Deep Public Health Thought

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1. Dana says:

   December 23, 2008 at 5:31 pm

   Considering that such immunizations are normally available for free at public health departments, why would you limit your condemnation to rich people?

2. nemski says:

   December 23, 2008 at 5:46 pm

   Dana made a funny. Dana thinks that poor people and rich people have the same opportunity for health care.

3. jason330 says:

   December 23, 2008 at 6:02 pm

   Dana,

   Most unvaccinated children now are the products of upper-middle class families who opt out of doing what they are supposed to do because they are the victims of pop-medical idiocy.

4. Joanne Christian says:

   December 23, 2008 at 8:42 pm

   Dana–Jason is correct. And also, these shots are not available for free at the public health center to everyone (oops sorry Dana-I’m talking about Delaware–some states they are). Which really brings me to another whole tirade in the interest of “public policy”. SIX HUNDRED BUCKS for my kid to start kindergarten, because I have insurance, hence not permitted a public health dose; even though the deductible is 7500–and I have to use my deductible towards “public policy” vaccinations. Could I please for once have a bite of the apple I pay for? And yes Jason, it is pop-medical idiocy, not to vaccinate for MMR. If you have such a social conscience, you vaccinate your own, for their benefit, and to thwart outbreak elsewhere. However, I do think we have gone too far w/ mandated chicken pox vaccine, and mark my words, the shill and drill has begun for HPV vaccine for girls–another “hot shot” to demand (which by the way those “enlightened” people seem to want that one), and those pharmaceutical companies are just dialing down the age to administer—setting up those steak dinners, and selling, selling, selling, to the fear of women and parents—guilting them into administration. Oh it angers me…because I know the knotheads will make that the next mandatory innoculation. You want a good innoculation/vaccination to get as an adult? Redo your whooping cough (pertussis), vaccine. Several products are out (Adacel, etc.), and I’m telling you that cough that hangs around longer than usual, and your doctor just says it’s an “upper respiratory infection”, and it goes around the house—is probably a sub-clinical or undiagnosed whooping cough. Not so virilent, and deadly in us older folks, but we still get it, and diagnosis is probably more expensive than just giving you the antibiotics. Meanwhile, you slough this off to kids–and it’s a lousy fall/winter. Update your pertussis vaccine. I swear it will be a better season, and a much more effective, pro-active, reasonable stance than all this goofy overkill of other “bugs” out there. And while you have me going Jason, it’s these same blankety-blank parents who don’t want to vaccinate, but DEMAND antibiotics for every sniffle longer than 48 hrs. I may not be finished yet!!

5. R Smitty says:

   December 23, 2008 at 8:55 pm

   I have a friend, a close friend who is a nurse, who, for some bizarre reason, is one of those who wants anti-biotics for everything, including viruses. Vaccinations? Yeah, right.

   Joanne, you are on the money.

6. Joanne Christian says:

   December 23, 2008 at 8:59 pm

   Exiled to Siberia? Heck, that’s where they are bringing it to the US from..and Romania..and Czech Republic, and Africa..as US parents, they travel to their exotic, “trendy”, part of the un domesticated, adventurous, this will sound good in the Holiday Famlet part of the world, contract the disease, and then break out on US soil—after incubating in how many airports, train stations, and public restrooms? Such responsible citizenry. And to think huge efforts are underway in Africa, by many US charities to eradicate measles there, which is at epidemic proportions, at a cost of about 25 cents a vaccination–and we have our own wood heads leaving it to chance, when we have clinics, insurance, access and programs. Mothers cry in those countries for their children to be included. They have seen the death and destruction of measles–and quickly.

7. Joanne Christian says:

   December 23, 2008 at 9:12 pm

   And by the way in Delaware, there are only TWO exemptions for mandated vaccines in this state.
   Religious, and medical contraindication. There is no social, or conscientious objection permitted. Believe me I have had a bad year w/ this game this year–and I gotta say the state came thru, and had the back-up ready for me. Full notarized documentation required, and no broad strokes like “all immunizations”. Each exempted immunization is specifically referred, and reasoned. So from that perspective Delaware does innocculate their chillins’–but I don’t want it getting out of hand with some of these other category illnesses.

8. Unstable Isotope says:

   December 23, 2008 at 9:37 pm

   In my opinion, the HPV vaccine is a great advance because it can prevent cervical cancer. Most cervical cancers are caused by HPV infection, and my aunt died from cervical cancer. It’s one cancer that is almost completely preventable.

9. Joanne Christian says:

   December 23, 2008 at 10:01 pm

   UI-With all due respect–only some cervical cancers are found to be directly related to HPV. Ninety percent or more of women will have HPV by age 50. When you extrapulate that out from the incidence of cervical cancer (which devastating as it is, remains a lower incident cancer), you are immunizing an incredible amount of females, for the actual anomaly of those who get cervical cancer, and then those who get cervical cancer, attributed to HPV. It is an oversell of effect. By all means, the emotional side to this of having a loved one succumb to cervical illness, is understanding for advocating acquisition. However, I caution this policy shift of general population risk to subset of sub-group risk when mandating overall innocculation. Great, if it’s available, and thank you for informing me; but I’d rather not–and stay away from my 10 year old at this time. I am sorry about your aunt–it is an insidious disease to devastation.

10. Brian Shields says:

    December 23, 2008 at 11:57 pm

    I know some people think the immunizations are the reason for the rise in Autism, whereas I tend to think it was either some environmental or nutritional factor during or before the pregnancy.

    I’m placing my chips on the ecstasy and pot numbers on the roulette wheel of root causes there.

    People don’t like to think that they might somehow be involved in why their child might be developmentally challenged. it’s easier to blame it on the evil vaccinations ala Jenny McCarthy.

11. Mrs XStryker says:

    December 24, 2008 at 10:34 am

    While I agree that mandating inocculation on the HPV vaccine is not the way to go, I think it’s foolish not to do all you can to keep yourself healthy and, more importantly, prevent ANY kind of cancer no matter how many sorts you are or are not preventing. An ounce of prevention actually *is* worth a pound of cure.

    I also have to ask – 90% of women get HPV? Do you mean that 90% of women get the occasional wart on their finger or wherever, or 90% of women have the STD form?

12. anon says:

    December 24, 2008 at 10:45 am

    http://www.cdc.gov/STD/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

    90% of women have the HPV virus present in their hoochie. Most of the time it does not cause disease, but over the long term it can cause cervical cancer even if you don’t have warts or other visible disease. HPV is a skin-borne virus; it is very common but usually does not cause disease. If it gets in through a break in your skin on your finger, say, it could cause a wart. If it gets in through sex, you could get warts – well, in whatever part where you had the sex. Or, you could get quietly colonized with HPV that may or may not give you cervical cancer, but no warts.

    That is why girls need to get vaccinated before they ever have sex.

13. Mrs XStryker says:

    December 24, 2008 at 11:47 am

    Thank you, anon, for helping to supplement my extremely poor public school health education. 😀