[mcmama]

When I was a kid, I had all the "childhood diseases". As a result of a bad case of measles, I am severely nearsighted. I have always thought that immunizations that can save children and adults from the complications of these illnesses is a good thing.
Recently, I have noticed that more people I know have autistic children, and there appears to be a relationship between immunizations and increased autism. Do you know anything about this?
Should we immunize for public health despite the risks to some individuals? Have you decided to not immunize your kids, and if so, what have the consequences been?

[cocotbo]

I haven’t really considered autism although I do know that links between immunizations and autism have been found. I’ve given my son all of the current immunizations except one – Influenza. Here is my reasoning for that:
I have always reacted very badly to the Flu vaccine. Every year that I received it, I got sick within days after receiving it. It wasn’t just some sniffles and a little cough either. It was always a full blown flu that kept me sick and miserable for about 2 weeks. Since I’ve stopped getting the flu vaccine, I’ve managed to stay much healthier and avoid those wretched annual episodes. Knowing this and knowing that my son doesn’t have contact with other kids, I’ve decided to not give him that vaccine this year. I’ll reconsider this decision every year but this year, it is the best decision for us.

[mcmama]

This is why I don't have the flu vaccine either - when I did child care I got it, but I always got really horribly sick anyway. But let me tell you, I would hate to live in a world where people were not immunized for measles, mumps, rubella, smallpox, whooping cough, pertussis, diptheria, etc. My friend who has an autistic child says that there is mercury in some vaccines - that there is a trace amount of mercury in the preservative which is supposed to have the effect on some people. I wondered who knows about that, and also, if you choose to not have your children immunized, how does it affect going to school, camps, etc.?

[FarrisMom2]

My husband works with a man that has a 19 year old son with autism. When he was 18months old he got an immunization and it had to much murcery in it and that is what caused it. Now they have fixed that and it immunizations are not liked to autism as much.
I also have a friend who's 6 year old has autism and it had nothing to do with the immunizations.
I feel that with any shot you have a risk of something happening you just take chances with that. My daughter did not get a flu shot this year, but the school system her in Tennessee gave all the kids flu mist for free, so we tried it. We are not fans of the flu shot. Me, my husband or my 2 year old did not get the shot.

[oweirdo]

We were all to get the flu shot this year. Courtney got hers, none of the rest of us did. Court had to have one.