However, she is getting one at a time and she'll start school before she gets them all. So I had to go down to the Health Department to get my immunization waiver forms.
If you've ever had to do that, you can attest that the nurses, or doctors, whoever it is that administers the vaccines, are not too happy about the waivers.
I explained that I wanted to get the MMR spaced a bit for my daughter since my son developed ITP, a bleeding disorder, after the MMR shot, and there might be a genetic issue involved.
Her reaction?
I quote, "Well I don't think it was related."
Thank you very much Mrs. Johnson. You just confirmed to me what I already knew. The people administering vaccines have their blinders on.
I let her know that ITP was listed under Thrombocytopenic Purpura on the U.S. Government's own Vaccine Injury Table, and yes, it absolutely is connected causally with the MMR vaccine. This is listed in the package insert as well.
Mrs. I-administer-thousands-of-vaccinations-per-year-and-I-don't-even-know-the-side-effects had me repeat "Vaccine Injury Table" several times. She'd never heard of it, and wanted to know where I got my information. (um, that would be http://www.hrsa.gov/ you should be familiar with that one)
Sad. So the assumption is that vaccines do nothing but good, and anyone who claims their child has had a reaction is full of crap.
Well, this may be why the message is not getting to the lower ranks. Here is a partial transcript from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Board Meeting. I thought it was interesting. Some were explaining that a lot of people don't even know about the existence of the fund (Even the nurses at the county health dept apparently.) The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was created to help those who were injured by vaccines pay for their medical care. Or in cases of death, they pay a sum of up to $250,000 to the child's estate. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim, and there are a lot of restrictions. The table lists the illnesses and diseases that vaccines are known to cause. There are other issues as well that may qualify, but these are the "easy" ones to prove since there is a body of evidence supporting causation. The fund was created so that people could not sue the drug companies creating the vaccines for their injuries. The money in the fund comes from a tax on every vaccine sold.
This was one snippet of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund Board Meeting where one of the members was describing why an awareness campaign of the injury fund wouldn't be successful:
“Whether it is a national effort or a county effort, people [in this case, the nurses] talking about the importance of immunizations and saying at the same time, “oh by the way, there are adverse events. you can be injured, but you will be paid for it." It is a difficult message to put across effectively, and people in the front lines communicating don’t exactly seek us out.”
I loved the response from the board member who basically stated exactly how I feel. I'll paraphrase since it is kinda long to retype:
After every pharmaceutical commercial, you hear the disclaimers. The nasal spray that could potentially cause cancer. You can even have an adverse event from Tylenol. People will take it if they need it. "I feel that with you guys not advertising it, it is hiding the fact that people can get hurt from these vaccines. They can hurt. They can kill. But we will take care of you."
That statement right there really validated me. It frustrates me when people refuse to acknowledge or admit that vaccines, though beneficial, can sometimes cause problems. It is a slap in the face to the kids who actually did sacrifice their health, and in some cases, their lives, for the immunization program and the community heath effort. It is horribly frustrating to then deny these people any kind of condolence because of their flawed assumption that vaccinations don't cuase harm. It makes these parents feel labelled and rejected in addition to being stressed and upset about their child's injury.
Most concerning is that when a health professional refuses to admit that some conditions are caused by vaccines, they don't report them. And when they don't report them, we don't have proper statistics and the doctors who analyze the program and make changes as necessary can't effectively do their jobs. It was nice to read the transcript, because it reaffirmed to me that these people creating these programs are a diverse group of good people who care. However, I think people do tend to have a bias when it comes to their jobs. They want to feel important, and like what they are doing is right and good. And I think sometimes, they ignore problems that threaten that feeling. Hence the reason Miles's pediatrician did not want to admit that he developed a problem from his immunization, despite all the evidence lining up.
A few things that would help me not feel a pit in my stomach every time one of my kids gets a vaccination:
1. More awareness by professionals administering the vaccines so they can tell parents what to look for so the children aren't put in dangerous situations. In Miles's case, he had extremely low platelets for several days before being diagnosed. I had no idea that bruising signified a reaction to an immunization or a bleeding disorder. So when Miles tripped on a stair I gave him a kiss and helped him up. Only later did I find the huge hematoma on his head. With his platelets as low as they were, brain bleeds are a big concern and that was pretty dangerous for me to be unaware that a fall like that could kill him. I would have liked to have a heads up to bring him in he develops unusual bruising.
2. I would love to see better literature that isn't biased regarding the harm that vaccines can do. I think parents ought to make an informed decision, and downplaying the risks isn't allowing them to do that. Most of us will still choose to vaccinate. But I don't think information should be withheld to induce people to vaccinate, and I've seen that happening over and over again. I like to know both sides of everything so that I can make a solid choice. I hate that there are people out there that seek to make a choice for me by offering information that isn't the whole truth.
3. Better reporting of adverse events would make me a lot more comfortable. I think a doctor reporting an adverse event holds more weight, and should be mandatory when any patient develops a condition that COULD have been caused by a vaccine. Vaccines are tested on relatively small populations and often the true side effects are unnoticed until millions of kids are vaccinated. If a child develops ITP, Encephalopathy, arthritis, brachial neuritis, or any other condition listed on the vaccine injury table within a specific timeframe, I think the pediatrician should be required to report it. But I think other injuries that are suspected to be vaccine caused or related should also get reported so that if there are enough complaints, someone can start an investigation, research study, etc.
4. Long term research proving that vaccines are safe, not just in the few days following vaccination, but in the months and years to come. There is a huge need for studies that actually follow vaccinated and unvaccinated kids through the years. What are the rates of disease in general? Do the vaccinated kids have higher rates of autoimmune problems? Could vaccines be eliminating one disease, and causing other chronic diseases? I'd like there to be more follow-up. While we feel so relieved that vaccines have eradicated many diseases, I'd like more information on the causes of the auto-immune disorders that have skyrocketed.
I doubt I'll ever not feel totally at ease when getting my kids vaccinated. There will always be risks involved. But I do appreciate the role that vaccines have played in helping to eliminate disease worldwide and want to see continued safety and improvement of the program. Seeing the risks minimized would be reassuring.
