The Vaccination Dilemma

Traditional Vaccine Usage

Vaccination used to be a fairly easy decision. You get yourself and your children vaccinated to protect yourselves from life threatening diseases. Nobody wants to get diptheria after all. These vaccines saved countless lives.

Current Vaccines

These days, however, children are not only vaccinated for life threatening diseases. Even as recent as 1983, the average child only received 10 vaccines. Have any new dangerous epidemics swept the nation since then? No, but the 2010 schedule of recommended vaccines calls for over 30 vaccines before the age of 6.

The Problem?

Doctors are vaccinating babies on this whirlwind schedule which calls for 6 shots on a baby's 2 month check-up, with similar amounts at subsequent visits. Vaccinations are safe for most babies, but all of them come with some risk of dangerous side effects such as fever. Perhaps fever doesn't sound scary, but prolonged or high fever can lead to other complications such as seizures, which in turn can cause permanent brain damage. The risk is very low, but the more vaccines that you give in one sitting, the higher your risk is multiplying. There is also a raging debate on the possible link between vaccines and autism. Whether you believe this or not, the known side effects of vaccines are not to be taken lightly either. If your baby is unfortunate enough to get behind schedule, most doctors will stack even more injections into one visit. This is a dangerous practice that should be banned. There is no reason to rush vaccines this way, as long as a child is caught up in time for school.

Making Your Decision

Personally, I've chosen to delay vaccinating my son until he is 2 years old. Then we will vaccinate with one shot per visit and only selective vaccines. So far at 9 months of age, he has been healthy with no infections and only one runny nose which lasted 2 days. The CDC recommended schedule typically works for most children. Kids are not made with a cookie-cutter mold, however, and for many kids, the schedule can prove too intense resulting in bad side effects. Your decision to vaccinate, not vaccinate, or delay should take into account all of the risks and benefits associated with vaccination. Do your homework and feel comfortable about your decision. Don't feel pressured into anything by your child's doctor. Remember, it's you who is responsible for your child's health. Nobody else is going to admit fault or take responsibility if your child catches a dangerous disease, or suffers life changing vaccine side effects. So, be proactive in your family's health, and be involved in these important decisions.