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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Dallas encourages parents and guardians to get their children immunized

by PegNews wire

Immunizations: Just a legal method of child torture.

New vaccine requirements for Texas school children are effective Aug. 1, and the City of Dallas is strongly encouraging parents and guardians to get their children immunized. All students must be current on their vaccines and meet new state requirements before enrolling for the next school year.

“The current swine flu situation reinforces the importance of vaccines in providing protection against diseases where a vaccine already exists,” said City of Dallas Public Health Manager Mary Boyd. “Not following the immunization schedule puts the child at risk for a preventable disease.”

The City’s Public Health Department is encouraging parents not to wait until the last minute to have their children immunized. Immunization clinics across the City provide shots on a walk-in basis, at a cost of just $3 per person. They emphasize that no one will be denied service based on their ability to pay. The low-cost clinics are located at Janie C. Turner Recreation Center, John West Health Center, North Dallas Health Center, Oak Cliff Health Center and the West Dallas Health Center.

The Executive Commissioner on Health and Human Services approved revisions to the Immunization Requirements for Children and Students in Texas Public and Private Schools on March 5. The changes update Texas elementary and secondary school immunization requirements to match the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new vaccine school requirement for the specific school year and grades can be found at www.immunizetexas.com.

For more information about Dallas locations providing immunization services call 3-1-1 or visit www.dallascityhall.com.

Source: City of Dallas

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Verified User
Anonymous

But didn't you hear? Celebrities (who are obviously more qualified than doctors) say that immunization shots contain Liquid Autism that'll instantly turn your child from a healthy all-American superachiever into some sort of basement dwelling android (who is curiously resistant to 18th century diseases...)

Pavel Lishin Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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I got all of my shots and I turned out just fine!

Jesus Valadez Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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Guys - I know a family with one of these kids.

One month he's on video walking just fine. Next month - post shot - he's unable to walk and on his way to being a textbook case of Asperger Syndrome lo these several years later.

Not proven, but not pretty.

It may have been a faulty lot of the serum. Maybe not. Any ideas how to test QA on that stuff from the lowly consumer level?

Jason Rice Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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My brothers and I survived measles, mumps, and rubella as children; there weren't vaccines for these diseases. We turned out fine. Sometimes you just have to weigh risk vs. benefit. I had my children vaccinated for the contagious diseases but don't think I'd consider a parent who decides to hold off to be neglectful. In some cases, there could be a genetic component that interacts with the vaccines. In other cases, it is the timing or combining of vaccines that causes serious side effects.

Some of the required vaccines have a very low risk of exposure especially for children and are not, imo, adequately tested. For example, Hep B is given to newborns before they leave the hospital and is a suspect in MS and other autoimmune disease. Even the NIH acknowledges this yet still recommends the vaccine. And guess what! By the state making it required, the manufacturers get protection from lawsuits by families harmed by their product.

momzilla Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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There's always the other option: Put your kids in sealed plastic bubbles like they do in the park cities, frisco and southlake ;)

Chris Kidd Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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Or by waiting a little longer and giving the vaccines one at a time, spaced apart, you might add somewhat to the safety.

Some families are doing this. The thing is that the way the state does those exemption forms, the statistics don't indicate whether children in a zip code have NO vaccinations or for whatever reason are only missing one or two of them.

I hope those Southlake, etc. moms are checking to see whether the illegal immigrants they are hiring as nannies and gardeners are vaccinated. They may have invited a carrier inside the bubble.

momzilla Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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"My brothers and I survived measles, mumps, and rubella as children; there weren't vaccines for these diseases."

me too and chicken pox too. Not saying it was fun, but, I don't think the state needs to be requiring the vaccinations. Let the parents decide....

Tracy Yost Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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Excellent - another crazies thread! Anybody enjoying their polio or smallpox lately?

DC Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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Did you miss the part where I said that I had my children vaccinated except for the Hep B? My point was that to say "I was vaccinated and turned out fine" is no more valid than to say, "I had the disease and turned out fine."

I don't even have a problem with the state requiring them for legitimately contagious disease provided that parents can opt out. In the case of a disease outbreak, children who have the waivers can be forbidden to attend school. But the lazy or neglectful parents will be more inclined to allow the school nurse to go ahead and vaccinate the kid. There's some actual effort involved in getting the document for the waiver.

Because my oldest had an allergic reaction to one of his infant vaccines, I preferred to have his pediatrician do them. He gave individual vaccinations on a different schedule because of the history of allergy and because the first vaccine was a combo so we didn't know what caused the reaction. To be on the safe side, we did the girls the same way.

So unless you've been in the ER with an infant turning blue, I don't think you're qualified to call cautious parents "crazies." And because of MY experience, I'm disinclined to judge other parents caution relating to other side effects.

momzilla Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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You know who usually knows everything about hospitals and child rearing?

Thankfully the uninvolved.

Jason Rice Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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JR, apparently your principle could probably be better applied to immunology and epidemiology.

DC Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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And yours to mental health and courtesy.

Jason Rice Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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Uhhh, what principle? That the anti-vaccine train is kind of on the crazy track? True, true.

DC Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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Your principle of expertise via condescension.

Tell ya what. I'll give the phone number of a busy single mom with a special needs kid that can quite possibly be traced to this - and thought so years ago.

You can explain to her she is just overreacting to pop-culture - but expect to be on hold a few times.

I agree hysteria is a guaranteed money-maker, but dismissing a parent's concern will get you thrown in an Asplundh machine in about 3 ms.

Jason Rice Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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Jason: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-...

An interesting article which examines recent court cases relating to autism and the MMR. Although, I suppose that the sanity of any of the Kennedy's could be debated.

momzilla Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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You know, JR, if you think the thought of a couple of octogenarians trying to push me in to some kind of machine I've never heard of is going to convince me to accept a couple of anecdotes over the best available evidence, you're welcome to come over and try it out in person.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/docu...