Anonybabe has not yet gotten her measles shot. She was due to have one 3 months ago but I didn't feel comfortable giving her the full MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). It's the controversial shot that the CDC swears has no connection to autism while many angry parents swear that it does. Our pediatrician is all for giving as few shots as possible, but thought a stand-alone measles shot was a good idea since measles are harsh. His office didn't have just the measles shot on hand, so we were going to reschedule another appointment to get it. I just haven't.
Now, listening to this podcast, I feel like a heel. The interview with the mother of the 10 month old who lost 1/3 of his body weight in 5 days was particularly poignant.
I do believe in doing what's best for public health. I do believe I'm responsible if I or my baby pass on a disease that has negative effects on someone else's family.
But I also believe that the federal government, the CDC, and my family physician have to prove to me that the stuff I'm injecting into my daughter's body is harmless...or less harmless than the diseases they aim to prevent. They seem to be. I truly hate to sound like a paranoid person, but public institutions don't always have the best track record of keeping the individuals best interest at heart. I sort of applaud the guerrilla tactics of the parents who aren't getting shots, but I think they should only do what they do in order to force pharmaceutical companies, the CDC, etc, to be more trustworthy.
Ugh. Vaccination issues are in an ugly place right now, but heading towards a better tomorrow, where people know more about what they are injecting in their kids and why.
1 comment:
Thanks, Catherine. For your comment, and for your crusade for more transparency in the way we vaccinate. If you have any favorite books on the subject, please let me (and everybody within blogshot) know!
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