Most Parents Fear Vaccines. And Most Parents Still Vaccinate.
Most parents skeptical, but still follow the vaccine schedule
A report in the journal Health Affairs this week tells us two things: one, most parents of children under age six have concerns about vaccines, and two, most parents have their kids vaccinated nonetheless.
The fact that vaccine concerns are so widespread (in the sample population of 376 parents of one or more young children, 83% said they were worried about vaccinations) is of concern to public health officials. But even with the fear of shots, most families go ahead with their doctors’ recommendations.
Here are the top concerns that parents have about children’s vaccines. And here’s how many opted out of vaccinations completely:
Of top concern were the number of shots kids get before the age of two, unsafe ingredients in vaccines, and how painful the shots were. That vaccines could cause autism was cited as a worry by some parents.
Meanwhile, 94 percent of parents said they had already vaccinated their kids on schedule, or planned to do so. Five percent said they would opt out of some, and two percent said they planned not to vaccinate their kids at all.
One of the reasons some parents cited for being skeptical of vaccines was that their kids were unlikely to contract the diseases they were being immunized for. How does that logic work, though, since part of the reason for that is vaccines themselves?
What do you think? Given how often we hear of vaccine-wary parents, does it surprise you that only two percent actually choose not to vaccinate? And is two percent still too high?
Image: flickr
Immunizations are not available throughout the world. We travel. Disease travels. There is always a chance they can meet up. The fact that we haven’t had most of these illnesses in the U.S. for many years is a testament to the power of vaccines. Not giving them to children is inviting Disease to dinner… Perhaps inviting Death to dessert… It really is the parent’s business (agree or not), but we have to be prepared to deal with the sick when the time comes.
When I was pregnant, I read everything under the sun about child birth and child rearing. This topic came up a lot. I still decided to get my child vaccinated since I trusted my doctor. My thing is, that you can find a study for whatever you’re trying to prove these days.
I selectively vaccinate because of my concerns about how many kids receive and what’s in them. We opted for the big ones (DTaP, polio, and MMR, though on the latter edge of the age range) because my husband and I agreed that the benefit outweighed the risk.
There has been much talk in the vaccine/autism debate about fraud and deception on the part of medics and researchers. I think there is a numerically much greater fraud but this time perpetrated by parents of autistic kids who do not tell that their child is autistic despite never being vaccinated. Vaccination is neutral to autism we are told so there should be many thousands of such individuals, but their parents keep it quiet. Why is this? The Amish, Homefirst parents, up to 20% of all autistic kids in Britain must be unvaccinated if the medical establishment is to be believed. Well I don’t believe them nor do I believe that parents are liars or just keep it secret that their kids are unvaccinated. I prefer to believe that there just aren’t any autistic kids who are unvaccinated and that’s why they have failed to respond to my thousands of enquiries about where all these kids are.
Tony Bateson, Cheltenham, Glos UK
I was petrified during my son’s first year when the doc pulled out the needles. This was back before we knew that study linking autism to the MMR was inaccurate (it was, Google it). I talked for a LONG time with our pediatrician, sitting down in her office, not in the exam room under duress, about this issue. She explained that yes, there are risks that go along with giving children vaccines. But, the benefits far, far outweigh the miniscule risks, and that children are predisposed to autism, vaccines or no vaccines. She also pointed out that we take huge risks with our children every day without giving it any thought, just by walking out the front door. Driving in the car, for example. You stand a far greater chance of being in an accident with your child in the car than your child experiencing harmful side effects of a vaccine.
And yet it happens. We beat those odds and watched as the DTP vaccine turned our oldest son’s cortex to mush at 6 months old. He was wheelchair bound, spastic quadriparegic, non-verbal, failed to thrive, had severe gastritis and gastro-esophageal reflux, muscle contractures and needed 3 surgeries- including a hip osteotomy- before that last one led to his death via septic shock.
Stats mean nothing when you hold your dying child..
Though we vaccinated our other three, albeit with concern and intense scrutiny for any sort of reaction- I would NEVER countenance forcing a parent to accept those risks on behalf of their child against their own better judgment. And they will NOT be receiving Gardisil, nor most flu shots. Ever. Even if mandated. I will claim philosophical objection.
There are parents out there whose babies have died because the baby contacted measles (say) before the baby was immunized. Although it still is a rare occurrence, it is not as rare as it used to be. These parents may not be on this forum (endlessly) beating the drum about their story; but these are also preventable and tragic deaths.
You know, Samantha, I am very pro vaccine and I also completely respect Goddess for talking about her side of the story, which, although rare, is an awful thing to have happen. Had I gone through that, perhaps I would also be posting about it every time the vaccine debate comes up here. But I can’t imagine being so callous as you are, to dismiss her right to discuss her experience as “(endlessly) beating the drum.” What a horrible thing to say.
I’m on the delay-and-selectively-vaccinate side, only after going through a debilitating vaccine reaction myself (Gardasil – I’d much rather have had cervical cancer than the side effects which included well over 100 seizures a day for about two years in addition to migraines, vomiting at least every other meal, anterograde amnesia, a 20 point IQ drop, and a myriad of less intense symptoms). Fortunately, we have the resources to split up their vaccinations over more appointments. Before 6 months, the grocery store will be the most exotic place my baby goes. One vaccine that I think is given too early is Hep B, given on the day the baby is born. If the mother doesn’t have it (neither my husband nor I do), the child won’t get it until he or she is sexually active – and if a kid if sexually active before 12 (the age at which I intend to vaccinate for Hep B and Rubella), they’ve got bigger problems. A one month delay in the vaccination schedule results in something like a 70% drop in side effects…
@Samantha- if I can get a few people ignorant of the risks to stop and think- I’ve done made a difference. But you won’t see me bowing out of this discussion AT. ALL. IN. THE. FUTURE.
But I do realize the truly idiotic cannot be educated. Thanks for proving it again ;-P
BTW~ maybe people ought to keep newborns home more in the first few months and stop expecting others’ actions to protect their children, no?
Both sides of the issue have their points and the best part is, every Mom gets to decide what to do for her own kids. Respectfully, it’s nobody else’s business and it’s perfectly okay for you to not advertise your decision. This book helped me decide what to do, “The Sanctity of Human Blood: Vaccination is not Immunization.” Looks like I’m in the 2% group. Looking in-depth at the research, beyond all the marketing, if my kids actually get any of these diseases, it’ll likely be from the vaccinated kids who got it from being vaccinated with the disease.
Goddess, I am so sorry this happened to your family. Your post moved me to tears. Thank you so much for posting. I began questioning vaccine safety after my son began having mild adverse reactions (flu-like symptoms for several weeks) following his shots, and his otherwise wonderful pediatrician refused to take my concerns seriously. We will continue to give him his booster shots, and will probably vaccinate any subsequent children, but I wish the medical community would address parental concerns with something other than dismissive. If more research was done on why some children have reactions, these needless deaths could be prevented. Instead, there is steadfast refusal to accept that vaccines can, and should, be improved. There is a middle ground between no vaccination and what is currently happening.
I did A LOT of research on this topic and I came out of it believing when there is smoke there is fire. As a society we are WAY too trusting of the medical profession, as well as the government. If you lift up those sheets just a little bit and start researching the vaccine world, you will be shocked at how much is out there regarding how little that industry is actually protecting our children. Yes, I know there are a lot of diseases out there that could really ruin a child. But, it is really hard not to look at the current statistic that 1 in 5 children have a neurological issue, which is very new in our population. That is a CRAZY number. And to those who don’t think the massive amount of vaccines we now stick into our children is NOT causing these neurological disorders, then what is? As far as I am concerned, there are a lot of people making money off vaccines (including YOUR pediatrician) as well as a lot of people who have successfully worked with the government to never be held accountable should it ever to be determined that vaccines cause harm, that only you as a parent can really figure out what is best for your child.
I personally am not against all vaccines. I have selectively and slowly vaccinated my children. I am against the onslaught of vaccines that have become required. Hepatitis C vaccine?? Why? If mom doesn’t have it, neither will baby. Why would you let your baby be vaccinated against this disease at just a few hours old? Seems crazy to me…..
Allison – I completely agree with you that the medical profession, like everything else in this country, is just another big business out to make money. Just as the government is run by economic institutions, so is the medical practice run by the pharmaceutical companies. You said what else could cause the neurological issues? I have watched a documentary called the business of being born which posits that we still don’t even know the long term effects of the drugs we are given during labor and birth – i.e. pitocin and epidurals. We are continually being injected, mother and child, with foreign cocktails that we don’t have the extensive research to determine if they are really safe, yet we trust the doctors to tell us they are (who like you said, all get kick backs for prescribing these shots).
When I discussed this with a friend of mine who nanny’s for two doctors she told me those doctors, and the majority of their colleagues, DO NOT vaccinate their own children. Granted, there are absolutely many, probably most, doctors out there who do vaccinate, but knowing that there are even some in the medical profession themselves who do not consider these vaccines safe, just strengthens my resolve not to vaccinate my own children. There are risks to both sides so it just depends whose hands you trust your child’s life with.
I am mostly concerned about the fact that we combine so many of these vaccines together into one shot. I would rather vaccinate my child for one disease at a time, giving his/her body time to recover between shots. I know this means more shots but since I always got sick as a child after vaccines and still do after a flu shot I think it has to be very difficult on a child’s system.
Many of us have known tragedy in our lives. For someone to use their tragedy to endanger the lives of others is the thing that (over time) seems increasingly horrible to me.
as both allison and denise have stated – i too did much research before and after have my kids and i am not convinced that vaccines are safe – therefore i wont be risking my kids health on the hope that the modern medical industry is worth trusting on this issue. i am however really saddened/annoyed and fed up with all the judgement and name calling and insulting from the ‘other camp’ saying we are an irresponsible bunch of brainless parents who like all the absurd famous people babble choose to highlight (that are advocates to anti-vaccine campaigns) we just dont care enough about the rest of the population. we are not irresponsible, and if your kids are vaccinated – you should be ‘trusting’ of the effectiveness of these and so they are safeguarded against and dirty desease our unvaccinated kids could be spreading around.
so please just ease up – we are all just doing what we feel is best for our families as with any health decision we take.
live and let live i say!
Vaccination is actually the implantation of disease, I am in the 2%, my Husband was never vaccinated, and after tons of research, we have decided not to vaccinate our children. Not only do I believe that vaccinations do in fact cause autism, but it is also the cause of cancer later in life. There has never been a case of cancer in an unvaccinated person, and I have personally had experience with autism directly related to vaccines, My cousin had a baby boy a few years ago, the baby had started walking talking and developing great, not 24hrs after he received his vaccinations, they noticed something is wrong, their son would no longer talk, walk or even look you in the eye, apon taking him back to the doctor he said 4 frightening words: ‘your son has autism’. Doctors do not cure diseases, they give them, wake up people! you put all of your faith in doctors, a doctor is not God, and in the bible it says “Do not put pestilence in the blood, for the life is in it”, so to all of you pro-vaccine people, I’m not hating, it is your child and you shall do what you feel is right, we allow you that right and you should allow us the same when we choose not to vaccinate.