A US Anti-vaccine campaigner wanting to come to Aus to give talks - your thoughts ?

[aps1080]

This is going to be a heated argument.

A US Anti-vaccine campaigner wanting to come to Aus to give talks and some Dr's want to ban her.

This follow on from the mis representation of an anti Vacciner on a current affair show on the ABC the other night.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/health/doctors-want-to-bar-antivaccination-campaigner-sherri-tenpe...

[polksaladallie]

In the 30 years (1976–2005) since measles vaccination was recommended in Australia, there have been 95 deaths recorded  from measles, 1 death in 2004 being the only one recorded since 1995.

http://reasonablehank.com/2012/08/18/that-measles-lie-by-meryl-dorey/

[gleee58]

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@secondhand-wonderland wrote:

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@gleee58 wrote:

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@secondhand-wonderland wrote:

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@gleee58 wrote:

I'm no health professional but I'd say it would be very uncommon for a child to die from either chicken pox or measles alone.  I'd assume the child of which you speak possibly had either a compromised immune system or had contracted other infections as well as either chicken pox or measles.  

That was my belief also until I learned more about the side effects of these so called harmless diseases.  Measles, mumps and chicken pox all can cause serious side effects and not the child does not have to be immune compromised to be affected.  The child I mentioned who died had no compromised immune system or infection.  It was ruled a side effect of the disease.  These side effects are the reason vaccines were introduced. Chicken pox and measles can attack the brain as well as the skin.   I was working on an awareness campaign and was extremely shocked at the side effects experienced by some.   

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It's not a nice topic I know but seeing as you bought it up, I have to ask, was the child that you spoke of vaccinated against chicken pox?  

I'm guessing no... 

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No, they were not.  The vaccine was not widely known about at the time. It must have been during the debate about whether to include them or not.  The parents and medical staff interviewed for the project were wanting to share the information because the diseases were assumed to be harmless.  

My question is - would the children with the worst side effects of the disease be the same children who might suffer a reaction to the vaccine?

I was horrified to learn that people die, go blind, have a stroke, or suffer brain damage as a result of measles or chicken pox.

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Well as far as I know people can have their blood screened prior to having a vaccination to determine their level of risk.  It is a good question though.  

How many people though? I guess my question is do more people suffer serious side effects from those diseases compared with those that suffer adverse events following the immunisation to prevent those diseases? 

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I don't have access to the information but yes, my recollection is that catastrophic side effects of the disease did outweigh the adverse events which might be linked to vaccination.

[punch*drunk]

USA is having a bit of a measles outbreak right now. 59 people infected at this stage but they are expecting a lot more yet, mostly they are unvaccinated. Apparently there are some communities in California with 23% not vaccinated. 6 of the infected were babies too young for vaccination, the source of the outbreak appears to be disneyland.

[lind9650]

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@punch*drunk wrote:

I was reading this website the other day. They are compiling a register of polio survivors in Australia.

http://www.polioaustralia.org.au/australian-polio-history/

It has loads of interesting information about the history of polio in Australia. Apparently between the 1930's and 1960's 40,000 people contracted 'paralytic' polio, that represents only 1% of everyone who caught the disease meaning that 4 million people in Australia had polio over the course of just a few decades I think based on the percentages given, 4000 of them would have died.

The survivors are now experiencing ongoing symptoms later in their lives.

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Thank you, Punch.

I am a Polio survivor. Did not know the registration in Australia exsisted. On the front page, the little girl with calipers on her legs and needing crutches to walk, could have been me. No, there were no vaccinations agains Polio in Poland 70+ years ago.

All my vaccinations I received before comming to Australia in 1958

Erica

[softail-joanie]

I don't get the logic in wanting everyone to be vaccinated to prevent you and your children from getting a desease. If your a believer in vaccinnes, believe they work, and you get the shot, aren't you protected regaurdless? So what does it matter if a non believer gets sick?, you are protected, right?

[polksaladallie]

      Here's one good reason.

Pertussis kills about 250,000 children worldwide each year. 18 deaths were recorded in Australia between 1993 and 2004, of whom all but 2 were children under 12 months old.

[lyne-flyn]

Yes you are protected BUT...babies that are too young to be vaccinated are NOT...if people want to risk their children's lives by not vaccinating that is their choice but they have no right to risk other people's children's lives because of their choice.

[evil_akuma_2002]

Ah...the wonderful Dr Sheri Tenpenny. Doctor of Osteopathic medicine.

Osteopathic medicine? Yes. Here's an extract from The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine's webpage...

"Osteopathic physicians, also known as DOs, work in partnership with their patients. They consider the impact that lifestyle and community have on the health of each individual, and they work to break down barriers to good health."  What???

"DOs are trained to look at the whole person from their first days of medical school, which means they see each person as more than just a collection of organ systems and body parts that may become injured or diseased. This holistic approach to patient care means that osteopathic medical students learn how to integrate the patient into the health care process as a partner. They are trained to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, and they get the opportunity to practice these skills in their classrooms and learning laboratories, frequently with standardized and simulated patients. " Wait! Did he say...they are  trained to communicate?

Call me silly, but I'd rather my GP knew a little about medical practice!

Well, I;m so glad that my doctor will be able to communicate with me! He'll be able to tell me what's wrong with me as I suffer from Pertussis, Influenza, Polio or any one of a dozen other diseases that I could have been immunized against - and steer me towards a healthy eating habit, also designed to cure my quite possibly, terminal complications from these diseases!

Sorry, but helping me break down the barriers to good health isn't going to cure my meningitis, brought on by measles, and no amount of witty communication from my DO will cure me either!

Sounds too much like homeopathy to me.

Here's an interesting link to vaccinations - by someone who's an expert in the field!

http://www.rcpa.edu.au/getattachment/72fd414e-8e44-40ec-bea2-19d2a52e2a2f/Immunisation-and-Vaccine-P...

[polksaladallie]

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@lyne-flyn wrote:
Yes you are protected BUT...babies that are too young to be vaccinated are NOT...if people want to risk their children's lives by not vaccinating that is their choice but they have no right to risk other people's children's lives because of their choice.

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They have no right to risk their children's lives either.

[lyne-flyn]

I agree....and I don't know how they would live with themselves if their child caught measles for example and ended up deaf and blind...imagine having to tell that child that they could have been perfectly healthy but for their parents decision. I am sure the day will come when a child sues their parents for not having them vaccinated.