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I'm a big believer in herd immunity and I do believe that everyone who is eligible SHOULD receive full vaccination. That being said, I don't think it's right to force anyone to get a vaccine. I just wish that people who choose not to vaccinate would be more responsible about exposing others to themselves and their kids.

I wish there was a way to make sure people are making informed decisions. I know it's impossible but it's frustrating when I see people who decide they are anti-vaccine and they site some unsubstantiated article or Jenny McCarthy interview.

@deerylou: unfortunately I don't think it is. Just yesterday I saw someone on my husband's FB share an old Jenny McCarthy interview and state that it was just too scary to continue vaccinating her 3 month old. I can only hope her dr gives her better advice (and that she trusts the dr more than Jenny McCarthy! )

@deerylou: It is very nice! Who doesn't like a little extra $ just for having a baby? All our immunisations are paid for as well so we are very lucky over here.

I think sometimes the diseases seem so old fashioned that it doesn't occur to people the reason they are so rare now is vaccines. People think the diseases have died out rather than are being managed.

To me it is a no-brainer. Kids die from being unvaccinated in my hospital of pertussis and H flu meningitis. Sometimes I'm more sad for the kids who survive but profoundly impaired.

The FLDS population here doesn't trust the medical system which means that huge extended families are going unvaccinated. I also lived in the pnw where people thought vaccines weren't "natural". But there's nothing more unnatural than a baby on a ventilator or with a vp shunt!

when it comes to serious things like polio & whooping cough I think it is very irresponsible not to vaccinate.
When it comes to things like chicken pox and flu i think it should be a personal decision

Hey, imagine that.....people stop vaccinating their kids and next thing you know, all these ancient, mostly extinguished diseases start killing babies and children....

Maybe all these anti-vax parents should spend some time in a hospital with these very sick children whose dying COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED.

I am definitely pro vaccine and have a family member who has no choice but to rely on herd immunity. That being said, I wish more doctors were willing to fully inform their patients. Often you don't get the insert and when you do it is after they receive the vaccine. I took a child in who had a cold and he insisted on giving her the vaccines that day anyway. A few hours later she spiked a really high temp became lethargic and had intense localized soreness. Turns out the CDC specifically says don't offer that one if the child isn't well due to much stronger reactions. It is things like this that make me wary. I think many doctors get sick of arguing about vaccines because they see how beneficial they are in the long run and kind of steam roll their patients as a result.

I think not vaccinating is irresponsible. Plain and Simple.

@Mrsbells: yup!

@blackbird: I have a friend who went off the rails on me about vaccinating my son. Her son is the same age and they are refusing all vaccines because she read an article on naturalnews.com about how "the Italian courts" decided vaccines cause autism. I invited her to visit the respiratory ICU floor of the pediatric hospital I work at, where many children are gravely ill with vaccine preventable sicknesses like pertussis. Funny, she declined.

People who refuse because they're not "natural" infuriate me.
"However, while there is nothing more "natural" than large numbers of children dying in a Malthusian cesspool of unchecked contagious disease, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we should avoid that. This shouldn't be a controversial opinion." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jj-keith/vaccines_b_3829948.html

People who don't vaccinate are relying on the responsible ones who do. And it makes me angry.

We are a 100%-vaccinate! family.

This is the article my friend uses as her basis not to vaccinate. It looks totally credible, right? The sources cited are the Daily Mail (a gossip rag), and birdflu666.wordpress.com. Thanks, but I'll stick with legitimate medical journals rather than interwebz conspiracy theorists when it comes to the health of my child.

http://www.naturalnews.com/036255_MMR_autism_court_case.html

@grizz: oh no. I read the Daily Mail every day for the entertainment factor (have you SEEN the crazy stuff in there?! lol) But I'm a journalist and would never take anything in there seriously.

I'm in agreement that not vaccinating is irresponsible. Personally I would have no problem with certain vaccinations being required to attend public schools (unless you have an actual medical reson to not be vaccinated). We're talking about putting children's lives in danger here.

@Mrsbells: agreed!

While I will be taking DS to get the flu shot I am undecided for myself. I have never gotten it, although I am up to date on my other vaccines.

I do not vaccinate my children 100%. My choices are fully informed and not based on celebrity or rag gossip.

I think that posts like this don't really allow for people on the other side of the fence to actually give their points of view because all of the previous posters have decided that I am a "irresponsible parent". It took me months to make certain decisions and being told that I am irresponsible just pisses me off to be honest.

@grizz: When parents use these kinds of "articles" to back up their decision not to vaccinate, it totally infuriates me. It's the worst when it's very clearly a blogger with no medical background and they use things like articles on huffpo or daily news (or other "natural" bloggers!!) as their sources.

There was a mom on a FB parenting group that I'm an admin for who was attacking people for vaccinating. She posted links to the FDA that she claimed said vaccines caused different conditions. It took four or five us to make her realize the chart she was linking to was simply a chart of conditions patients could have and whether or not they should receive those vaccinations. (Most of them were "yes". Which she took to mean vaccines caused all these conditions! Like of course Autism. Or Downs Syndrome.) Finally her argument boiled down to not wanting to put things into her baby's body such as the aluminum included in vaccines to help the vaccine absorb into the body. We asked how she planned to put her children into childcare or school, and she said they got a religious exemption (while stating she was not religious). Great to know that liars like her are abusing the system like that and putting their unvaccinated children into the public school system.

Needless to say, she was removed from the forum (not for posting her controversial opinions, but for repeatedly harassing members with unsubstantiated claims that vaccines cause autism and downs syndrome). Oh, btw, her fb page mentioned that she's a "writer" for the Huffington Post. Right.

@junebugmama: I appreciate that there are parents like you out there who do their research and work with their medical providers to make informed decisions about vaccination. I don't believe you are an irresponsible parent, since you are making a parenting decision and not just shirking a responsibility. I believe not vaccinating is an irresponsible decision in terms of public health risks. But that's my opinion, and has nothing to do with my opinion of you as a parent.