A couple of common arguments I hear from individuals who don't vaccinate is that they'd prefer to "just let mother nature do her thing" and, "it's not that big of a deal because it's not like it's something that will kill them if they do get it. It's 'just a cold, just a cough, just a rash, etc'" and, "kids get sick, and once they're better, they'll be stronger from it."
Fact: It IS a big deal. It's a HUGE deal.
Fact: They might not die from it, but they could. And even if they only get a "little sick" for a "little while" they could still pass that illness to an unprotected infant or grandparent and
they actually
do die.
Fact: They will NOT be stronger because of it.
My children have routine dates with the nebulizer from August until May. They have weak lungs and poor immune systems. All of them have been this way since they battled pneumonia and RSV as infants. When Reese was 2 1/2 months old, she got the trifecta: RSV, pneumonia, and rotavirus all at once. She was nearly hospitalized and it was living hell. She lost a lot of weight. I spent nights pacing our tiny bathroom with the shower running so the steam would fill the air. She slept in my arms or propped in her upright travel swing. After 4 horrific days and nights, I remember desperately calling my only friend/visiting teacher (we had just move to WI) to come over and hold my baby so I could take a shower...because she was wheezing so bad, I was afraid to put her down. Oh, and all of the Xrays, lab tests, medications, nebulizer, and antibiotic shots every few days cost us a small fortune.
Quincy also had RSV as an infant.
Corbin had RSV as an infant.
All three of my children have or have had asthma that required medicinal treatment.
So catching something like Pertussis (Whooping Cough) IS a big deal to us. It's not "just a cough". It's horrible disease.
It was miserable for us.
It is fatal to some.
It is preventable for all.
Ok, enough about Pertussis.
Let's talk about Varicella.
You know, Chicken Pox???
Two familiar arguments from those who don't vaccinate are as follows:
"what's wrong with a few itchy spots? Big deal, It won't kill them..." and, "I actually want my kids to get chicken pox, so we can get it over with and they won't have to miss school when it goes around their classroom."
To you parents who might feel this way, I have two words for you.
CHILD ABUSE.Yes. You. Stings, doesn't it? Well, the truth hurts. I hope you'll wear your title with pride---or
better, think twice and change your mind about immunization.
Chicken pox isn't awful for every case. It
can be mild...just two or three spots, perhaps.
But, "after you have had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in your nerve roots and remains inactive until, in some people, it flares up again. When the virus becomes active again, you get shingles instead of chickenpox.
Shingles is a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes virus that causes chickenpox.
Anyone who has had even a mild case of chickenpox can get shingles" (
source).
SHINGLES!!!
Do you know how awful shingles are?
My sister got shingles after a diabetic ketoacidocis where she nearly died. She had a long, difficult recovery, and she got shingles to boot. Talk about insult to injury. For 6 weeks, she suffered pain beyond description in every nerve, open weeping blisters on an infected rash attacked her body, and as if that wasn't bad enough, the medicine required to get rid of shingles gave her a stutter and caused her to lose her sense of balance, so she fell a lot. No personal contact with people she loves until after her blisters healed, no driving, and some days, because the dizziness and nausea got so bad, no walking.
Some people get blisters in their ears, mouth, throat, and eyelids.
No
life.
Not to mention the damage to nerve endings and loss of some fine motor skills.
And living with the knowledge that shingles can flare up and come back to make your life miserable again and again and
again.
Who's at risk for getting shingles? Anyone that has ever had chicken pox. Oh, and "if a
pregnant woman gets chickenpox, her baby has a high risk of developing shingles during his or her first 2 years of life. If a baby gets chickenpox in the first year of life, he or she has a higher risk of developing shingles during childhood" (
source). So now, not only do mothers need to worry about their children being exposed to their unvaccinated friends, pregnant women do, too, because their unborn child could be at an even
higher risk!
Let's role play with this scenario:
So let's say you are not immunized and you are exposed to the varicella virus. "You can get it from an infected person who sneezes, coughs, or shares food or drinks. You can also get it if you touch the fluid from a chicken pox blister."
"A person who has chicken pox can spread the virus even before he or she has any symptoms. Chicken pox is most easily spread from 2 to 3 days before the rash appears until all the blisters have crusted over" (
source). That means that before you even know you
even
have chicken pox, you could unknowingly spread it to others through a simple sneeze....like the pregnant woman sitting in the pew in front of you at church. Or the woman rocking her newborn in the chair next to you in Sunday school. If either of them gets chicken pox from you, then your "personal decision" is responsible for putting her baby at high risk for developing shingles.
A baby with shingles. How horrible is that? Oozing blisters that sting like 100 paper cuts that have just had lemon juice poured on them. A rash that needs to be dressed and changed often. Nerve pain.
Nerve damage. Congratulations. I hope those 2 weeks of school your child doesn't have to miss, now, because he/she "finally got the chicken pox over with" were worth it, cuz guess what? Your selfishness and refusal to get a freaking jab in the arm could cause someone else to live their worst nightmare. Or, ya know...DIE.
Putting a child at risk for this kind of pain when you have
every opportunity available to you to prevent it is child abuse.
We could talk about meningitis next, but I'm tired and I think I'll save that for another day.
Get the varicella vaccine.
Get the DTaP vaccine.
Get caught up on ALL of your vaccines. Vaccines prevent communicable diseases.
Ask anyone who's watched a loved one suffer in pain 24 hours a day for 6 freaking weeks they tell you that not all communicable diseases will kill you, but they
will take away your life.
