mmr

[garythecat]

for or against? Personally I didn't take my son for MMR, just had a bad feeling about it and I generally go with my gut. I was heavily criticised and until I had them corrected his medical notes actually stated that he had been given the jab. My goddaughter had separate jabs. What is the general feeling?

[Pippa68]

My four children have had the MMR. My eldest daughter as an ASD (Aspergers) but having done my own research I believe the MMR does not cause autism or ASDs.

It is a very personal choice, and nobody should be criticised for opting for the single jabs. In my opinion the single jabs are better than no jabs at all :o)

[meltoadhall]

i never hesitated, all three of mine had it, but is a personal choice. it never worried me - in fact measles worried me more.

[spudqueen]

My children both had the MMR. I personally don't think that the MMR causes autism. The boundaries of autism have been stretched a lot over the last few years as more is understood about the autistic spectrum and this has coincided with the MMR vaccine. This has led to people speculating that as there are more children being diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum it must be something to do with the MMR. I also think that measles, mumps and ruebella can be awful diseases. I know that a lot of children have had them with no ill effects but they can be dangerous diseases, measles can leave you deaf or in extreme cases kill you.

[kags]

Both my children had the first jab, then my daughter (who is younger) was diagnosed with an ASD. This made the decision to give the booster for both of them very difficult, and my daughter's paediatrician agreed with me that it is a personal decision, and she understood my hesitation. I know from a scientific point of view there is no proven link, but something inside me made me feel I just couldn't go ahead with the booster jabs. The paediatrician said that the first jab gives a high level of immunity and that we need to look at this again when she is a teenager.

[morbidstorm]

I have two sons, the eldest had the MMR, the youngest has not.

I weighed up the potential consequences - having the MMR and worst case scenario is autism (if the hype is to be believed) or not having the jab and worst case scenario is contracting measles which can be fatal. No contest in my eyes.

So why has my second child not had it, I hear you ask - that was because when his jab was due, he had a very heavy cold at the time, so I didn't want to risk it when his immune system was already fighting something. It is much to my shame I have not taken him for it since, but it is right at the top of my To Do list.

[boobesque]

There was never any doubt in my mind about my son having it, especially as he was severely premature, and i will take my little girl to have it when she is the right age.

The scare stories came about based on a study of 12 autistic children, it wasnt even a study about the MMR and the scientists stated this at the time, one paper got wind of the study and that started the whole debate, in my opinion its becoming clear that the immunisation did what it was meant to as we have got more and more widespread cases of measles now and its not the mild childhood disease that many people think it is.

[mimififi]

I had the mmr when it was in it's infancy as I slipped through the net for the Rubella jab as I moved abroad. I had the mmr in my late teens.

I didn't hesitate to give my children all the jabs that were offered. I have been in some severely poor countries and seen young children and babies suffering from viruses such as measles and mumps, diptheria etc etc and I decided that even if the urban myth were true and the MMr caused autism (which I don't think is accepted as true now) even if it were true, I would rather have an autistic child than a sick, handicapped, blind, deaf or dead child. I just measured the risks really.

I also reasoned in my brain that the government give us so little things free and routine these days, kids don't have milk, we don't get free dental, or sight tests, very few preventative medecines are available routinely, I felt that if they were offereing these then the illnesses must be a big deal.

I know of children also who have had the jabs and still gone on to contract measles etc (as we are now entering epidemic proportions again from the opting out) and they had them so mildly they were hardly anymore sick than if they had a really bad cold. However, I also know a lady who had measles at the age of 3 and she is now in her 60s. After she recovered from the virus and the fever her parent's realised she was also now profoundly deaf. Previously, she had been hearing and talking.

However, i do also feel that parent's should NOT be treated with contempt for opting out. It is everyone's choice as to what is best for their child. I feel very strongly about preventative medecine probably as I spent alot of time in Eastern cultures and there preventative medecine is high the agendas, much like it is on the continent, but I do also respect the choices of other parents too. And I don't have to worry if my kids were playing with a child who was incubating mumps, they wouldn't

[morbidstorm]

Fantastic answer by Mimififi - I whole-heartedly agree.

[Hellion]

My son had Measles , Mumps and Rubella jabs done separately just before the furore about autism. My reasoning was I felt uncomfortable giving such a small baby's immune system an 'overload' of three serious diseases. Since the MMR 'scare' I have been constantly castigated for not having the MMR, my only objection to MMR was that the government took away the choice of the single jabs not the possible links to autism.

[mattie]

My brother worked as a research chemist for the company who developed the combined vaccine. He has four children, all who have had the jab, so I had no worries about taking my daughter.

[curiosity]

Well my 6 yearold daughter hasn't had it. I made a conscious decision for her not to, due to the link with Crohnns disease which is also linked with bowel cancer. There is a definate increase in bowel disorders, especially Crohnns and cancer amongst young people. The triple MMR injection is based in egg albumin. When I was pregnant with my daughter I only ate 3 eggs throughout the whole pregnancy (normally love them) each time I was violently ill within 24hrs of eating them with diarrohea and stomach cramps. As a child she won't eat eggs served as egg in any form. but we haven't gone totally for egg free products, so she has had them. When I mentioned this to the GP & health visitor neither of them recommended or didn't recommend the MMR they just didn't know. In my view and this may be totally selfish I weighed it up, Mumps, I've had and isn't a big concern for girls, Rubella is mild, but very dangerous for pregnant women, measles, fingers crossed she wouldn't have it bad. This weighed up with a lifetime of misery due to a bowel disorder or autism (it isn't disproven) I couldn't forgive myself. I will on the other hand protect my daughter maybe put society at risk but I'll do my best to let people know if she falls ill, I don't think I've created the greatest risk in todays society. And lets face it no-ones going to make me a saint for doing it so why not take the one opportunity I can to opt out for our benefit.

[allyj]

Personally I am against. I took my son for the mmr jab when he was little. Within four months I noticed a deterioration in him, took him to the doctors they sent him for tests and he was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf at the age of 2.
I was told that the mmr would not have caused this so I took him for the booster when the time came and within 12 months I was told that my son had mild brain damage and a severe speech and language disorder which means he will never speak.
After this I took him to see specialists around the country and was told by 2 seperate ones that there was a possibility that the mmr had caused this. Gutted....

He is 10 now and a smashing little guy the only advice I can give is go with what you think is right, for me I have a new baby now who has been tested for these things at birth she is clear and I will have the jabs seperatley as I still live with the guilt for my son.....

[ganesh]

I normally go for all the jabs offered but I didn't have the booster for my son. He actually had measles at the age of 12 months and was fine ,as most of us were when we were kids before the vaccine came about.
I don't trust the doctors because they lie all the time. For a start when they had the first jab they told us that a booster would not be necessary and then they 'changed their minds'.
Also, why bombard the system with 3 diseases when you don't have to? I would much prefer to give single vaccines and that includes the triple vaccine given to babies.
I know that they would feel like a pin cushion,but really they are so quick ,I don't see a problem.
I know the media are responsible for scaremongering,but what is causing all this Aspergers? No-one had ever heard of it and now it's everywhere,my own daughter was tested for it a year after the booster.
If there is any doubt then have single jabs,I would if I had the option again.