Health Dept: Several Cases Of Mumps Reported
The Department of Health today [Aug.22] confirmed that physicians in the community have reported several cases of mumps, a vaccine preventable disease, in August. Although a serious disease, mumps is now very uncommon.
There have been only a total of eight confirmed cases of mumps reported on the island over the past ten years. The Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann expressed concern over the number of reported cases this year, in light of our high immunization coverage rates. He noted that mumps is highly communicable and it only takes a few unvaccinated individuals to initiate transmission.
Mumps is usually a mild viral disease characterized by mild fever, headache, muscle ache and swelling of the parotid salivary glands (located in the area between the neck and jaw, below the ears). Serious side effects of mumps are more common among adults than children. The disease is spread by contact with an infected person, through coughing and sneezing.
Mumps vaccine [contained in MMR, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine] can prevent this disease. The vaccine given to children on a two-dose schedule prevents almost all cases of mumps. The MMR vaccine was introduced for general use in Bermuda in 1983 as part of Bermuda’s childhood immunization programme.
The majority of children have been fully immunized by the age of six years. MMR is given at 15 months and a booster is given between the ages of four to six years.
The Department of Health recommends that parents check their child’s immunization record to see if he or she has had the mumps or MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine. If your child has not been vaccinated and is 15 months of age or older, contact your pediatrician or family physician to have your child vaccinated as soon as possible.
In addition, the department recommends that parents, who suspect that their child has mumps, contact their physician for diagnosis and treatment.
Public Health Nurses will contact parents of children who may have been exposed to individuals with mumps to ascertain their immunization status and help determine whether they are protected.
The Health Department also said that children with suspected mumps should be excluded from school/day care for at least nine (9) days after the swollen glands first appeared.
What is the Health Dept./Immigration’s policy as far as health checks for workers coming here from countries where immunization rules are not as strict as ours? I know they have to have a chest x-ray to rule out TB but what else???
This is not to pick on our guest workers but we have people coming here from places like India that have high levels of communicable diseases. Even with screenings when they first arrive, we have guest workers who go home on vacation and can be easily exposed to these diseases. Does the Health Dept. require that our guest workers’ vaccinations are up to date?
This isn’t a big problem with people coming here from the U.S., Canada, U.K. etc. but what about countries with lax standards or just not the money to make sure their citizens are immunized? This is something we need to know before we bring something really serious in here like Ebola.
The chances of bringing Ebola to Bermuda are extremely remote – and I’ve certainly never heard of it occurring in India. The main incidences occur in rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and transmission is by direct contact with the fluids of an infected person. Trust me – if you were near someone with Ebola, 1. you’d know about it, and 2. you’d stay well clear.
As for other, more likely illnesses (such as mumps), the DOH are right to stress the importance of maximal immunisation across the community, as this provides what is called ‘herd immunity’. In other words, if enough people are vaccinated against a certain illness, then the rest of the population is conferred a level of protection against the illness. This is vitally important for those individuals who cannot have the routine vaccinations for a variety of reasons (illness, allergy, etc).
Don’t forget, also, that many of those workers who may not have had the vaccinations may well have had the illness itself in childhood, and therefore do not pose a risk to the community at large.
I’m not discounting your point, but it is important not to scare-monger when it is not necessary. Also, we can’t control for everything. You are a lot more likely to see Bermudians returning from holiday with STDs than Indians with Ebola – should we swab everyone at the airport!?
For goodness sake-don’t take everything so literally! First of all, I said countries with lax health standards and gave India as an EXAMPLE! Secondly, I know the chances of a)being infected with Ebola and b) bringing it into Bermuda are next to nil. I was making a point about serious diseases and that we need to be vigilant, with Ebola being the most serious disease I could think of. So now you think we’ll have mass panic for fear of the Ebola plague in Bermuda? Good grief!
We DO need to monitor our borders more closely and that’s not ‘scaremongering’-it’s REALITY. We’ve even had a few cases of tuberculosis here-where did THAT come from? There are some serious diseases out there that one could easily bring into Bermuda and transmit to the local populace. If people are foolish enough to go out and catch STD’s that’s on them. I happen to work in the health care field and there’s lots of it in Bermuda, anyway. I can control STD’s infecting my body. What I’m concerned about is sitting down having dinner in a nice restaurant and catching something deadly if my infected server sneezes in my air space.
Ebola was an extreme example. Since you are such a literal person, substitute ‘Ebola’ with any contagious diseases seen in third world countries that we have the potential to be exposed to and that can kill us EVEN WITH TREATMENT! That was my point! Sheesh…
Actually, the TB probably came here from New York! They had strains of antibiotic-resistant TB at least as far back as 10 years ago. Sometimes it isn’t the 3rd world countries we need to be concerned about.
You are another one who either can’t read properly or can’t comprehend properly. Typical of Bernews readers.
If you truly do work in health care, then your comments are even more reprehensible. You say you understand the very small likelihood of ever getting ebola, yet you choose to use that as an example. In addition, you must be aware that there is a small but significant part of the population that is keen to jump on any reason they can to criticise and demean foreign workers.
You say that you can control STDs – if you work in healthcare, you know the number of people who have encounters outside of relationships and then go on to infect their partners. People are not as immune to these as they think they are.
As a healthcare worker, please consider the effect of your words in the future. Yes, we need proper health surveillance and to be on the alert for notifiable illnesses. However, with a lot of the diseases you refer to, Bermudians are equally capable of acquiring on their travels and then spreading them around on their return to Bermuda.
First of all. quite frankly, I don’t give a hoot if you think my comments are ‘reprehensible’ or not.
Secondly, I said that I can control STD’s as far as I’M concerned. I’m not stupid-I know all about partners straying and I stand by what I say-I can control that in my life. I’m not concerned about catching an STD and if most people had sense, they wouldn’t be catching them, either but I can’t control that and it’s not exactly keeping me up at night. There will always be foolish people in this world.
I’m not out to bash people from third-world countries but it’s the reality. We have people working here whose idea of hygiene is not the same as ours. I’ve been horrified by things I’ve seen and it’s mostly people from one particular country. For example, I saw a foreign worker leaving a company vehicle and walking up the street into a restaurant with his arms full of hoagie rolls. He DID NOT HAVE THEM IN A BAG or covered in any way, had on short sleeves and was holding them up against his chest-no apron (not that it would have made a difference). He thought nothing of it because I assume that’s something that’s normal where he comes from. Well, that’s not acceptable here. That’s only a small portion of what we see-imagine what we don’t see…and I’ve seen plenty.
I have a few friends and relatives who work in Customs and you’d be amazed at what some of these people try and bring in here regarding foodstuffs. One foreigner had a suitcase full of food that I assume he couldn’t find here. The problem was that the suitcase was full of HUGE, LIVE, red fire ants. The officer told him they’d have to confiscate the suitcase and food and bomb it to kill the ants. He then asked if he could still have the food after this was done. They were like ‘no way.’ He was practically in tears begging for his food after it had ants crawling all over it and bombed with bugs-and NO, it wasn’t the case he was interested in, it was the food. Now-is that what we’d consider normal?
You all have no idea what comes in here in these peoples’ luggage at times. They’ve found dead scorpions and all kinds of stuff. The relevant Gov’t authorities are notified, but the public isn’t. It’s not to insult these people, but you have guest workers who venture into slums back home and get exposed to Lord only knows what. If they can bring back scorpions and fire ants-albeit innocently-what else can they bring back here? The Gov’t obviously thinks it’s important to screen them for various diseases when they first arrive, but what precautions are taken when these people go on vacation to their homelands?
Sorry-but I’m a realist. In Bermuda we have a tendency to be reactive instead of proactive. We feel we must be so nice and polite all the time instead of facing the facts. I remember when this gang problem first arose years ago, and everyone was saying ‘There are no gangs in Bermuda!’ and ‘Don’t call them gangs-they are ‘groups of young men’!'…I remember those quotes well. Now what? These ‘groups of young men’ are killing each other an terrorizing Bermuda! We should change our name from ‘Bermuda’ to ‘Denial’.
Yes, Bermudians are capable of acquiring diseases but how many Bermudians do we have venturing into slums in third-world countries unless they’re missionaries? Very few. As I said, I’m not trying to pick on these people, but we do have LOTS of people here from these countries going back and forth. I don’t discriminate between a local or a foreigner bringing a deadly disease here but BE REALISTIC-the odds are FAR GREATER of it being a foreigner and that is why I mentioned it. If you want to bury your head in the sand and be naive, that’s your choice, but I’m just calling ‘em like I see ‘em and I’ll hate to say I TOLD YOU SO if-Heaven forbid-we’re ever faced with this.
@Tired Mum: Your reaction to The Truth’s comments outweigh the message. Reading through all the comments and coming back I agree that your reaction is somewhat hysterical as are those of some others. Instead of getting so easily offended folks should listen to his (or her) points. Ernest makes very valid points as well. A lot of diseases were not eliminated simply due to vaccines. They were eliminated due to our higher levels of sanitation and hygiene. We have to remember that it’s only in recent times that handwashing became common practice-even in medical environments. It was common to handle very sick people and then go deliver a baby without washing hands in between, and then wondering why the baby died.
It was common for whole families to take baths using the same bathwater. Generations ago it was common for the man of the house to bathe first, then go down the line from the eldest to the youngest with the baby of the house being bathed last in dirty water-hence the saying ‘Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.’ You would think that it would run the opposite way with the baby being bathed first, then from the youngest to the eldest being bathed with the man (and worker) of the house, being the dirtiest, being bathed last. Also, people bathed infrequently-with months in-between bathing being the norm.
I say all that to say that when you know better, you do better. We now know things like the importance of good hygiene in eliminating disease. Some people don’t know this and many countries do not practice good hygiene habits, don’t have access to clean water, etc. thus more disease. We have countries where people bathe in the same water that animals defecate in and even drink that same water all out of pure ignorance as to the concept of bacteria, parasites, etc. Saying this is not being mean. It’s fact.
If a nurse comes to draw blood from you or a doctor performs surgery on you wearing gloves, you are not offended, are you? In fact, you would think something was very wrong if these things were done with bare hands. You wouldn’t feel insulted or slighted, you would accept it as routine practice. It is necessary to use safety precautions to avoid transmitting disease. So why are people so easily offended at The Truth’s comments as far as protecting our borders from disease? These are necessary precautions we must take and to be so easily offended and claiming prejudice is-quite frankly-extremely childish.
I don’t see where many of you have any medical qualifications or any particular special knowledge of the topic at hand. Until you are educated on such matters, perhaps it is best to keep your juvenile opinions to yourself.
One last point for ‘Tired Mum’ regarding STD’s. I don’t know what kind of people you know but if you want to stick to the facts, stick to the facts all around. What kind of statistics do you have on Bermudians returning from vacation with STD’s? Most of the people (BERMUDIANS) I know aren’t THAT promiscuous. Most Bermudians go on vacation to shop or relax with friends, families or spouses. They don’t go trolling looking for unprotected sex and catch STD’s.
From your use of the term ‘Mum’ I assume you’re British. Looking for sex on vacation is more of a European thing. Most Bermudians aren’t like that. I’m not saying that Bermudians don’t have casual sex, because they do, but most of it is with other Bermudians. I don’t know if any tests have been done on the strains of STD’s we have here, but I’m sure most of it’s ‘homegrown’ for lack of a better word. In other words, I can bet that if a Bermudian is ‘returning’ from vacation with an STD, they left Bermuda with it, too.
“Most of the people (BERMUDIANS) I know aren’t THAT promiscuous.”
Please explain the teenage birthrate in Bermuda then. The multiple kids by multiple “Baby Daddies” around the rock. If that isn’t a indication of the sexual promiscuity, I don’t know what is. Don’t even get me started on the available methods which can prevent these pregnancies which are obviously ignored.
As far as these preventable virus-bourne illnesses are concerned, there’s been a whole movement against vaccination which has left a segment of the population vulnerable to what were completely preventable illnesses. But crackpot doctors and hysterical parents have managed to re-introduce a number of childhood illnesses which were for many years virtually non-existent.
My peers all went through measles, mumps and chickenpox – we didn’t fare too badly…
I mean going on vacation and soliciting sex. I don’t know many Bermudians who do that. I said that I know that Bermudians have lots of sex with other Bermudians-i don’t deny that. My point was that I don’t believe that Bermudians are going overseas and bringing back STD’s.
The multiple ‘baby daddies’ is a whole other ballgame.
Your last sentence sums up my point. These are treatable diseases. What happens when someone brings something in here that’s not???
Having a high birth rate doesn’t mean that people are promiscuous! You have girls having sex for the first time who get pregnant. Multiple kids by multiple dads isn’t even necessarily a sign of promiscuity! A woman can have three kids by three different dads but it doesn’t mean she’s promiscuous. She may have been in a relationship with one guy at a time. There are women who marry over and over, so does that make them promiscuous?
The definition of promiscuity is: having sexual relations with a number of partners on a casual basis. So to assume that because a woman has multiple kids with multiple dads means she’s promiscuous isn’t accurate at all.
I think what you mean is more of a Maury situation where a woman is pregant and has to test ten different guys to see which is the father. If that is what you mean that is what you should have said. That happens but not a whole lot on Bermuda. Or do I have too much faith in my fellow Bermudians?
Bermudians NOT being promiscuous?!?! Are you serious??? I have two scenarios for you; a Bermudian male going to school in Canada (lots of snow bunnies) + Bermudians going to D.R.!! = a whole lotta fun and STD’s
I did not say this is not happening at all. I know that you’ve got these guys going to the D.R., Cuba and Lord know where to get their grooves on. Learn to read-I said for the most part, when Bermudians travel it is not with the specific intention of seeking out sex. Some do-MOST don’t. Most Bermudians travel for business or shopping and relaxation with the family. In any of these scenarios, the opportunity can always arise to meet someone and engage in some casual hanky-panky but for most Bermudians, they don’t leave with that intention.
I see no evidence that there is a mass importation (for lack of a better word) of STD’s because of these select few who choose to play Russian Roulette with their health. That was all besides the point, anyway. My concern is about someone catching something and spreading it to ALL of us. When we first hear about things like SARS (for example, Tire Mum-only for example)everyone is on high alert, and then we let our guards down. Well-we shouldn’t. Besides the threat of ‘natural’ diseases, we should also be concerned about things like bio-terrorism. We have Pakistani nationals going back and forth out of here, when we know that there is terrorism in Pakistan. Does anyone ever think of THAT? With our close proximity to the U.S., maybe someone should.
Look-I’m not an alarmist but Bermudians are just so shallow and naive. It’s all about clothes, drinking, concerts and having fun. Bermudians don’t open their minds and look at the bigger picture. You have countries who have committees who sit down and think about and plan for this stuff. Do we in Bermuda? That is my question.
WAKE UP, PEOPLE-it’s 2011. We live in a whole new world…
Firstly, I am Bermudian and I use the word mum, as I have lived in the U.K. so why are you assuming that Tired mum is British. Also, you need to get off your high horse, WHAT ARE YOU EVERY BERMUDIANS BEDROOM, LOOK HOW MANY BERMUDIAN MOTHERS THAT HAVE MANY BAY DADDYS, or the men that have fathered these children. Stop speaking foolishness and wake up, people are the same all around, I suggest you stop living in a bubble and read the news, India actually has the one of the best and top doctors and research facilities worldwide and are constanly reviewing dideases. I assume that you are chained to the rock and do not travel outside of your front door, you are more likely to make yourself sick by constant worry.
…and I assume that you are Indian.
To THE TRUTH,
Its very obvious you have no idea what you are talking about. You may work in the health care industry (housekeeping) but I am guessing you aren’t a Doctor. Bermudians have a very difficult time keeping commited to one partner. As for checking for diseases are you serious!?!?!?! We would be at the airport for hours getting swabbed. Building up immunity and shots is what does the trick. You are also a typical Bermudian who will say something ridiculous then get called out on it then retreat with “don’t take it so literally”. Next time think before typing and hitting send. Also i didnt know Europeans were on sex holidays, a whole bunch of black men just booked their tickets to a European holiday destination.
Do I sound like a housekeeper to you? No offense to housekeepers, but read my other comments today. I know what I’m talking about.
Bermudians have a hard time keeping committed to one partner? Yes-some but not all…that is an insult to Bermudians as a whole and I can tell that you are NOT Bermudian.
I’m not talking about diseases we can build immunity to! If you’d learn to read, I’m talking about serious diseases…like drug-resistant tuberculosis, for example. Have YOU built up an immunity to THAT? I haven’t. You MUST tell me how you did it.
You’re clearly a foreigner who I have offended and if I have, too bad.
It’s very obvious you are a foreigner getting your panties in a bunch over an innocent comment! How do you know what the truth does for a living? Housekeeping? Are you attempting to be insulting? You are the typical dirty foreigner getting mad at the facts. Check the C.I.A worldfactbook-those are FACTS. Most 3rd world countries aren’t up to date on shots, etc. Building up immunity and shots is what the truth was talking about! Take your EMOTIONS out of it and try and not be a typical idiot foreigner getting offended but CLEARLY missing the point. Then you end it was an insult towards black men!! How hypocritical and idiotic!
What dirty 3rd world nation did you come from? Racist prick. The ones on here replying to the truth I’ve NEVER seen on bernews before. I know you all aren’t Bermudians, no matter how much you lie and will claim to be. Probably a [***] Indian. You people come here and breed like rabbits and bring your filthy diseases with you. No sense of hygiene! Sorry if the truth hurts!
Bermudians have a hard time staying committed to one partner? Look, don’t start talking down Bermudians and bigging up Indians because I can bring out some more facts for you. At least we marry who we choose and don’t have arranged marriages. When we get pregnant, we take the child God gives us and are happy with a boy or a girl. We don’t have selective abortions so that we have boys as they are the preferred sex. India is even worse than China when it comes to this. Don’t be insulting Bermuda, because India has a lot of practices that aren’t kosher so don’t let me have to put India on blast.
I see nothing wrong with what Truth said. It’s a very good point. Everyone, especially Tired, has gone all hysterical instead of listening to his/her points. There are countries out there with standards aren’t up to par. That’s a fact. The people there sometimes have a natural immunity while we do not. That’s why we have to get shots when we go on vacation to certain countries. It’s not to insult these countries or say they are beneath us; it’s to protect ourselves. So I see nothing wrong with questioning how we will be protected when they come here to us possibly carrying diseases we have no immunity to.
Grow up. It’s a valid point.
It’s only mumps. Had it in university despite being immunized as a kid, nothing but a spot of nausea and a puffy neck.
Still though, I think THE TRUTH (one & only) is on to something. Let’s quarantine absolutely everyone that comes into the island for 6 weeks. That way we can ensure that the flu, common cold, AIDS, syphilis and viral hemorrhagic fevers never again touch our shores.
Let’s keep Bermuda Ebola free!
TB, on the other hand, has been here long enough to call itself more Bermudian than most people that claim the title. We’ll have to find a way to mistreat new TB while allowing the Bermudian TB to carry on like it has some sort of special privilege.
“What is the Health Dept./Immigration’s policy as far as health checks for workers coming here from countries where immunization rules are not as strict as ours?”
Do we have rules for immunization? I’m pretty sure a parent can decide not to immunize their children if they wish.
Unfortunately the article doesn’t provide any info on the age of the infected or where the infection came from.
Here is a link showing the dangers of those who choose to under-vaccinate. It high lights that as Truth said an outbreak is just a plane ride away, but contradicts his assertion that it is limited to just “Third World” countries.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/infectious-diseases/articles/2010/03/22/measles-outbreak-triggered-by-unvaccinated-child
I thought the report was on Mumps. How did we get to Ebolavirus and promiscouity? Can Mumps be caught by this manner? The simple fact could be that young mothers either don’t know or refuse to inoculate their babies for one reason or the other.
Contrary to what we’d like to believe, a LOT of Bermudians are promiscuous. We have one of the hightest rates per capita for STD,unreported AIDS carriers. It’s obvious that some of our youth sleep around; unwed mothers with children for different fathers, not to mention high divorce rates, mostly due to infidelity. “People in glass houses, should not throw stones”
We are so quick to judge the people to the South of us or Far East, when their moral values are just as good if not better, than those who live in our ‘Paradise’
I heard you get mumps by sitting on public toilet seats.
@sandgrownan ??? Toilet seats – it’s a virus! Do some research
It was an attempt a humour. A poor attempt it seems….
There is no evidence that immunization prevents the said diseases. It is known that these “shots” contain mercury, animal DNA and other things you really don’t want in your child. Further, the pathway the antigens take to enter the body generate very specific (and lifelong) antibodies. Injection through the skin will not protect one from entry of the same antigen via the eyes, ears, nose mouth etc. The entire immunization industry is a farce. These diseases dropped by up to 95% prior to vaccines even being released onto the market.
Only catching it gives lifelong immunity. Scare tactics for mild issues should be reserved for the cavemen era.
Where are you getting your information from???? NOT immunizing your child is the single surest way to threaten their health. Herd immunity only works if the whole herd is vaccinated. There is mercury, but then I suppose you don’t feed your kid any ocean fish. There is animal DNA in…well, anything we eat that comes from an animal. Until there’s a better way than NOT vaccinating my child, I’ll take my chances. And unless you’re a physician, there’s no reason in my mind to believe a thing you’ve written. Ah, let me guess- you read it on the internet. After all, if it’s on the ‘net, it must be true.
The Truth, you make some interesting assumptions which reveal some rather deep seated prejudice. If it makes you feel better to think that my arguments are refuted by criticising my assumed nationality, then don’t let the facts get in the way of your arguments.
As for The Future, please illuminate us with any evidence for your claims. Take illnesses such as small pox, meningitis and HIV (as examples of a disease eradicated by vaccination, one which causes serious morbidity and mortality, and one which has vaccines in development but is killing millions in the interim) and I would be fascinated to see how your arguments discredit the premise behind vaccination. As far as I am aware, few of the illnesses that we have vaccinations for are transmitted by inoculation through the skin, so I am intrigued to see your evidence.
1. HIV as an example is a very poor one-HIV is not caused by casual contact and can be conrolled with medication. Even if a vaccine is not discovered, many people can live their natural lifespan even with HIV.
2. There is no vaccine that prevents all forms of meningitis-so get your facts straight.
3. There’s debate about diseases such as smallpox. While I believe that the vaccine was effective, better standards of hygiene have also helped to eliminate diseases such as smallpox. When we are dealing with people who venture into areas that do not adhere to high standards of hygiene (through no fault of their own), that’s where we have a problem because the odds are greater that these people will have infectious diseases.
I am not trying to insult people from these countries. People are shooting the messenger instead of listening to the message. My point is not to attack these people and I’m not prejudiced against them. My point is how is Bermuda protecting her borders from diseases whether it’s from India or Timbuktu!
1. How is HIV a poor example? Yes, with medication, it can be controlled and people who are lucky enough to live in developed countries or who have enough money can indeed live nearly normal life spans. However, for the vast majority of those with HIV, medication is not an option, and therefore vaccination would significantly reduce the incidence of the condition and also the need for lifelong multi-drug treatment. I fail to see how this is a poor example to choose.
2. I never implied that one vaccine prevents all forms of meningitis – merely that meningitis causes significant morbidity and mortality. The facts were never crooked.
3. I remember now, smallpox was eradicated worldwide (not just in first world countries) because those people who don’t adhere to the high standards of hygiene that you are worried about were meticulous in washing their hands in the excrement-infested water that may be their only water supply. By that argument, you really don’t need to be worried about what is coming into the island – our hygiene standards are arguably higher than they have been historically, so all those diseases you are worried about will fade into the background without needing to bother with vaccination or border controls. Is that how the logic goes?
It’s not an assumption if its true. Idiot. You got offended for a reason but you will deal with it.
the Truth is probably Laverne Furbert or maybe Chris Furbert, both completely ignorant.
That’s not cool to dig at people who have nothing to do with the debate. Also remember to attack the argument not the person.
Amen, J Galt and The Truth,
Get some sort of lives and quit scare mongering. You are all caught up in your tiny little world here and have absolutely no idea what goes on outside your tiny minds and this tiny country. Yes I am a Expat who loves getting paid to do work you people wont or cant. Thanks a ton!
Galt, yes I can dig at people not in this conversation, did it and will do it again!
Of course you can dig at people not in this conversation and you can attack the person and not the idea they have put forth, I just said it wasn’t cool. Just a suggestion, if you are attempting to persuade people to your line of reasoning its better to present refutations of the ideas put forth, instead of personal attacks.
The Future:
The eradication of smallpox is proof that vaccinations work. I think to call the enitre immunization industry a farce is a bit sensational. Unvaccinated children can get away with it now because most other children are vaccinated and therefore the likelihood of being exposed to the diseases that the MMR vaccination protects against is very low. As more people choose to have their children unvaccinated there will be more outbreaks like the one described in Galt’s example.
I don’t think that making the public aware of the existence of the disease on island is scaremongering, as you suggest. I think the public would like to know so they can take precautions, especially if they have made the choice to not vaccinate.
Mercury and animal DNA are in fish, you put them in your child if you feed them a tunafish sandwich (not sure about the “other things” you speak of, maybe you could explain what that means). Some people choose not to feed their children meat, and this is a personal choice as is the choice to not vaccinate.
MMR protects against Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Three nasty diseases that can potentially kill. What is the benefit of not vaccinating? Will the child live a longer, happier and more fulfilling life? Hard to say. It is up to the parents to make the proper informed choice. The weight of evidence suggests to me that vaccinating is indeed the better choice.
Some interesting reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMR_vaccine_controversy
http://www.immunisationscotland.org.uk/vaccines-and-diseases/mmr.aspx
http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information/directory/m/mmr-vaccine
http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/News-Events/News-Archive/2010-News-archive/MMR-vaccine-controversy
Tired Mum: I presume your reference to HIV being resolved thru a vaccine is a mistake. There is neither time nor space to fully resolve the mis-education regarding vaccines. It is as if all people need to do is repeatedly say that vaccines work and supposedly they work?
I notice how Ernest doesn’t want to take on the science of antibody formation based on mode of entry into the body. The medical profession does the same. I would caution folks to understand the difference between correlation and causation. Because one thing happens and another happens following a very similar pattern, it does not mean one caused the other. Infamous studies have shown stork sightings in Nordic countries very closely track birth rates. Yet we do not conclude storks deliver babies.
The vaccines industry is a multibillion dollar industry and your child’s doctor gets a substantial portion of their bread and butter off vaccines. For a non-hysteria filled look at vaccines, I’d suggest a look at Aviva Jill Romm’s work (A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide:). There is plenty of hysteria on all sides of the vaccine camp and it isn’t warranted. With that said, when articles appear that state in a matter of fact fashion that vaccines prevent disease, it needs to be challenged.
The gold standard for evidence for any treatment is a double blind placebo controlled study. Given the huge pressures for parent’s to vaccinate their children with government support, you would be logical in thinking such a study was done on at least one vaccine.
Think again.
The eradication of smallpox has never been proven to be the result of the vaccine. How do you explain the massive downtrend before the vaccine was even invented?
How do you explain people who have the vaccine still getting the diseases they are supposed to protect them from?
Has anyone ever shown, in even a basic study that antibodies that protect from the disease form after a vaccine? Not even one study can be referenced.
And how does one explain the people with antibodies yet no vaccine?
Saying there will be an outbreak without vaccines is scaremongering, especially in the face of MILD diseases. Soap and regular baths is a more likely candidate for disease reductions (few folks seem to know as recently as 50 years ago folks in the UK would bathe only once per week).
I am curious as to what precautions the public should be taking (other than vaccination).
Mercury and animal DNA in fish cannot be compared to injecting such substances directly into the body, for more reasons that I care to elaborate on here. A local promoter of vaccines used the same fishy argument with me…and a week later a major Association in the US advised pregnant women to avoid tuna. Duh. The laws of biology and physics do not bend to wishful thinking. Mercury ingestion is a very bad idea. Mercury injection at the cellular level, especially in the young is even more hideous.
I would suggest all people avoid mercury in “foods” – but habits for some take time to break. When reason rules over emotion, society will be progressing. Until then, most lap up the marketing hype of billion dollar corporations.
You should also note it would be extremely rare for a person to contract Measles, Mumps and Rubella all at the same time. Has anyone considered the impact of injecting these into children all at the same time? The benefits of not vaccinating are numerous for those who consider the available facts and are genuinely interested. See the referenced book and others and decide for yourself.
Bearing in mind that correlation doesn’t equal causation, I would love to see anyone produce real evidence that vaccines work.
Thank you for introducing some sanity to this debate Future.
I literally felt nausea while reading some of the commentson this post.
I like your rational thought processes as opposed to the hyperbolic statements read here…
However, it is a fact that once in a while children suffer brain injuries caused by vaccines.
It is also uncertain whether or not vaccines given in quick succession overload the central nervous system and lead to sensory or other disorders.
That is why it is essential that the decision or whether or not to vaccinate should remain a personal one for the parents. There are risks either way, and it is for the parents to decide.
This data visualization puts the very small danger posed by Gardisil (a vaccine against some strains of HPV) in context. The reasoning can be applied to all childhood vaccines.
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2011/is-the-hpv-vaccine-safe-v-2-0/
If you have children, please make sure they are vaccinated.
Andrew
At least the site given carries the disclaimer that the data is “shonky” because reporting is entirely voluntary and doesn’t track cause and effect among other things. A deeper look into the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system will show that in no way can the data collated in it serve as evidence of the safety of vaccines. Further, it doesn’t in any way shape or form verify that any vaccine works.
We do know vaccines contain mercury, aluminum and other heavy metals. We do know they contain animal DNA and other nasty stuff you really don’t want injected at a cellular level. What we don’t have is a gold standard double blind placebo controlled study to determine short, mid and long term effects of vaccines, nor do we have any evidence that shows causally that they “work”.
Applying this reasoning to all childhood vaccines is valid! Know the difference between speculation and facts before you decide to vaccinate or not.
PS: it is worth noting that studies touting the safety of vaccines are almost always paid for by…you guessed it, the manufacturer.
One of the first things that happens to a new born baby is that within 48 hours of birth, it is automatically vaccinated against Hepatitis. That disease is transmitted by bodily fluids. Those at risk are men who have sex with other men, intravenous drug users, and those in close contact with high-risk people, such as health professionals. Not activities that newborn babies are often involved in. One wonders whether the business interests in selling the vaccine to every single member of the population are involved in the way that is handled.
I know the risks of vaccines are thought to be small, but they exist. It should be up to the parents to weigh the risks and the benefits.