New back-to-school worry: Unvaccinated classmates

[wtbcrna]

"A growing number of children aren't getting required vaccinations for non-medical reasons. What will this new reality bring this school year?

As parents send their children back to school, some are grappling with a new worry: whether their children's classmates have received all their vaccinations.

An outbreak of measles in Texas this week shows why their concern is not without reason. Twenty-one people linked to a megachurch and its congregation have contracted the highly contagious disease, and the case has put a spotlight on falling vaccination rates in the U.S.

Measles was eradicated in the U.S. as of 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but outbreaks like the one in Texas are increasing, as is the percentage of parents choosing not to immunize their children, which has seen an uptick in recent years. Usually, the CDC expects to see 60 cases of measles per year, but there have been 135 cases of measles so far in 2013, and in 2011, more than 220 people were diagnosed with the disease.

This latest outbreak follows a rash of recent measles cases among New York's Orthodox Jewish population and an outbreak in San Diego in 2008."

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/new-back-to-school-worry-unvaccinated-classmates

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Vaccines: Vac-Gen/Some Misconceptions

Vaccine Facts and Myths | Texas Children' s Hospital

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Okay, will reopen this thread with a friendly staff reminder: stay on topic, be polite and respectful. Thanks

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Where are all these schools that just allow unvaccinated children to attend? One of my current patients is not up to date with her vaccines because she is less than 6 months post auto stem cell transplant and the school will not allow her to attend without a medical waiver. In my state there is technically an exception to vaccination requirements for religious beliefs but, in my experience, most people who choose not to vaccinate their children do not do so because of religion but because of misinformation (mainly the belief that vaccines cause autism).

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

this is exactly how old, new pandemics are going to re-start and our kids will be dying from things like polio again, next thing you know USA will become a 3rd world country, and be importing vaccines from China. Vaccines have been proven safe people. Get your kids vaccinated!

[prmenrs, RN]

I don't think we should get medical advice from movie stars or other celebrities, many of whom have absolutely NO background in science if they even went to college.

In practice, we hear "evidence based practice" all the time. I believe that goes for vaccinations, too. As a nurse, you can opt out of vaccinations (e.g. flu), but don't get upset if the facility @ which you work says you may not work there anymore.

If you are rabidly anti-vaccine, don't go into nursing. I'm just saying...

[toonsis]

There is no excuse or reason to risk other children's lives. For whatever reason you don't want to vaccinate you child then home school them. I can't imagine why skipping certain vaccines is even an option in schools, parks, or day cares. Your ignorance should not be a reason any child should get sick and potentially die.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Legitimate vaccine information: Knowledge + disease prevention

Welcome to the Vaccine Education Center | The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Vaccine Information Center

[roxalot]

There is no excuse or reason to risk other children's lives. For whatever reason you don't want to vaccinate you child then home school them. I can't imagine why skipping certain vaccines is even an option in schools parks, or day cares. Your ignorance should not be a reason any child should get sick and potentially die.[/quote']

I'm just playing devils advocate here....Why are the parents of vaccinated kids worried about the unvaccinated kids? If the "other children" are vaccinated, aren't they protected?? So according to the way the science says vaccinations work why the need to homeschool unvaccinated kids? Vaccinated kids are supposed to be safe from whatever they are vaccinated with.

[LoveNeverDies]

Well first off I would like to say that most of the children in my family are not vaccinated against anything. I was vaccinated for certain diseases (MMR, Hep C, etc.) but never things like tetnus/chickenpox/guardacil/or the flu. I think I had 7 needed vaccines for school. However, most of my family is strict vegan and live very naturalistic lifestyles. I do not think most of them follow the autism issue, they just do not do it. I would say all of them mark Religious on the form, instead of explaining themselves. I have never had a flu shot in my life and thankfully have never had the flu. I may, or may not get the flu shot while working in the hospital (most of the hospitals near me do not mandate) but if I do not, I do not see the big deal in wearing a mask. I think if you are making choices for yourself, you are still obligated to keep your patients as safe as you can. I understand vaccines and think they serve a very useful purpose, but I still stand by thinking *some* vaccines are unnecessary.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I'm just playing devils advocate here....Why are the parents of vaccinated kids worried about the unvaccinated kids? If the "other children" are vaccinated, aren't they protected?? So according to the way the science says vaccinations work why the need to homeschool unvaccinated kids? Vaccinated kids are supposed to be safe from whatever they are vaccinated with.

The same reason a car has air bags and seat belts both have a high probability of preventing injury but together there is better chance that injuries are avoided.

"MISCONCEPTION #2. The majority of people who get disease have been vaccinated.

This is another argument frequently found in anti-vaccine literature - the implication being that this proves vaccines are not effective. In fact it is true that in an outbreak those who have been vaccinated often outnumber those who have not - even with vaccines such as measles, which we know to be about 98% effective when used as recommended.

This is explained by two factors. No vaccine is 100% effective. Most routine childhood vaccines are effective for 85% to 95% of recipients. For reasons related to the individual, some will not develop immunity. The second fact is that in a country such as the United States the people who have been vaccinated vastly outnumber those who have not. Here's a hypothetical example of how these two factors work together.

In a high school of 1,000 students, none has ever had measles. All but 5 of the students have had two doses of measles vaccine, and so are fully immunized. The entire student body is exposed to measles, and every susceptible student becomes infected. The 5 unvaccinated students will be infected, of course. But of the 995 who have been vaccinated, we would expect several not to respond to the vaccine. The efficacy rate for two doses of measles vaccine can be higher than 99%. In this class, 7 students do not respond, and they, too, become infected. Therefore 7 of 12, or about 58%, of the cases occur in students who have been fully vaccinated.

As you can see, this doesn't prove the vaccine didn't work - only that most of the children in the class had been vaccinated, so those who were vaccinated and did not respond outnumbered those who had not been vaccinated. Looking at it another way, 100% of the children who had not been vaccinated got measles, compared with less than 1% of those who had been vaccinated. Measles vaccine protected most of the class; if nobody in the class had been vaccinated, there would probably have been 1,000 cases of measles."

Vaccines: Vac-Gen/Some Misconceptions

[roxalot]

I know first hand vaccines aren't 100% effective. My son had both doses of Varicella and still got chicken pox.

I just wanted to see what response was for to the question because my chiropractor husband refuses to let me vaccinate our daughter (my son was vaccinated, he is from a previous marriage) from 'evidence' he learned in school. I haven't been able to budge him on this topic.

And if the measles were to be at the school somehow anyway, and 100% were vaccinated some still would end up with measles. This will be my husbands argument.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Well first off I would like to say that most of the children in my family are not vaccinated against anything. I was vaccinated for certain diseases (MMR, Hep C, etc.) but never things like tetnus/chickenpox/guardacil/or the flu. I think I had 7 needed vaccines for school. However, most of my family is strict vegan and live very naturalistic lifestyles. I do not think most of them follow the autism issue, they just do not do it. I would say all of them mark Religious on the form, instead of explaining themselves. I have never had a flu shot in my life and thankfully have never had the flu. I may, or may not get the flu shot while working in the hospital (most of the hospitals near me do not mandate) but if I do not, I do not see the big deal in wearing a mask. I think if you are making choices for yourself, you are still obligated to keep your patients as safe as you can. I understand vaccines and think they serve a very useful purpose, but I still stand by thinking *some* vaccines are unnecessary.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not vaccinating and advocating non-vaccinations especially when working in healthcare is a danger to yourself and every patient. The old and young are extremely vulnerable and just because someone does not become symptomatic that does not mean they are not a carrier especially if they are around a large segment of close contacts that are unvaccinated.

I encourage you to post any scientific peer-reviewed research stating that some or any vaccine is not necessary that is routinely used in the United States.