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@shortcake: but it is infants because it covers daycare which kids start at 8 weeks after their shots. With FMLA only being 12 weeks a late baby doesn't have the opportunity for a different schedule if mother needs to go back to work and the baby didn't come as scheduled or the mom wanted to take time before the baby off.

Yes you could stay at home or get a nanny but those are actually luxuries. I couldn't afford to stay at home or a nanny. Or the $200 for prenatal consults to find a dr that would give an exception. If one exists in the area we would be in which is relatively rural.

@brownie: ahh gotcha. Im interested in knowing what those vaccines are as well. I thought it was that you had to be "fully vaccinated"

Hey everyone - the discussion here has been interesting overall, but please keep the snark and/or personal attacks to a minimum, as outlined in our community policy. We have these policies so that controversial topics like this one can be discussed in a civil manner. Much appreciated.

I am beyond thrilled that this passed. I live in one of the counties where there was a measles outbreak when my daughter was too young to be vaccinated and I work in the public school system. We tried to avoid going out in public places and it just wasn't a fun time being worried that she would catch it. How is that fair that other people's choices should affect how I have to live my life. This makes it so that is not an option, people's choices can no longer take away the option of immuno-compromised or children who can't be vaccinated being able to attend public school because of a fear of what they may catch.

@jh524: I believe encephalitis and brain damage are also possible complications of measles.

This comment has been deleted by the original poster.

I thought this was a good summary of vaccine ingredients and explanations:

http://vec.chop.edu/service/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-safety/vaccine-ingredients/

The above site also has text related to the Wakefield studies.

@JH524: I have done research into vaccine ingredients and I am informed about dosing. For example, I know that there is more aluminum in the atmosphere, in our food, our water and other everyday material that we ingest and absorb to no ill affect. So unless you propose we stop breathing the air, you will have aluminum in your body.

So how much aluminum is in vaccines? Why is it even used?

Some vaccines only use parts of bacteria or viruses, rather than the whole thing. Because of this, large amounts of those parts are required to generate an immune response strong enough to produce immunity. That is, unless an adjuvant is used. An adjuvant is something that is added to a vaccine to boost the immune response, meaning that less of the antigens (those bits and pieces of bacteria and viruses) is required. In adjuvanted vaccines, the antigens are essentially stuck onto aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate (aluminum salts). The aluminum salt serves a few primary roles. First, it gets the immune system's attention. First-responder phagocytes at the injection site will binge on some of the aluminum until they die from overeating, releasing particles that signal cell damage. The next line of phagocytes encounter all of this and are more likely to signal an inflammatory response, recruiting immune cells to find out what's going on. Second, because it is not very soluble, the aluminum salt stays put at the injections site for a while, preventing the antigens from being swept off into the bloodstream and diluted through the body. Keeping the antigens localized gives the immune system more time to investigate and get to know the antigens so that the next time you're exposed, your immune system knows what to do and how best to respond in order to keep you from getting sick. Finally, although not related to its adjuvant activity, it helps stabilize the vaccine and prevent the antigens from precipitating out of solution and sticking to the side of the container. (Sorry about anthropomorphizing the antigens, but sometimes you just have to.) Using an adjuvant like aluminum hydroxide means that less antigen is needed to produce an immune response. That means a reduction in the side effects caused by the antigen and the ability to produce more doses of vaccine without needing to increase antigen production.

The biggest concern about the use of aluminum-based adjuvants is safety. If aluminum is neurotoxic at high, chronic levels of exposure, does that mean it is also neurotoxic at the amounts found in vaccines? The short answer is no. Aluminum salts have been used in vaccines for about 70-80 years. Aluminum adjuvant is not used in any "live" vaccine (MMR, varicella, rotavirus), inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), nor in any influenza vaccine in the U.S. It is used in the following vaccines:

Source: Vaccine Education Center,
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Notice that no vaccine has more than 0.85 mg of aluminum. This is because Federal regulations (21 CFR 610.15) limits the amount to no more than 0.85 mg per dose. This ensures that even those with renal dysfunction can safely receive an adjuvanted vaccine. This regulatory limit, combined with the slow dissolution of aluminum from the injection site, also ensures that the amount of aluminum received from vaccines is below the minimal risk level.

While aluminum vaccine adjuvants do not cause neurological complications, they can cause local adverse reactions. The most common effect is pain and swelling at the injection site. This is generally mild and resolves quickly. In rare cases, it may also result in an allergic reaction to the aluminum and contact dermatitis.

In Conclusion

Aluminum-based adjuvants in vaccines have been in use for about 80 years, with millions upon millions of doses given. Despite so many years of safe use of these adjuvants, some people still fear them. They imagine that the tiny amounts of aluminum in some vaccines cause serious neurological side effects despite there being no scientific evidence to support that belief. As with other vaccine ingredients, the fear is out of proportion, ignoring the old adage that the dose makes the poison. At low doses, aluminum is very effective at stimulating an immune response to increase the effectiveness of vaccines. We are also exposed to, and take in, aluminum every day. We breathe it in; we drink it; we eat it. At any one time, we have around 30-50 mg of aluminum in our bodies, many times more than is found in any vaccine. At worst, we face local reactions when we get an aluminum-containing vaccine.

http://www.enveurope.com/content/23/1/37

http://www.harpocratesspeaks.com/2015/02/demystifying-vaccine-ingredients-aluminum.html

@photojane: Yes, unfortunately! I was just sharing this topic with someone at work yesterday who is mostly pro-vaxx. And his response was "even the vaxx that causes autism? Which one is that again?" And this is someone that I generally regard as intelligent.

Unfortunately American media didn't quite report with the same level of sensationalism when that theory went down the gutter.

@MrsSCB: I reminded him that Jennifer McCarthy is not a scientist or a medical professional and we probably shouldn't be following her thoughts on either of those topics. Leave her to do entertaining

I'm torn on this. I'm very pro-vaccine However I'm not sure how effective this measure will be. In Europe differences between mandatory and recommended vaccines don't show much difference in population coverage. It will be interesting to see if this can get coverage above 95% but my guess is that this ruling will be ineffective at increasing vaccination coverage to a level that matters. I would've liked to see more community outreach and public forums with health professionals answering people's concerns. A pediatricians appointment isn't the best place for someone with long and detailed concerns to get their questions answered.
I think it's perfectly reasonable for people to question what goes into vaccines and it's also perfectly logical for people to not accept we're the government we're doctors just trust us. So I guess I'm disappointed that more community out reach was not explored and experimented with, I think those are more likely to succeed.

http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=20183

I read a great post on FB by the Progressive Parent that basically says they wish the state had pursued better educational initiatives first. That's exactly my thought. And this thread proves that it's so necessary. The law will just entrench people more. Although it's also possible we won't even be talking about it at all in 10 years...

@Mrs Green Grass: The problem is no one can find an education method that works.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/02/25/peds.2013-2365

@Maysprout: I agree. There may be other approaches that work, but no one seems to have found them yet. So we could advocate for more education, and I sincerely hope the law is implemented with some educational initiatives, but I think many anti-vax parents wouldn't listen. Many believe there's a conspiracy or that the doctors are in it for the money, so why would they trust those doctors to educate them? (I'm not claiming that's true for all anti-vaxxers).

@Jess1483: agreed about education being hard to impossible. When people have themselves absolutely convinced that their Google, MD degree is not only equivalent, but better than 4 years of undergrad, 3 years of medical school, years of additional time specializing, in residency and practice (either as a doctor, or a researcher), coupled with fantasticly face-palm worthy studies like those showing that nearly half of all Americans believe people and dinosaurs lived at the same time and only 75% of us know we gained our independence from GB (roughly the same % who understand that the earth revolves around the sun, not vice versa)....frankly, I have little hope for education changing anyone's mind. People that still think vaccines cause autism don't want to be educated; they want to find what reinforces their beliefs.

@Maysprout: YES! I am always shocked by how little the MD's I have been around seem to know about vaccines. It's crazy! I recently was talking with my kids' old care provider (and full disclosure - my kids have been on a delayed schedule and are not caught up) and was discussing the next step for getting caught up and the doctor recommended something that was completely contrary to what the CDC recommends and states as being appropriate. She even wrote it down so I was able to verify the incorrect information at home on the CDC website.

That was the last straw for me. We recently found a new ped that actually knows her stuff and was able to devise a good plan which thrilled me. The last 3 doctors I have talked to about vaccines have either been (1) wrong about factual info, (2) just unable to answer my questions/referred me to a handout instead of being able to engage personally or (3) blew me off entirely. That's not a good track record - only one of four was able to articulate factual information and answer my questions!

I think the answer to educating people about vaccines actually begins with children, in schools, but not about vaccines themselves, but the illnesseses they prevent. When I read that people think measels is only a rash on your skin, it tells me that we need better education about the complications of the illness.

Regarding autism, I think we still have a long way to go to understand the origins of the disorder. It is a lot more challenging to undo the misinformation, for whatever reason. I think for some parents, it is easier to blame an outside factor rather than consider it to be genetic... I am not talking about the highly functioning people on the spectrum, I am talking about the kids with profound issues (read the Far From the Tree chapter about autisim. It's eye opening).