Damned if You Do and Damned if You Don't: The great vaccination debate.

photo courtesy of getbetterhealth.com

Babe just had her first vaccinations last week. So what? you ask. Well, she was getting her two month vaccinations at the time she should have been getting her four month vaccinations. Why? Because it took me an extra two months to come to a decision about her shots. Really, I haven’t made up my mind yet but I had to at least decide yes or no on the first round of shots. Now I have another two months to toss and turn over the next round.

It’s a tough decision, one I don’t take lightly and one that wasn’t made easily. I had an entire pregnancy and the first two months of Babe’s life to decide and for me that still wasn’t enough time. I needed two extra months and I still felt rushed. Rushed by what friends were doing with their babies, rushed by what the health nurses were preaching, rushed by my own mother’s warnings and especially rushed by a local outbreak of Pertussis.

In trying to educate myself I sought out many different sources. I read The Vaccine Book: Making The Right Decision For Your Child by Dr. Robert W. Sears and I thought it was surprisingly well-balanced and had a lot of good points. So I was feeling pretty confident in my decision to space out the many vaccines over an extended period of time. That was until the local health nurses told me that Dr. Sears’ research is flawed and that much of what he says in the book is incorrect or misleading. Sure enough, if you search online you can find a lot of sources questioning his book. Of course you can also find a lot of people who are following his vaccination schedule and many of the naysayers are the medical community - which supports vaccination. Here is a link to an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics which raises concerns about Dr. Bob's book.

When I called in a panic to cancel Babe's original vaccination appointment the nurse, who was polite yet clearly irritated at addressing this issue for the umpteenth time, told me I should instead read Your Child's Best Shot by Dr. Ronald Gold. I grabbed it from the library but I didn't find it very helpful. First of all, it's published by the Canadian Pediatric Society so its going to be biased. Second the book isn't so much about the risks and benefits of vaccines as much as it is just about the different diseases and how the vaccines work. I was more interested in learning about the ingredients and the possible side effects.

But finding what I as a journalist would consider an unbiased, reliable source for the anti-vaccination side of the debate is a tough thing to do. Trying to wade through a pile of information online is never easy and with an issue as contentious as pediatric vaccination it is especially difficult to find reputable sources.

There is a new documentary out called The Greater Good which I desperately want to see but can't seem to get a hold of. It used to be available for free viewing online, but not anymore. It's not on YouTube and we have tried a few times now to download it with no success. As soon as I find out where to get it I'll update this post and if anyone knows where it can be found please post in the comments section. Until then here is the trailer:

Of course I watched this trailer the night before Babe's appointment and immediately broke down in tears and then spent half the night laying beside her in bed picturing morbid images like tiny little baby coffins.

Coming to a decision on the issue, even a temporary and tentative decision comes with very permanent consequences. For better or for worse Babe now has the vaccinations in her little body. While I remain very concerned about the safety of the vaccinations and the sources and legitimacy of the studies that claim they are safe I have to admit that I feel very grateful to live in a country that allows me the choice. Too many millions of people don't vaccinate their children not because they have opted out but because they can't get their hands on the stuff. It was photographs and news stories of people lining up by the hundreds with sick children in their arms desperate to get a shot that helped make my decision. Actually I have seen first hand the damage that can be done by simple diseases that have been left untreated due to poverty.

Because we have basically eliminated many of these previously common illnesses we often see the vaccines as the danger because we no longer see the devastating results of the actual illnesses.

My trust in my doctor also helped me decide to take Babe in for her shots. I put my health and now the health of my baby in my doctor's hands and I believe that she wouldn't knowingly mislead me or keep pertinent information from me. I believe that she felt well-informed when she chose to vaccinate her own precious babies. While I am skeptical about the accuracy of the vaccination information and study results that the doctors are given, at some point I have to trust in someone more knowledgeable than me on the issue. That is what we journalists do - seek out experts to inform us.

It was also a relief of sorts to learn that the link between vaccines and Autism has been proven false. Although as with any medication I'm sure over time many of the current ingredients in the vaccines will prove to be toxic in one form or another.

Here are some interesting articles on vaccination and autism:

About.com special children. There is also a link to a couple blogs about autism.

CBC News: Autism-vaccine study retracted.

Ontario Adult Autism. This site has a ton of links to other articles as well including this one which links to even more articles.

Science-Based Medicine article exploring two possible reasons for the increase in Autism diagnoses.

A site supporting Dr. Andrew Wakefield (whose research claims a link between vaccination and Autism).

A Globe and Mail article about Wakefield's flawed research. One of thousands of similar articles about his allegedly bogus findings.

Here are some interesting articles on the preservative Thimerosal (one of the most controversial ingredients in vaccines):

The Public Health Agency of Canada's Q&A on Thimerosal in vaccines and Autism.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) 2007 statement on Thimerosal.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thimerosal.

A 2007 article about Thimerosal in The New England Journal of Medicine.

*Note that the message on Thimerosal in these articles is basically 'yes it's safe but we're going to try to remove it anyway.' mm hmm.

I could go on forever but with my own little baby who never wants to sleep, I simply don't have the time for the kind of in-depth research I would like to do on this topic - which is a big part of my concern.

So I asked some of my friends with kids if they vaccinated or not. Here are some of the replies I got:

• Yes. Because a ton of idiot parents haven't and now there are measles/rubella breakouts in BC. Anyone who says not to vaccinate your kids is a dipshit in my opinion. You do everything to protect your child why would you ever put them at risk for small pox or polio? Impoverished people around the world would kill for those vaccines.
• No. Shitload of research against it. My doctor in Vancouver didn't vaccinate her second child and did 5 years of research. I can send you some of the research if you want. Haven't regretted it yet and my kids get less sick then others.
• Yes. We did after consulting with 3 different health pros (from drs to...you name it). Came down to a personal judgement call and we just found more evidence for it then not.
• Yes, most of them. My son also gets pneumonia shot every year. He has a heart defect...it is important for him not to get really sick. Immunizations are important to prevent cluster diseases. I did NOT immunize my daughter for HPV in grade 9. That immunization had no double-blind tests before it was released...it was pushed out very quickly. 40 girls in one year in North America died shortly after receiving it.
• Yes. And shit, that reminds me I need to take him in for his 18 month shots this week! (thanks!). The reason I did is because I didn't want him to get polio or some other disease that could be prevented. I know there is a lot of controversy out there about whether to vaccinate or not, but I feel it's worth the risk.
• No. Agree with the theory but don't like the shelf-life chemicals. Fear of autism. Worst decision ever and even though you have to make it, you're fucked either way.
• Yes they got the shots. I don't want them to get Polio or any old school disease that is preventable.
• Yes. I did my own research at UBC library. I decided the benefits far out weighed the risks. That said I advocate for high vitamin D to keep my family healthy. Also if I had a daughter I would not vaccinate for HPV.
• No, I didn't vaccinate them. Their dad didn't believe in it. I regret it though. My ex thinks that their bodies are strong enough to fight off illness on their own. Disease exists, and so does some of their cures. So, if we have access to things that can help our babies, why not use them?
• Yes I did vaccinate them.. 1. Because I was when I was young 2. I believe it helps prevent them from getting illness's. 3. I was just told it was the right thing to do and I have heard of kids who haven't gotten them and have gotten really sick from illness's that the vaccinations help prevent.

So Babe ended up getting her first round of vaccinations. As I said earlier I panicked the night before and I was a nervous wreck all the next day while we waited for the appointment. I peppered the nurse with questions about the vaccine and the possible side effects. I probably came across as suspicious and defensive because she picked up on that right away and for the first little while seemed irritated and defensive herself - as if she felt I was accusing her of personally trying to injure my baby. But as I began to cry she seemed to soften and realize that I was just really scared. I finally signed off on the vaccinations choosing to forgo only one (which I decided was unnecessary).

Babe only cried for a minute and it was over and done. Her little legs - dotted with band aids were dressed again and we walked back home. Babe then napped on my chest, her upset already forgotten. And I cried again. Being a mommy is hard.

Hopefully by the time the next round of shots are due I will have a more clear idea of where I stand on the issue. However draining and upsetting this choice has been I have to reiterate that I am extreamly thankful to have been given the choice. We are so lucky to live in a country where we have access to life-saving treatments, medications and procedures. And even more lucky that we have the ability to publicly voice our opinions about them without fear of persecution.