And yet another conversation with parents explaining that vaccinating their child after they're already sick is about as effective as an empty soup can in trying to bail water out of the Titanic.

We have some friends who won't vaccinate their kids, but dang sure do with their pets. To avoid issues in public school they claimed religious beliefs - and have never set foot in a church.

So annoying.

Fine ...don't vax.
Darwin will prevail.

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:

Fine ...don't vax. Darwin will prevail.

Unfortunately, not all of us can be vaccinated.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:

Fine ...don't vax. Darwin will prevail.

Unfortunately, not all of us can be vaccinated.

As well as the 12-20 million illegals who may or may not have been vacinated in their actual country. Not so sure how good Central America is on the whole vac thing...

I think not everyone knows how vaccines work. It's not medicine to be taken reactively. It's proactive prevention.

It's like starting to brush your teeth after you have a cavity. Or buying insurance after you have an accident. Don't work.

quote:

Unfortunately, not all of us can be vaccinated.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yep. Good point. I know you took one for the team. A friend of mine came down with
Guillain-Barre as well. His recovery is still going on. He survived colon cancer in his thirties and looks worse now then he did then.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:

Fine ...don't vax. Darwin will prevail.

Unfortunately, not all of us can be vaccinated.

As well as the 12-20 million illegals who may or may not have been vacinated in their actual country. Not so sure how good Central America is on the whole vac thing...

I am not talking about illegals. I am talking about those of us whose doctors inform us that we are NOT to receive vaccinations.

I'm a biologist, I get that many people cannot get vaccinated for a variety of medical reasons. But we rely on what's called "herd immunity." If most (virtually all, statistically-speaking) are vaccinated, all is well. But if too many folks do not, and I'm talking about those who do not choose to for non-medical reasons, things like Disney land outbreaks of measles happen.

The quack anti-vaxxer from the UK who wrongly (he's been renounced over-and-over again and had his medical license pulled) linked vaccines to autism has many, many lives on his hands.

quote:

Originally posted by Batty67:

I'm a biologist, I get that many people cannot get vaccinated for a variety of medical reasons.

Re my comment about some people can not be vaccinated: for more years than I can remember -- twenty? thirty? more? -- I had an annual flu shot every fall. Never a problem.

Couple years ago I had my normal flu shot during a routine visit to my regular doctor. A few weeks later I woke up one morning, weak as a baby, so weak for example, that I could not take the gas cap off to fuel my car, and I had excruciating pain in my legs. Had to use a walker even to get around the house.

I managed to get myself to the doc's office. After a quick exam he called a neurologist and got me in to see her within the hour. Her preliminary diagnosis was Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS); she called the hospital and made arrangements with the ER lab for a spinal tap to confirm.

I went to the hospital, ER docs evaluated the spinal tap and admitted me. Taken to a hospital room, I was so weak that I could not get from the wheelchair to the bed. Fortunately the nurse on duty was a gym rat, big muscular guy. He picked me up as if I was a baby (I'm 6'3", around 200 pounds), and deposited me on the bed.

My hospital stay was just over a week. IV steroids reduced the pain. IVIG transfusions to combat the GBS. Months of outpatient physical therapy restored maybe 80% of my lost strength. I am still taking 900 mg gabapentin daily to combat the nerve pain in my feet, and my toes and fingers are still numb.

Primary Care doc told me that flu vaccine can trigger GBS in a very tiny portion of the population, although it is unusual for someone my age, it's usually children or adolescents, with severity levels that range from minor to life-threatening. Recovery can take anywhere from a few weeks to never, and can be from full recovery to partial or none. He (doc) told me no more flu vaccination, ever. Many (most?) other vaccinations are also on the no-fly list for me. This doc is normally a big proponent of vaccinations for many things: flu, pneumonia, shingles, etc., but he told me to exercise extreme caution and if I ever had any sort of emergency care that might involve vaccination, to make sure that they understood about the GBS.

I asked about flu precautions, since I can no longer be vaccinated. I now wash my hands countless times daily, I keep dispensers of hand sanitizer scattered around the house and my office, and carry a small bottle in my pocket. Other than a mask worn around sick people, there's nothing else I can really do.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:

Fine ...don't vax. Darwin will prevail.

Unfortunately, not all of us can be vaccinated.

As well as the 12-20 million illegals who may or may not have been vacinated in their actual country. Not so sure how good Central America is on the whole vac thing...

I am not talking about illegals. I am talking about those of us whose doctors inform us that we are NOT to receive vaccinations.

Exactly why people should be vacinated. There are a bunch of people running around unvaccinated be it by choice, $$$, or not knowing any better. They need to be vacinated (or sent home) to protect those who have weakened immune systems or allergies.

The issue with that line of thinking is that this can spread diseases to others. So they're not just causing problems for their kids.

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:
Fine ...don't vax.
Darwin will prevail.

I primarily see 2 issues with anti-vaxxers:

erroneously assume all vaccines have the efficacy of the annual flu vaccine (eg best guess on this year’s strain of flu)

get confused by the word mercury in the ethyl-mercury (aka Thimerosal) which is in many vaccines to prevent the growth of bacteria. Ethyl-mercury is quickly broken down & eliminated from the body without building up in the body. Methylmercury is the type of mercury found in certain kinds of fish and does builds up in body.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Discussion with either side about vaccines tends to be mostly pointless. Most are very sure what they think on the topic and jump to push those beliefs.