Strollerderby

This is not surprising.  I would say that mostthe religious excemptions for vaccinations come from parents who subscribe to the autism-vacinnation fear and are not religiously motivated.  I belong to an attachment parenting board in my area, and mothers discuss openly about how they use religion as a way to get out of vaccinating their children for public school.  There is even a letter template on the board for members to cut and paste and send to the appropriate school official.  

I wonder if there have been any studies done on the increase on vaccination exemptions in public schools. I am pretty sure that if there is an increase, it is not correlated to any religious movements.

What religions don't let you vaccinate?

Unless you're Amish, or from a religion that has been shown to avoid modern medicine (gosh, I just realized that I'm only assuming that the Amish do so, I don't actually know that!), I don't think that "religion" is a valid excuse.

I am pro-vax for the public health reasons, which are HUGE. I guess that I would support a parent's right not to vaccinate his/her child, BUT then I would also say that such child should not be allowed into public schools. The risk factor is just to big. A couple of our friends don't vaccinate, and I avoid hanging out with them in the winter, as my child has respiratory issues and is susceptible to way too many viruses and bacteria. If parents don't want to vaccinate, fine, but don't pretend that it doesn't matter. Your child is a danger to mine.

Christian Science does not let you vaccinate.

"Unless you're Amish, or from a religion that has been shown to avoid modern medicine (gosh, I just realized that I'm only assuming that the Amish do so, I don't actually know that!), I don't think that "religion" is a valid excuse."

The Amish do vaccinate.  They don't avoid modern medicine, they avoid insurance.  That makes it hard for them to access modern medicine for major medical procedures.

"I wonder if there have been any studies done on the increase on vaccination exemptions in public schools. I am pretty sure that if there is an increase, it is not correlated to any religious movements."

There have been studies.  Exemptions have increased by a factor of 3x in recent years.  It isn't related to religious beliefs.

She can certainly make the decision to not vaccinate her child, and then she can stay home with her and homeschool.  But she doesn't have the right to expose other kids to potentially dangerous and fatal germs.  This mom can't have it both ways.  She's the one who has to deal with the consequences of her actions, not the rest of the children in her local public school.  Sheesh!

Sullivan, thank you for pointing out that the Amish do vaccinate. It is one of the myths of the anti-vaccine movement that the Amish do not vaccinate, which is not true. In fact, almost everything out of the anti-vaccine movement is untrue.

I am really glad to see all of the comments supporting vaccination. I agree, if someone decides they do not want to vaccinate their kids they should not be allowed into public schools, and private schools should have the right to reject them also.

@Beans mom, here is an article from the LA Times discussing the rise in noncompliance with vaccination. Scary.

www.latimes.com/.../la-me-immunization29-2009mar29,0,4133567,full.story

People, she's got an autistic child, she believes that vaccination has something to do with it. She does not want to harm her another child. Let her not to vaccinate. It's not like she is going to bring a vat full of measles into the said public school. There is just higher _probability_ that her child can get some of those viruses. We can live with it. There are children that should not be vaccinated due to medical reasons, and they are fine in the public schools, right?

Yes, there are kids who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.  However, ever other child who is not vaccinated is a danger to those kids.  Those kids rely on herd immunity for safety.  I think nonvaxers should homeschool or possibly private school if they want to allow the health hazard.  I mean, they wouldn't allow a nonvaxed teacher.  My little bro has to be tested for TB regularly to be allowed to teach, and I believe he had to have a health screen verifying his vax record.

Marj, you are absolutely right. If we only allow those with valid medical reasons to no vaccinate, we can still uphold herd immunity. (And don't forget that that also protects infants before they can receive certain vaccinations.)

There was a case where a family in San Diego decided not to vaccinate their child, they went on a vacation outside of the country, and brought measles back with them. Several kids in this school became infected. It is unbelievable to me that someone would choose not to vaccinate their kid, enroll then in public school, then have the nerve to take an international trip.

@Botanist - I know you think we are being cruel to this mother. Truth be told, my beef is with groups like Generation Rescue that manipulate these people in their weakest moments. They talk with such certainty about things that are just plain untrue, some people can't help but believe them. (Unfortunately, scientists are not as good as convincing people. We like to use real data instead of emotional, anecdotal cases, which is sometimes a detriment to getting our point across.)

Sullivan, you are correct when you say: "The Amish do vaccinate. They don't avoid modern medicine, they avoid insurance." but incorrect when you say:

 "That makes it hard for them to access modern medicine for major medical procedures."

The Amish are amazing businesspeople and very frugal, and many are quite wealthy. When one of them falls ill and needs modern medicine, it is paid for when all contribute.

Thanks for the correction, Sullivan. Next time I'll say, "If you're Christian Science...", per TolaniLucia's comment. =)

Vaccines aren't any safer than the diseases they're supposed to prevent. For all the talk of "discrediting" the autism link, there still aren't any truly scientific studies of vaccinated versus unvaccinated populations. Beyond autism, many other diseases and disorders have risen at the same time that the number of vaccines has risen, including asthma, diabetes, allergies, and behavioral disorders.

I have yet to get a satisfactory answer to the question: Why is it I can't give my child cow's milk, strawberries, or eggs before age 1 year, when it's considered perfectly acceptable to inject bacteria, live viruses, aluminum, phenoxyethanol, and other substances into an 8 week old baby?

Robyn: "Aren't any safer than the diseases they're supposed to prevent"?? Really? So giving my child polio itself is as safe as giving him the polio vaccine? I'd like to see the evidence backing that one up.

I agree with all the commenters who say this mother can choose not to vaccinate her child, but the child should then not be in public school. If she really believes that the shots might harm her daughter, it's understandable that she would do whatever she can to avoid vaccinating. However, no one else should have to suffer the consequences for her decision.

Robyn, you say "Vaccines aren't any safer than the diseases they're supposed to prevent." What an absolutely untrue statement. This is the kind of thing that Generation Rescue spews with no information to back it up.

The fact is that each vaccine is tested to a very high standard. If you don't trust the US government, the UK and Sweden have also performed extensive studies.

What you are asking for, a truly scientific study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children, would entail taking a large group of children and giving half of them vaccinations and the other half placebos, without either the child, family, or doctor knowing. This is so unethical. No review board would ever allow this to happen with our knowledge of vaccines and the good they have done. What person in their right mind would allow their child to undergo such a study? I believe Generation Rescue knows that this could never happen, but talks about this all the time to make it look like "the evil medical establishment" is what is keeping this type of study down.

Thanks for this post. At PKIDs we tell folks to wash hands (a lot), practice standard precautions in daily living (assume everybody has a disease and act accordingly) and check with your provider to see what vaccines you or your kids need.

When your family is not vaccinated, you put yourselves at risk of disease AND you put others at risk.  

Sometimes, making decisions as a parent can be scary, but if we follow the science, we'll know we've made the safest choice.

Oh, and you want an answer as to why you can't give your kids something like milk but can give them what is in vaccines. That is because it is know that there might be problems with such things as milk, strawberries, and peanuts, and these are not items that are necessary for an infant to survive, so doctors err on the side of caution. Vaccines, on the other hand, have been tested and are continuously monitored, and it has been shown that their benefit greatly outweighs their risk.

If the kids at the school ARE vaccinated, then how exactly is the daughter going to expose other school children to "potentially dangerous and fatal germs."

If the unvaccinated child were to contract something and bring it to school, aren't your kids already protected?

And isn't the whole point of your vaccinations to protect your child from getting the diseases you are so afraid of? So why are you so afraid?

Those of you that argue for herd immunity, I can respect but those that scream and shout that these children shouldn't be allowed to expose other [vaccinated] children to the diseases are making an illogical statement.

ML, the problem is that vaccines are only so effective if there are not enough people around you who are vaccinated. The efficacy gets closer to 100% as more people are vaccinated. Even if you get a vaccine, if you are around enough people who are unvaccinated you may be able to catch the disease. (Your chances are much less than those who are unvaccinated, though.)

I really hope anyone making the argument that non-vaccinated children are a risk is current on their own shots.  If you haven't had the boosters, you're just as risky.