Defying Doctors, Parents Blame Toddler’s Sudden Death on MMR Vaccination
Bereaved parents in the U.K. are desperate for answers after
their 18-month-old son, George, was found dead in his crib 10 days after he
received the vaccination for measles, mumps, and rubella. George’s parents, Sarah
and Christopher Fisher, believe his death was tied to the vaccine, while a
leading British infant health specialist says he believes George was the victim
of a rare form of seizure called Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood.
Although George had suffered an epileptic fit four months
before the MMR vaccine, doctors say it was safe to administer the shot. However,
George
Thank you for the explanation, Hannah. I didn’t realize that the coroner’s report hadn’t been finished at the time of your posting.
I get what you’re saying Maeby, but no one here makes decisions about their child’s health care because of a single article posted on Babble. Are you kidding me? That’s just insulting to even suggest. I’ve read studies, I’ve looked at raw research data, I’ve grilled our pediatrician and specialists. I know that EVERYTHING says the MMR shot is safe and necessary, and yet… a friend of mine had a daughter who was perfectly normal and healthy until she had hers. She was sick afterward, then stopped talking, then stopped looking at people, and has since been diagnosed with severe autism. Her doctors swear up and down that the onset of her disorder was simply a coincidence, but I’d heard too many similar stories to be certain. Even my own pediatrician agrees that we can’t just ignore the weight of anecdotal stories of bad things happening after the MMR shot because there are just so many of them, and they are so horrifying.
So yes, this frightened me. I’m going to have my little one vaccinated, but this story ripped my heart out and kept me awake a solid night. If you think I should be mocked for my concern over my daughter’s well-being, then mock away. I’d rather have the entire parenting community pointing and laughing than make the wrong decision on something that could impact my daughter negatively for the rest of her life.
Im sorry that i might offend some people, but im soooooo tired of every single post having someone saying how babble should be ashamed of itself for reposting about certain subjects. THATS WHAT THEY DO. Report on stories. Pass em along. That’s it. It’s up to you people to decide what you want to do with the information. If babble is your deciding factor on your childs life/health, then maybe you need to get out more. They bring light to some stories i might not have otherwise read. I dont let them decide for me though. I mean, come on people, seriously.
This story scares me. It really does. I can’t imagine this happening to me. I would probably do the same thing these parents did because i need SOMEONE to blame. I need SOME answer. I think it might be part of the grieving process. Imagine this happening to you.
I am, however, going to vaccinate my child. I can make up my own mind.
I feel so terrible for this family. My heart goes out to them.
I am so sorry that this story scared you. I tried to write it to be respectful to be the bereaved parents’ beliefs, while making it absolutely clear that there is no evidence whatsoever of a link between the vaccine and the death, and I have changed the title to reflect that. Nothing I wrote indicates that I am urging the public to believe that the parents were founded in their belief. I actually took a much more cautious tone than the many articles from reputable sources that covered the story.
I wrote this before the coroner had reached a verdict about the death, and, as always when new information is added to a story, I was planning to write an update. I read about the coroner
Now this is the kind of story I wish got more coverage – showing how vaccines can save millions instead of fairy tales of how they can harm a few.
< http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/12/04/worldwide-measles-deaths-drop-dramatically.html>
This is just another lesson that you have to be very, very careful what you read. It is not just babble. The official health blogger for the NY Times, Tara Parker-Pope, is the absolute worst. If you were trying to create a site that purposefully misinformed the public about health issues, you couldn’t do a better job than this person. And she is right on the NY Times website! Also, even the health and science articles in the NY Times are sensationalistic. I think it may be that bloggers are taking a lot of business from the actual print newspapers, and they have to compete any way they can. I am not in their shoes so I can’t judge. All I can do is be very skeptical of anything I read.
Babble should be ashamed of itself. It’s groundless innuendo like this that is leading to measles outbreaks across North America.
BettyWu, thank you for the more accurate information. This really upset me, Hannah, and needlessly — thanks a lot.
That is so very sad. I am so sorry for those parents!
I have to agree that the headline of this post is irresponsible. If I had my kids’ shots coming up soon, reading this would make me so uneasy. I don’t see why you would want to create unnecessary stress for parents.
thank you, Betty Wu. Really babble, you need to take it down. It is needlessly scaring people.
BettyWu, thank you for posting this information. Newspapers print this kind of stuff all the time, but hardly ever print when the actual data comes in. It is much more sensationalistic to say this kind of crap than to post the actual truth. This is just a blog, but I have seen the NY Times resort to such tactics.
Knitty, please do not worry about the MMR vaccine. I know these kinds of stories are scary, but when you look behind them, there is nothing to it. It is much scarier to think what could happen if you do not get your child this vaccine.
This is incredibly irresponsible reporting and you should be ashamed of yourself. An autopsy was done that completely ruled out any complications from the MMR shot. Posting this, especially with that sensationalistic headline, is the worst kind of scare tactic, yellow journalistic crap. It frightens people away from providing their children with proven protection from horrific diseases. Take it down.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/06/bad-science-mmr-vaccine
My daughter is having her MMR next week — this sort of story scares the hell out of me.
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
I am curious to know if they really feel like it was linked to the MMR – would he have had this Sudden Unexpected Death anyway? Were there any other factors? sounds a bit to me like they’re looking more for publiciatiy and someone to blame. (which I understand)