Unvaccinated children: a doctor’s perspective
A 3-year-old boy was carried to the ER at my hospital late on a Friday night last fall. The parents reported he had cold symptoms and fever for the past couple of days, but that night, something was just not right. By the time my colleague got into the room, the little boy was clearly in distress, sitting forward, mouth open, with labored breathing and drool pooling on the bed beside him. And although she had never seen such a case before, this young astute doctor knew immediately what she was dealing with. Within minutes, the little boy had a tube down his trachea and was connected to a ventilator, headed to the ICU. Final diagnosis: Haemophilus influenza epiglottitis.
A 10-week-old baby girl was admitted to the pediatric floor at my hospital a year or so ago, after a few days of cold symptoms and worsening cough. Before I even arrived in the room to examine her, the nurses called a “rapid response,” alerting doctors that something was very, very wrong. When I rushed to the bedside, the 10 week-old baby was blue, not breathing, her heart rate falling nearly to the point of needing CPR. Within minutes, the baby was stabilized, but headed to the ICU in case she had another “episode.” Final diagnosis: Bordatella Pertussis infection.
A 2-year-old boy was brought to the ER with 2 days of high fever, poor appetite, and weakness. By the time my colleague in the ER saw him, the boy was lethargic, not responding to the doctor or his parents. His blood pressure was very low and he was difficult to arouse. Within minutes, the little boy had 2 IVs in place, fluids and medications to try and increase his blood pressure, 2 strong antibiotics, and a tube down his trachea to help him breathe. And yes, he too was headed to the ICU. Final diagnosis: Streptococcal pneumoniae sepsis.
Three very different patients, but all share a common theme. None of the children were immunized and all three suffered from vaccine preventable diseases. The first two patients recovered fully, the third died three days later from complications of overwhelming sepsis.
In residency, when I was first learning how to be a pediatrician, my old attendings would tell story after story about the patients they treated in the days before many of our current vaccines. And as young doctors, we thought we would only read about these diseases in textbooks. Yet, thankfully we were trained to recognize those “zebras,” the diseases that we may never see in practice, but need to recognize because they kill children. How unfortunate that in my 10 years of practice, I have seen more than my share of these diseases that so easily could have been prevented.
It is certainly not my intention to use scare tactics in an attempt to convince parents to vaccinate. This is simply my very real experience of three young children who were not immunized and suffered terribly because of it. So if just one parent who is on the fence regarding vaccines reads this and decides to protect their child, I have done my job as a pediatrician.
I have four fully vaccinated children. One is ADHD & Aspergers. One has Epileptic seizures and ADHD. and the last is plain autistic. If I had to do over, they would not be vaccinated.
So I guess seizures, encephalitis, autism , SIDS, auto immune disorders and death are worth the risk right? You have presented 3 cases here, tragic yes. But I know THOUSANDS of Vaccine Injured children alone. I’m sorry to say that I no longer trust vaccine pushing docs like you because you are NOT giving ALL the information for parents to make an informed choice. Will you stake your career on your “safe” vaccines?
Give up your ability to practice medicine if a child under your care does become injured from the toxic concoction that YOU just injected into his bloodstream? Because most parents DO NOT know that YOU have NO legal liability nor does the vaccine manufacturers if something does in fact occur. Not until it’s too late. And if vaccines do not cause autism then WHY does it state that in the insert that comes with the vials? WHY has the CDC lied and committed FRAUD to keep the truth from the American public if your precious shots are SO safe? WHY have there been over $3 Billion in Taxpayer money paid to families of VACCINE INJURED children INCLUDING cases involving AUTISM if these reactions don’t exist or are “rare”?? Why can’t you or big pharma be held responsible legally if the product is “so safe”??
As with the recent measles outbreak I don’t even belive you when you day these children were not vaccinated. Show us Proof because the mainstream media withheld and lied about the measles cases because most if not all WERE vaccinated. But not only are your precious vaccines UNSAFE they are also HIGHLY Unreliable.
I hope one day you will pay for your sins. Injecting innocent babies and children with a neurotoxic sledgehammer. God save us all from this madness.
People that are Pro-Vaccination are correct. The theory and proper practice of Vaccines are undeniably effective. People that are Anti-Vaccination are correct. There are undeniable side effects that can cause serious damage to your kids including death. So the practice seems to be in question not the theory. If we could all agree on that you would instantly all see that both sides are fighting for the same thing, the kids. We are not helping our kids by fighting with each other, that is the only truth about vaccines. Understand that the person on the other side is a loving parent too and loving parents will change their mind if they see it’s best of their kids. I think it’s time parents examine the Vaccination Practice collectively. Fund it yourselves. Don’t include media or corporations. Come together and take a real hard look at how vaccines are practiced. I believe you will find the answer we are all looking for.
My brother-in-law contracted epiglottitis 2 years ago and he was fully vaccinated, there was a pertussis outbreak at my kids’ school in Boise, Idaho in 2006 and every last one of those kids who got sick were fully vaccinated, AND the streptococcal pneumoniae vaccine wasn’t even available until the year 2000 – clearly, millions of us have survived without it. These are exactly the kinds of stories medical practitioners tell the parents of their patient when they are asked sincere questions by good people who simply want to make informed decisions. I’m sure somewhere you can find a story about a kid who eventually died as a result of stubbing their toe, too (complications and all that), but that doesn’t mean every kid on earth should never be permitted to run barefoot again. I am the parent of 2 vaccine-injured children, and I asked sincere, logical questions before the vaccines were given. That pertussis story is the same one I was told – in 1992, mind you – by a practitioner who acted as though my child would SURELY die if I didn’t get the vaccines. 5 years later, she was injured by a DpT shot. 2 years later, her little brother was injured by an MMR vaccine. Does that mean that NO child ANYWHERE should EVER receive ANY vaccine? Probably not…but my vaccine-injured children are no less important than those injured by diseases which may (or may not) have been prevented by vaccines. But you guys don’t ever USE stories like ours, now do you?
Please explain:
1. If vaccines are “safe” why is a fee of .75 per vaccination collected to fund the government’s Vaccine Injury Program?
2. If vaccines are “safe” why has the government’s Vaccine Injury Program paid out over $2.5 BILLION DOLLARS in claims that have proven death or severe injury resulted FROM VACCINATIONS?
3. As a physician wold you prescribe medications or treatments without a complete medical history and examination of the patient?
4. Then why on earth do you advocate blindly injecting infants and children with vaccinations?
5. Finally, why do you support a vaccination system that requires the parents who vaccinate to play Russian Roulette with their children’s lives — without properly informing them regarding the factual statistics regarding actual vaccine injuries?
Amen.
Scientists have known for years that viruses change DNA so the results of the study you mentioned should not be a surprise. Several types of cancer and autoimmune diseases are know to be caused by a viral infection. So, then the question becomes would you rather your child get a weakened smaller amount or a larger load of the virus, which can cause much greater damage. The number of preventable infections related to the lack of vaccinations is staggering. The number of cases of autism has actually increased in unvaccinated children, even when using very strict diagnosis guidelines. PLEASE make wise decisions when it comes to the health of our children. If you choose to limit your child’s vaccination schedule, then be prepared to dramatically limit their exposure to other people. I watched a little one suffer from the lack of timely vaccinations. Even though he and his mother had limited exposure to other people, he still became infected. One simple shot would have kept him from what could be long term complications because of his age and the severity of his infection. He is just one child of many caught in a pool of misinformation from people who ‘meant well’.
Oh please you are so misinformed it’s not funny. Amish no vaccines no autism. Period. Im not sure which comic book you got your autism information from but you CLEARLY do not live in the Autism world.
You are so led by sensationalism and not science its sad. Move out of 1998 and read the current studies on various chemical exposures and chromosomal abnormalities that actually show real results of autism links. Calling people misinformed without knowing their background and calling a medical doctor a baby maimer show all of us that your irrational responses are not only irresponsible but potentially harmful. Learn the true science behind what could be causing this problem before you make your accusations. And by the way, in the Amish study you mentioned, 85% of children WERE vaccinated.
I have chosen not to vaccinate my daughter. And if that changes it will be to a delayed, selective schedule. I am also a highly educated woman who has studied these vaccines from a non biased point if view prior to being a mother while in medical school. I too think arguments put out by mainstream media and celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy and Kristin Cavalerri are invalid and should be stopped. However, there are still valid reasons to choose the non vaccine route. Valid, scientific, medical, and studied reasons. I for one do not feel comfortable giving my 8 lb 1 month old anywhere from 23 to 49 doses of 14 different vaccinations before she turns 2. Nothing about that seems logical. At a time when our children are developing the immune system they will have for life, we are already telling it it’s not good enough. And also, vaccines are still too new ( not all, and this is where the selective schedule would come into play) to really know any long term effects. We haven’t yet seen the implications of what a lot of these vaccines will do by the time the receiver has reached mid adulthood. And lastly, I have chosen to not vaccinate purely based on the ingredients. I cannot ethically give my child a vaccine that was made using aborted human fetus cells or animal cells that have animal diseases that we don’t yet understand what they may do in a human body. There’s a study out of Switzerland that implies that vaccines that have been made using human cells actually alter the dna of the receiver. In layman’s terms, this means it would actually change in some way who that person was born as. I want my daughter to stay who she is and not be altered, whether chemically or physically. For all these reasons, at best my daughter will be following a selective schedule or maybe get none at all. So far, she is vaccine free and perfectly healthy. That’s my two sense. Take it or leave it.
I’m still young so I might change my mind when I have kids but despite reading your article I am a dissenting voice. These diseases only affected 20000-75000 of the population before vaccines came and prevented them. Do you think the adverse affects of vaccines affect more kids than this? What if vaccines lower IQ’s, cause allergies, and eventually help diseases to mutate into super bugs? What if anti-biotics prevent antibodies building up in your immune system and only help your body to weaken against flus and coughs and colds. I find your article to be sincere but fear mongering. I am glad my sister didn’t get vaccinated and is not indoctrinated like you are through your 8 years of schooling and experience into believing this a must have. It is unlikely she will get any of these diseases she is now 3 and every day she grows stronger, lives with a dog and cat to help her be introduced to coughs and colds and flus at an early age because children growing up with pets generally have stronger immune systems later on. So even though I’m rambling I’ve deduced in my under populated region of Canada that there’s a higher likelihood of adverse side effects from vaccine than there is of the actual disease hurting her. 33 different cures for diseases in one or two vaccines! And the kids haven’t even developed beyond two-twelve months! It sickens me. I knew a little boy once who was completely changed after his vaccine. Become very dopie and generally slower. Not genetically changed but something in his chromosomes didn’t like all those drugs at once. Sigh finally I agree that countries without access to these vaccines and proper living needs have a higher infant mortality and the like, but where I live I am content and in afraid that my sister will live a normal and happy life, just as I have!
“Only 20,000 – 75,000”? Your numbers are no where NEAR close to the reality of the time as a great many more than that were affected by these diseases. Even IF your numbers were right could you explain why me – and tens of thousands of others – and my kids – and tens of thousands of others – should be out in danger due to your**choice** to not vaccinate your children? You may have “deduced” this guess of yours but that guess is wrong. Study after study after study has determined that NOT getting vaccinated is FAR more dangerous than getting vaccinated could ever be. The supposed links between vaccines and autism – and a host of other claimed problems – have been debunked time and again so there’s no validity to those claims. I don’t know what you saw but chances are it had no link to the vaccine.
The absurd and foolish arguments against vaccines have no basis in reality, have been completely debunked, and should NOT be allowed as a reason to vaccinate your child(ren). In fact there should be NO exceptions to vaccination unless it can be **proven** that being vaccinated would harm that particular child, which would be a VERY rare occurrence.
The reason you see so many fewer deaths in countries with vaccination programs can be directly linked to those programs. Take away the vaccination programs and it wouldn’t be long before our countries would have the same death rates from these diseases. I don’t even know what “proper living” even means.
You have NO right to endanger others in society because you have irrational fears about something that’s been shown to be safe for most everyone. Any child who’s parents have chosen not to get vaccinated should not be allowed to attend school or go to a sitter/daycare with other kids. Seems simple and fair enough to me.
Thank you for your comments. And great points! Very true, there are very few medical reasons why a child should not be able to get vaccines.
WHY are you only responding to the comments that agree with you? Typical. You are a baby maimer.
EVERYTHING you have said is INCORRECT. So I guess anyone born before 1959 should be quarantined? Because they are not required to have these shots, the baby boomers have been walking around without 90% of them with NO boosters for over 5 DECADES and there had been NO widespread outbreaks or disease comeback. AND HOW IS MY UNVACCINATED CHILD A THREAT TO YOURS if your child is protected by the shots he/she had? I’m dumbfounded by that accusation. VACCINE FREE AND PROUD. Both of my boys go to public school. I PRAY everyday your little vaccine kids with their food allergies and asthma and adhd don’t shed the virus and get mine sick!
Thank you for this article! I am always amazed by the uninformed irresponsibility of some parents. Why they choose to believe fringe elements & equally unqualified people like Jenny McCarthy is beyond my comprehension. We have decades of evidence that vaccines are safe & effective with minimal risks, but the few who choose to ignore both the science & the risks put all of our children in their game of Russian Roulette.
Agree! Hopefully a doctor’s viewpoint will convince some parents that there are very real risks to NOT vaccinating.
thank you so much for this article. I appreciate your perspective. It’s the reality and I’m glad that I vaccinated my child.
This is a wonderful article and really makes be realize how happy I am that I have vaccinated both of my children.
A very sad but true post. I agree your stories can be used in a scare-tactic way, or in a reality truth-telling way (I think you’ve done the latter!). It’s all about truly informed consent (or dissent), right?