Nurses and promoting better rates of vaccination

[jeastridge, BSN, RN]

Measles outbreak: How a decades old, fraudulent anti-vaccine study still affects public health - National | Globalnews.ca

It is disturbing how we are seeing vaccination rates dropping around the globe. This dip predicts, with frightful accuracy, a spike in childhood deaths from preventable disease. What can we do, as nurses, to turn the tide?

Edited to Add:

For a related article about this topic, See:

Vaccinations Rock! How to Get Parents to Think So

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

My problem with vaccination, is the persevative now used, various combination of thiouracil, & it neuro toxin effects on some of our population...

I wish the persevative could be some form of EDTA, etc.

On the fence

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

What we can do is to abandon that awful scripted language. And then just speak with people.

General public doesn't understand what "risks", "benefits" and so forth are. After being exposed to this language for decades, many of lay people actually feel it like lies. Same goes with expressions like "can help", "might expose", etc. We do understand what it really means; they do not.

What I find to be beneficial is visual models (for one of them, my sincerest thanks to Muno, RN) and honest, personal talk. I tell patients that my 14 years old got HPV vaccine because I remember what kind of headless idiot I was at 15 and how close I was to get this infection (as well as all other STDs in the list). Yes, it is not complete protection, and it probably doesn't last forever, but hopefully close to 30 we all get some level of wisdom. And, meanwhile, some protection is better than nothing at all.

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

What awful scripted language?

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

What awful scripted language?

"this vaccine can help prevent (disease). The disease might lead to (list of horrors). The risks of vaccine are (even worse sounding list of horrors)"

I do not tell that we need to lie and just tell people that vaccines ate 100% foolproof. But the language those pamphlets are written on is too confusing for an ordinary person reading on 4 to 6 grade level of typical US public school.

[brownbook]

My problem with vaccination, is the persevative now used, various combination of thiouracil, & it neuro toxin effects on some of our population...

I wish the persevative could be some form of EDTA, etc.

On the fence

I am so confused. Do you mean thiouracil? Or thiomersal? Both of which I Googled and vaguely, slightly, understand. Isn't thiouracil for Graves' disease? But EDTA, whaaaaat? Are you saying vaccinations should have EDTA, well.... I Googled EDTA and still don't know if or why it is even in vaccinations?

Your posting here about neuro toxin effects will only scare and confuse anybody reading this post.

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

S

I am so confused. Do you mean thiouracil? Or thiomersal? Both of which I Googled and vaguely, slightly, understand. Isn't thiouracil for Graves' disease? But EDTA, whaaaaat? Are you saying vaccinations should have EDTA, well.... I Googled EDTA and still don't know if or why it is even in vaccinations?

Your posting here about neuro toxin effects will only scare and confuse anybody reading this post.

Sorry I did not catch the mis spelling, i ment thiomersal....... EDTA is a less toxic preservative......but it is not used........

I promised when I was injured by a craany cow, laceration from hoof, very contaminated......and it had been 11 years since my last tetorifice .......I wanted that tetorifice vaccine, no matter what the preservatives were.......

[jeastridge, BSN, RN]

My problem with vaccination, is the persevative now used, various combination of thiouracil, & it neuro toxin effects on some of our population...

I wish the persevative could be some form of EDTA, etc.

On the fence

The potential for side effects is microscopic compared to the benefits for the world's entire population of children. It's another order of magnitude altogether. Joy

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

The potential for side effects is microscopic compared to the benefits for the world's entire population of children. It's another order of magnitude altogether. Joy

And this is what pushes people wrong way immediately.

They do not care for a sec about "benefits for the world's entire population". They do not even know what it means. They care for only one thing in this world - their own kid. 100%. And they do not want this 100% their kid to experience any risks for the benefit of that "population".

I told that type of moms to go back to waiting room and tell me how many kids with measles were there. Sure, mom would tell me that she did not know who was with measles and who was not - I responded, neither did I. Kids with measles look exactly like every other sneezing, coughing child - except they spread virus like fire at that time. And then I pulled out the Lego toy I made according to Muno, RNs idea about "at least 50% of cards still staying" We designated one piece as her kid, and let it fall. That usually was impressive enough.

[peripateticRN, BSN, RN]

My problem with vaccination, is the persevative now used, various combination of thiouracil, & it neuro toxin effects on some of our population...

I wish the persevative could be some form of EDTA, etc.

On the fence

THIS is the problem - uneducated 'experts' filling the minds of the public with fallacies and blatant incorrect information.

Thimerosal in Vaccines Thimerosal | Concerns | Vaccine Safety | CDC

Thimerosal is not dangerous - nor is it in childhood vaccines. I beg of people - before using your LPN/RN credential to educate the public, please get the facts!

[Buckeye.nurse]

Every now and then I take care of an elderly patient who survived childhood polio...and I say a silent thanks that my child lives in the age of vaccines.

[BeckyESRN]

My great grandmother lost the use of her legs due to polio. She died when I was 13. She was WC bound (which I must admit, I though was awesome as a little kid). I remember seeing photos of her with leg braces and crutches when she was a child. She was my favorite person. She talked very frankly about the horrors of polio and all that she went though because of it. She marveled at the fact that her grandchildren could be protected against such a disease. Society has had the privilege of living in a time where these diseases are not evident in our daily life, which is a wonderful medical advancement, but has left people unaware of the very real threat that vaccine-preventable diseases pose.