doctor on post, that sent DD to the hospital, figured that she got exposed to the measles during one of her many hospitalizations. Thankfully, there were no complications.

 

My husband and I discussed this last night. My youngest did not receive all her shots mostly because I was afraid of the side effects. She received them up to the age of 18 months and then I decided no more. Now I'm second guessing my decisions. Don't bash me on this but I was really concerned over the side effects. I will be taking her on Tuesday to get some shots along with my 12 year old son who is in need of a booster shot. I don't even know what shots she needs now or anything. The last thing she had was the chicken pox shot.

 

Although Jeannie is vaccinated, this thread makes me apprehensive as her classes start back up next week. I wonder how all those moms see this issue?