Vaccinations, Yay or Nay

Sarah - posted on 06/01/2011

I'm pro vaccinations!

We don't vaccinate against Chicken Pox here in the UK though, and I'm fine with that.
I started a thread a while ago about the Chicken Pox vax, so I read up about it a lot, and still don't see the need for it really......HOWEVER.......I do understand why people choose to have it done.

I think vaccinating is important, both my girls had all their shots. I haven't had any boosters though......never really thought about it.

Dana - posted on 06/01/2011

Joy, I think people need to really start considering the Cpox vaccination. At first I thought I wouldn't get it for my son but, then I started thinking about the fact that so many people are vaccinating against it, and it's not going to be as common as it was when we were kids, meaning it's not going to be easy to catch. So in turn, you might contact it as an adult which can be WAY worse.
So in the end, I got if for my son.

JL - posted on 06/01/2011

If there is one thing I hate most about the vax debates is when people try to focus on chicken pox to uphold their argument against not vaccinating. I know chicken pox is not on the scale of polio and such but chicken pox for some people can be deadly. Take my brother and I for instance. We both got chicken pox as kids at the same time and both of us had severe allergic reactions to it and ended up hospitalized facing the reality of having to have tubes to open up our airways to help us breath. I have scars all over me from the chicken pox. It was horrible and frightening. We both had severe dangerous reactions so Personally I am damn happy a chicken pox vaccine was invented. Both my kids have had the vaccine that way I don't have the play the game of will they have the same severe action and be put into some deadly medical position. Yeah I vaccinate!

Amber - posted on 05/31/2011

Kate is a wealth of information...and she uses it that way, as information. She passes it around freely, much to everybody else's benefit and questions things when they seem off. It doesn't make her an asshole, just inquisitive. And it helps keep bad information from being spread around like a wild fire. You're just not used to her, or you'd already know that :)

You guys had to wait until I was away to find a good vax debate, huh? Damn vacation and construction :)

Kate CP - posted on 05/31/2011

Sounds peachy. On with the debate then.

Toni - posted on 05/31/2011

You're right, I do have issues. Lots of them in fact lol But again you take the opportunity to try and insult me.

I just didn't like how I read your responses to me. Maybe you meant them that way, maybe you didn't. Only you will know how you exactly meant for your words to be read.

For now, I'll just not read anything under your name then I won't have to be bothered responding.

Kate CP - posted on 05/31/2011

Seriously, you have issues.

Many pro-vaxxers actually don't get their boosters updated because they just didn't think of it OR they were under they impression that the childhood shots they received early in life are still working.

Toni - posted on 05/31/2011

@Kate - First you question me about my boosters (as if I wouldn't have had them if I'm pro-vax) and then you try to educate me in a public forum in a way I find denigrading. Yeah I'll lighten up when you just back off. Unfortunately you've rubbed my fur the wrong way so now the hackles are up. Question my posts all you want but DON'T try to personalise them because you don't know jack about me. If you don't understand something then politely ask. I will always answer any question but if I find it rude then that's how I'll respond.

What crawled up my arse? Unfortunately it seems like you did so just crawl back out.

Chatty - posted on 05/31/2011

*puts up her dukes*

Tiffany - posted on 05/31/2011

I am for vaccinating, but I discuss every vaccine with my daughters pediatrician and read up on it and we go from there.

Kate CP - posted on 05/31/2011

"Kate, don't know why you picked me but you did so here goes ..... fuck off. I know tonsilitis doesn't turn into whooping cough. Maybe how I typed it suggested I meant that but I didn't. What I was trying to say was I was getting slammed one after another by these things. Sounds to me like you just had to be picky and annoying. But if you want a good argu.... I mean, debate, at least wait until I'm fully recovered and then gloves off my dear."

Excuse me, but what crawled up your cooter and died?

Jesus. The way you stated it you sounded confused and I was TRYING to figure out what the fuck you meant. Lighten up.

Jen - posted on 05/31/2011

That's a shame Laressa, tell her that I personally invite her to kiss my backside.

Chatty - posted on 05/31/2011

So, you're pro vaccinate, Laressa? Your MIL thinks you're abusing your children by vaccinating them? That's a shame, and some pretty harsh words.

Laressa - posted on 05/31/2011

These debates hit so close home I try to never discuss it anymore. My MIL mutters things like go ahead abuse your child when I take them to be vaxed and when she had me so upset that I didn't get my daughter her next ones on schedule my mom took me to task for being negligent. I also have a lot of anti vax friends. I just don't bring up the subject with certain people anymore.

Rebecca - posted on 05/31/2011

VACINATE!!!!! Nothing worse than the hatred I felt when my 6 month old contracted the chicken pox because someone couldn't be bothered to think of anyone but themselves, or the three siblings at my mums school, (kindy teacher) all now currently in hospital very sick who contracted whooping cough and passed it onto every other kid (all of which were vaccinated and those who did get sick only got a mild case and were back to school quickly) because the mother was concerned because she had read somewhere that vaccines can cause mental diseases (complety discredited information) and didn't inform the school (even with the serious epidemic here in NSW) that their child was developing a cough. For me the pros out weigh the cons. The chances of a child getting seriously ill from any vaccine is so unbeliveably thin, yet the risk of not vaccinating is extreem. We are seeing more and more eradicated dieases here in australia return as parents stop vaccinating. I vaccinate not only for my child but for the babies, pregnant women and the elderly I pass on the street. I personally feel its selfish not to do so. Jump on youtube and have a look at, for example, what whooping cough does to a baby. How dare anyone feel they have a right to put my child at risk, and while I'm on a rant lol, to anyone in Australia that has read the Sydney Telegraph lately, you can't be honestly surprised that day care centres and some private schools refuse to take children who aren't vaccinated. You do have the right to chose and so do they.

Jenni - posted on 05/31/2011

You know, in all honesty, once my daughter is finished her vaccine schedule (she gets her MMR next week). I will probably give a little less than a rat's ass if someone chooses not to vaccinate but until then I'm going to raise hell about it. Even if the only outlet I have is an inet forum.



I know anti vaxxers always play this one card: Our unvaxxed kids are not currently sick right now so your fears are unfounded. Really?



So I should feel completely safe bringing my daughter to a local clinic or my doc's office? Where sick kids are? And unvaxxed kids are hacking bodily fluids all over the toys in the waiting room?



Before I was pregnant I was in one of the offices in a clinic and I could over hear the doctor speaking to another patient in the room next to me. She had an unvaxxed 10 year old with mumps... guess what? I had just sat next to them for an hour in the waiting room (at waiting room jam packed with other people, babies, kids, elderly). I imagine it happens more times than we realize. The gull and ignorance of some people to take their very contageous, unvaxxed child into a clinic on the busiest day of week, a saturday, into a waiting room full of people including newborns.

Jessica - posted on 05/31/2011

I vaccinate. I despise those who don't. but hey, its your kid who is going to get sick and die from diptheria.. nto mine.

Kate CP - posted on 05/30/2011

There are THOUSANDS of conventional medications on the market where we don't know exactly how or why they work...but they do and we use them.

Fiona - posted on 05/30/2011

"However, I'm constantly amazed that people use the evolving precision of science as an argument against it or turn it around and use it as a way to support the idea of homeopathy. "

This is not what I am doing at all. Hell, I use panadol (tylenol) even though its mechanism of action is not known. I know it works and is relatively safe, I use it sparingly because that is my nature but I do not dismiss it completely just because I do not understand how it works. I am not mounting an argument against science, nor am I supporting the idea of homeopathy (actually I do support it in some instances where even if it is functioning as a placebo it offers relief and does no harm such as with teething or insomnia or headache relief etc). What I am saying is that some people turn to homeopathic prophylaxis as an option or complementary therapy and *I* would like to see more evidence regarding its efficacy (or lack of) specifically in immune processes; not just ruling it out because the mechanism of action is not understood.

I am not turning this into a debate about whether homeopathic prophylaxis is an effective option for not vaccinating, simply because that is NOT what I believe. I looked into it for my family and *for me* the current evidence did not justify the high cost for something that appears to work on a placebo mechanism. It was just a small part of my views on vaccines (=that I would like to see MORE VALID OPTIONS) that some people use it as either an option or a complementary therapy that first does no harm; and I would like to see more evidence that supports or debunks this specifically in regards to immunity.

Sara - posted on 05/30/2011

That's interesting, Fiona, I didn't know that about those drugs. However, I'm constantly amazed that people use the evolving precision of science as an argument against it or turn it around and use it as a way to support the idea of homeopathy. Predictions/descriptions were made about the atom before it could be seen, etc. Science makes valid predictions and testable and falsifiable claims - Homeopathy does not. Science isn't perfect but it is self-correcting. It continues to advance and change as new evidence is presented. The scientific method provides a valid testing methodology for Homeopathy - randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - and, in well done studies, Homeopathy has failed to meet the basic requirements for efficacy. The effects that it presents are nothing greater than (and explained by) the placebo effect. And that's not just opinion.

Georgia - posted on 05/30/2011

Wow! That was one hot debate over there. I was tempted to jump into the foray, but thought better of it.

I'm just glad that those people don't have a different kind of book. A passport. For their children's sake. Or if they do, they stick to places that are like the US. I've seen people sick and dying of those very things that we think of as "harmless diseases". Africa, India... take your pick of any of the developing nations! They are trying to pump vaccinations into their lives to save the lives of their people. They would LOVE to be able to have the choice of "vax or not", because if you get the disease you're less likely to DIE. Or if you don't die, you'll probably make someone else sick and they might die. THAT has been my research in whether to vaccinate or not. Real life people dying as they pray for the vaccine to be available to them, while I walk among them (vaccinated) not having to really worry about dying if I get sick.

It's sad that people would be willing to compromise everyone for their selfishness. What of people who can't vax for medical reasons?! They are depending on the rest of us to do it... to help protect them!

I remember that diphtheria case, Toni. It wouldn't surprise me if cases of these types of illnesses become more prevalent (like the measles outbreak in the US) if more people choose not to vaccinate.

Fiona - posted on 05/30/2011

Any way it is early morning here and kids need to be dressed and fed and the dog walked etc etc. I will be back to this later. However I think we may be trying to debate something where we do not actually have opposing views.

Fiona - posted on 05/30/2011

The most classic example of a medication that is commonly used where the exact mechanism of action is not known is paracetemol/acetaminophen (tylenol). It is an analgesic and an antipyretic, yes it is known that it relieves pain and fever. It is THOUGHT that it does this by somehow elevating the pain threshold and by communicating with the hypothalamus when temperature is elevated, but how it does this is not known. Another medication: amantadine (Symmetrol) is an antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza A and is also used effectively in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease; but how it exerts its antiviral activity is not fully understood, nor is the exact mechanism of action in treating Parkinson's symptoms. Many psychotropic medications used in treatment of psychiatric disorders are not fully understood regarding their effectiveness and actions. My pharmacological/pharmacodynamic texts are littered with examples of medications where it is THOUGHT they have a certain mechanism of action but it is not yet fully understood, or where effects of a medication give cause to believe it works in a particular way but is unable to be proven how or even where the mechanism of action is known but the effects in treatment are not understood ie: we know how it interacts with the body but do not know why it works the way it does to treat particular symptoms or illness.

Chatty - posted on 05/30/2011

You're not the only one, Jen. We don't wish it on anyone, but maybe if something horrible happened, they'd fucking wake up. Gah.

Jen - posted on 05/30/2011

Sometimes I really feel bad when I read anti-vax BS. I get so angry that I sometimes wish they'd all get shingles and get it everywhere including their scalp so they'd never be able to wash their hair. Then I realize just how awful I am to think such things and try to calm down. When it's really bad I do admit I sometimes think they'd change their mind if their children got meningitis or something.

Yes, it's wrong of me I know. I just get so angry at their thought processes.

Jen - posted on 05/30/2011

@Toni. Poor thing. I had full blowing pertussis in 2005. I was on my back for 3 months and it took a good 9 months to completely recover. the only thing that kept me going was Super Mario Sunshine.

Jen - posted on 05/30/2011

@Fiona. Which medications do you speak of? They go through double blind clinical trials. I have been told by homeopaths that their preparations cannot go through the same trials because they work differently. This makes me say, "Hey, theres' a problem here."

I just want a homeopathic practitioner to take 4 vials of water and a vial of their own solution and tell me which one is the solution and which ones are water. They seem to decline this test as well. It's so out there in logic that homeopathy is even on the lists of things James RAndi will give his $1 MIllion dollars for if they pass the above test. Why wont' any of them take it?

If I have 5 prescription medications and I don't know what they are, I can take them to any run of the mill pharmacist and they can tell me. If I take 5 preparations to a homeopath (without labels), they will not be able to tell me what each one is. There is a reason the homeopathic sleep aid is required to state on the label that it does NOT cause dowsiness.

Now knowing the above as I do, it makes me even less keen on the idea of homeopathic vaccines because I want there to be some active properties in the vaccine I give my kid.

Kate CP - posted on 05/30/2011

I have an immune disorder as well. But tonsilitis doesn't turn into whooping cough. Pertussis is a separate virus from flu and tonsilitis. It's not like pneumonia which you can get as a complication of other illnesses.

Emma - posted on 05/30/2011

In ENG as an adult you are only offered flu jabs if you have serious medical conditions that could lead to further complicatonsl if you catch the flu. You are not offered any other vaccinations.

Toni - posted on 05/30/2011

Every year I have flu injections, swine flu injections, puenomnia injections .... you name I'd get a booster or vac for it. I have too. I know I can be prone to catching any of these diseases and therefore try to protect my family and friends from catching them from me.

Toni - posted on 05/30/2011

@Kate Capehart "Toni: I agree with vaccinating but I have to ask...why didn't YOU get your boosters?"

I got vac'd as a kid and HAVE HAD my boosters when I grew older as well. I have a compromised immune system so boosters don't give me the same effect as they might you. So for the last month I started with the flu which turned into tonsilitis and then whooping cough. Now I've stayed away from public places when I can, organise someone to collect my kids from the classroom and i meet them in the park to walk to the car so I don't bring my infectious body onto school grounds.

Isobel - posted on 05/30/2011

and which diseases do they prevent???

Sara - posted on 05/30/2011

"True, the mechanism of homeopathic remedies is not understood; however, there are many currently used, effective medications whose mechanism of action is not known or thoroughly understood. Doesn't mean they should not be used, just means that if they can conclusively be proven to be effective that they are a valid and valued treatment option."

Just out of curiosity -- what medication that is on the market are you speaking of?

Emma - posted on 05/30/2011

LOL just thought I would add that i'm off to the doctors now to get my baby's 8 week check up and first lot of jabs done!

Emma - posted on 05/30/2011

Thanks Dana. I have been pushing for my l/o to get flu jab becausse if he gets flu it could go straight to his chest and kill him because of his severe asthma! I am going to speak with a paediatrician more about it beause I have always believed that the effects of the flu jab will be less severe than if he were to get flu. The GPs just don't know enough about the reactions the jabs cause for those who are sensitive to the ingredients!

Sal - posted on 05/29/2011

fiona, i can see why you personally might be pissed with the immunusation allowance, but the whole point of the payment is to encourage people who just couldn't be bothered, someone who has a specific objection for personal medical or religious reasons isn;t going to be swayed by a cash payment"oh little billy might die but i'll get $200 so i'm doing it anyay."...... a mum who just forgot or just couldn;t be bothered ordinarily just might be a little more inclined to keep on top of them and this is the whole point it think, and having the payments still apply to catch up scheduls doesn;t get the kids immunised and out of danger when they are babies and need it most....
yes there should be better adult scheduals, it actaully made me ring and check where mine were upto, and i am upto date...

Casey - posted on 05/29/2011

Yep I get my kids vaccinated against everything and my partner and I also have our booster shots when they are required (we both just had our whooping cough boosters and we still have the lump to prove it lol). I think people carry on far to much about the side effects yes your child might get a slight fever or they may cry for a little bit but those minor side effects are far easier to deal with the having an epidemic of polio, rubella, whooping cough ect babies actually die from these nasty things so isn't it a better idea for everyone to just get their kids immunised to prevent them? I am even more conciencious of immunisation and diseases at the moment since having my second baby 2 weeks ago I won't even let anyone come near him if I know they haven't been immunised we have a friend who doesn't immunise her children and as a result they can't come to our house until our new baby is fully immunised which won't be until his 18 months old, sure they arn't happy about it but to bad thats their fault, I won't put my child/children at risk just because someone can't be bothered to get their kids immunised I realise I can't always stop people from coming into contact with my baby who arn't immunised and might be carrying something nasty but I can stop them from coming into my home.

Fiona - posted on 05/29/2011

I just wrote a really long and personal reply as to why I don't agree with the maternity immunisation allowance, but deleted it because it was very emotionally based and not especially helpful to the debate. But, I will say this:

Also, in response to Sal, the reason I am not comfortable with the maternity immunisation allowance is that it provides financial incentive for parents who either vaccinate on schedule or have an approved exemption. There is also an allowance eligibility for those on an approved catch up schedule. While I can see the merit of this as a public health initiative from a sociological standpoint, I still think it pushes parents (especially those from a less educated or lower socio-economic status) to vaccinate without understanding fully the potential risks or allowing them to explore their options in delaying or selectively vaccinating.

I cannot help but wonder if there is another way other than such extensive scheduling of multiple vaccines so early for vulnerable infants. I don't know what the answer is; maybe it lies in creating a more extensive adult immunisation schedule, or an adult immunisation allowance; or better testing of vaccines or more options among vaccines or better reporting and research of adverse reactions. I just do not think that financially incentivising parents to ONLY either vaccinate on schedule, apply for exemption or undergo an approved catch up schedule is really very socially responsible or ethically sound when I do not agree that the schedule itself is a valid tool. As I said, this is based purely on my own beliefs which result from my own personal experiences of witnessing an infant relative suffer an adverse reaction to a vaccine. I CAN see the bigger picture of why this incentive exists and I can even see the public health benefits of such a scheme in improving vaccination compliance, I just do not agree with it.

Kate CP - posted on 05/29/2011

Toni: I agree with vaccinating but I have to ask...why didn't YOU get your boosters?

Fiona - posted on 05/29/2011

@Jen, yes from what I understand homeopathic prophylaxis works on the same principle as homeopathic preparations. You can write them off according to the way they are prepared, you can dismiss the possibility of their efficacy, fine. I myself am on the fence which is why I would like to see more research and studies done. There is some evidence that homeopathy is effective, there is some evidence that it simply works on the same mechanism as the placebo effect. True, the mechanism of homeopathic remedies is not understood; however, there are many currently used, effective medications whose mechanism of action is not known or thoroughly understood. Doesn't mean they should not be used, just means that if they can conclusively be proven to be effective that they are a valid and valued treatment option.

What I do know is that many people who do not vaccinate (for whatever reason) look into this (homeopathic prophylaxis) as an option for protecting their children and themselves. I would like to see more conclusive results from high quality scientific research studies regarding the validity of this option. Not just because I believe that people are entitled to have the best and most scientifically accurate information with which to arm themselves when making decisions but also because there is a real need for people who cannot vaccinate with currently available conventional pharmaceuticals to have other options. If homeopathic prophylaxis can conclusively be proven to be completely ineffective in protecting against vaccine preventable diseases, then great: people can stop wasting their money on this and there can be a greater push for the creation of new vaccines or vaccine treatment options with less allergenic potential, less toxic ingredients, single antigen doses to minimise the need for dangerous binding agents, etc etc.

Toni - posted on 05/29/2011

Just to add .... a young man in Brisbane last year died of diptheria!!!!! The first case ever in Australia for over 30 yrs. And people still ask why we should vaccinate!

Toni - posted on 05/29/2011

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!!!!

Currently suffering from whooping cough where at the moment is an epidemic. Now if everyone had vac'd I wouldn't be suffering. Selfish??? Yes!!!! But seeing as I feel like death and have thought I was going to die I'm going out on a limb and say y'all who don't vac without a health reason are selfish. I understand those who have severe reactions to vacs not wanting to do them but for others who just choose not to (which are most) have you seen a baby with whooping cough die? Have you see the brain damage left after a child contracts measles? Not when the child has it but years later when that nasty hiding bug decides its time to act????

Yeah, go on, slam me wit your words cause I don't give a fuck for what you say to me, I give a fuck for those babies, children and adults who have to suffer for your selfishness.

Chatty - posted on 05/29/2011

Emma, how severe is your son's egg allergy? My daughter is allergic to eggs and the one season where we were traveling out of the country and needed to have her protected, they just did it on a schedule, administering her small doses at a time and watching her carefully for an allergic reaction. Everything went well.

NOW, I'm not saying that you should have to get the flu vaccine, because we normally don't, but, I just wanted to let you know that depending on the severity of the allergy, there are ways around it.

Jen - posted on 05/29/2011

" I would love to see more research and studies done on homeopathic prophylaxis."

Homeopathic? Is that like homeopathic preparations that are plain water? I know how those preparations are made. I've spoken to proponents of the process adn frankly it defies ALL LOGIC.

For those who don't know. I will describe the process this way. Take an aspirin and dissolve it in a glass of water. If you drink the whole glass, you'll get the full dose of aspirin. Now take that glass and pour it into a bathtub size of water. Now tke that bathtub and pour it into a swimming pool. Now take that pool and pour it into a body of water the size of a lake. Take the lake and pour it into the ocean. now dip in your glass and drink it. How much aspirin are you getting?

This dilution of active properties is what makes homeopathy work. No, I'm not kidding.

So anytime I see homeopathic, my eye twitches.

Jen - posted on 05/29/2011

Vaccines save lives. End of story.
Vaccines NEVER caused autism. End of story.

I can't go too much into it becuase this topic gets me angry VERY QUICKLY. Unless there is an absolute medical reason (life threatening allergy to an ingredient) to not vaccinate, then withholding vaccinations is no different than stopping a person from bleeding to death.

Mel - posted on 05/29/2011

Im for them but I dont judge those who dont. I know people who dont. Everyone has thier reasons. After osme posts on here I was hesitant about giving my first baby hers stressed about something going wrong and even got a letter sent out to me because I hadn't had them done saying i needed to apply for not getting them etc, but decided to do it.

Sal - posted on 05/29/2011

fiona, while i support your decision not to vax if your family has a history of adverse reactions....that is the exact point of everyone else getting vaxed, i don;t agree with your not likeing the aus govt paying the immunisation allowance, if it saves a community from an outbreak or one needless death of either the child who would of got ill or who passes it on then i am for it, i can only assume that the 200 or so dollars that they pay is far less than the cost of making that child well if they got sick and far less than the cost of making a whole community well, if it is the organic carrot that has to be dangled in the faces of parents then i am for it, i just wish it was enough to bribe all the folk who think that they know better...

Emma - posted on 05/29/2011

I can relate to what ur saying Fiona. My little boy is severly asthmatic so much so that he has been hospitalised on more occassions than I can count. He is also allergic to eggs. So when flu and swine flu jabs were due he could not have either because they both contain egg protein. In 2008 in caught swine flu from nursery. He got a high temperature, I worked downstairs with the younger children so the staff came and got me. By the time I got to his room (5mins later) he was unconscious and we had to phone an ambulance. I don't know how I would have coped if I hadn't have already been in the building. He remained severely ill for 3 days but then, with thanks to god, started to recover. He is fine now but we live with the constant worry that it will happen again. If more research was done into the adverse reactions of vaccines then we might know what type of reaction (if any) he is likely to have from having the flu jab. Also I thnk more research should be done into finding alternative vaccines for those who are sensitive to ingredients in the ones already in place! Children's safety is paramount and I think this type of research is vital to protect them from the potentially deadly diseases they could catch due to not being allowed to be immunised! I am also fighting for the changes I would like to see, good luck with ur battle! :)

Deanna - posted on 05/28/2011

Yes. all of my kids are vaccinated.

Fiona - posted on 05/28/2011

Ok, I'll leap into the lion pit! :)

My position, as of right now for my family: NAY! I do not vaccinate my children. We have a familial history of adverse reactions to vaccinations. For my family, the risk of an adverse reaction with lifelong repercussions is a very serious concern and not a risk I am comfortable with taking at my children's expense while they are at such a young and vulnerable age physically and developmentally. I am not "anti-vax" however. I will consider selectively vaccinating both my children later in life and I fully support other family's choices to vaccinate. I understand and appreciate the roles that vaccines have played in minimising many dangerous illnesses and in saving many lives.

I do have concerns regarding vaccine components, ingredients and manufacture; as well as the extensive and ever-increasing vaccine schedules. I take issue with the government (Australia) offering financial incentive (maternity immunisation payment) for parents to vaccinate on schedule. I would like to see more single antigen vaccines manufactured and less emphasis on multiple antigen vaccines and live attenuated virus vaccines being regularly used. I would like to see more testing on vaccines, more research done on vaccine safety and efficacy. I would love to see more research and studies done on homeopathic prophylaxis. I would love to see pharmaceutical companies conduct themselves more ethically and be more socially responsible. I would like to see more effective reporting processes of adverse reactions to vaccines (indeed to all medications). I would love to see these concerns of mine addressed before I have to make the decision to vaccinate my children, but I know they won't be. So instead all I can do is make my decisions based on the information I have at hand, fight for the changes I would like to see and be completely understanding and respectful of other parent's choices.