Most of us older kids in my family had measles, mumps, rubella but not whooping cough (fortunately). I don’t believe I’ve ever had the vaccine because we already had all those “childhood” illnesses before there were vaccines. Our kids had chickenpox before there was any vaccine too. Vaccines are definitely safer for most than getting these conditions and playing Russian roulette.
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I think we had the vaccines (not in the US) separately rather than MMR. I am sure we had measles vaccinations but my brother got mumps when he was little (maybe 3 or 4), and I remember they had a nurse coming round to the school in i think 7th or 8th grade to vaccinate all the girls against rubella…. We all lined up and got jabbed. I think that was a public health initiative that got done in all schools.
When we immigrated to the US, the doctor said we adults technically didn’t need MMR* but he suggested it would be a good idea (it was a while ago so I don’t recall exactly what he said but i think combination of possible immunity fading and some outbreaks) , and I’m glad we did it.
*vaccination requirements for immigrants. As an aside, wonder what will happen with those …
Oh, on chicken pox. My husband and I both had it as kids and when D19 was of varicella vax age (I forget what that is now) back where we were it was recommended but not strongly. We were nearly going to go with “well it wasn’t such a bad illness to get”… when my husband got (at a relatively young age) shingles. Two days in to that and he was in agony - even though the doc said it was a relatively mild case - and we vax’d D19 to prevent that happening later in her life.
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Perhaps also due to the possibility of having gotten a less effective vaccine.
Apparently, immunity from mumps tends to fade more so than immunity from measles or rubella.
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Yup. I had it as an adult about a year before they FINALLLY approved the vaccine for the US. I had a boss who made me go measure a room in a house where the kids were sick. I never saw the kids, but obviously their germs were flying around. I was sick as a dog and then my kid got sick too. I ended up missing several weeks of work which my boss definitely deserved!
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My brother was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes not long after having two of the childhood diseases at once (can’t remember which two anymore, but measles was one of the two) - the doctor said that the stress flipped his genetic switch to “on.” Vaccines are so important.
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Measles outbreaks tend to happen, in my opinion, in areas where there are lower rates of vaccination. So it’s happened many times in certain areas of CA, for example. Or you might see a measles outbreak in an area where there are a lot of unvaccinated immigrant workers from Mexico, Central & South America. Or other areas where there are pockets of upper middle class-to-upper class socioeconomic groups of people who are anti-vaccinations.
I work for a healthcare company and when the COVID vaccine became available, continued employment at my place of work required getting such a vaccine. There was 1 person in our part of the company who refused to get vaccinated, so his employment was terminated by the company. He went from having a pretty good job to now…he works at a convenience store.
In my case, I chose to get vaccinated because:
- my husband & I have 2 kids to support. Those kids need us.
- I didn’t want to die of COVID.
- my husband is diabetic, so keeping him healthy is important, too.
I think it’s something where each person & family has to decide for themselves. There are consequences to any decision. And you need to weigh the pros & cons of your decision before you make it.
Since getting the COVID vaccine, I have tinnitus pretty much all of the time. I had temporary tinnitus reaction right after getting the COVID vaccine, but it went away for about a year. It’s ok though. I’m here and not 6’ under in a grave like millions of other people who died from the pandemic.
However, a mom friend of mine stopped talking to me over the COVID vaccine topic. I learned quickly that she was vehemently opposed to any vaccinations whatsoever, thought that it’s injecting poison into you, and she was quite vocal in chastising me, called me brainwashed and other passionately-worded vitriol. She was really rude, preachy, and couldn’t respect another person’s choice. After all, at the time, she & I no longer even lived in the same metro area. So what was the big deal if I got vaccinated and she & her family chose not to? You do you.
Ironically, when her eldest graduated from high school, he wanted to join the military. You know what happens when you join the military? You get vaccinated for everything. She was horrified. 
Uh…ok.
When my 11th grader was in kindergarten, I got pneumonia bad enough that I was in the hospital for 5 days. And was on supplemental oxygen for 3 weeks after that. It was hell. I get a pneumonia vaccine ever 5 yr since then. Don’t want to ever go through that misery if I can help it.
Down the road, if/when either of my kids choose to have children, if my kid(s) need us to get booster shots of any vaccines, DH & I 100% will do that.
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You mean Marin County, where certain private schools had very low MMR vaccination rates before the state stopped non-medical exemptions? However, it seems that seeing people suffer and die of COVID-19 changed their minds, since that county had very high COVID-19 vaccination rates in the initial round of vaccines.
Interesting… I know someone who got tinnitus after getting COVID-19 (the actual disease, not the vaccine).
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There’s multiple areas in CA that have had measles outbreaks…not just Marin County. Southern CA, too.
most of those are transmission by travelers thru major international airports.
fwiw: Marin County had a private school or two that had many anti-vax parents, so that wealthy County itself had a lot vax rate. Then the measles outbreak hit in 2014(?) at Disneyland, closing it down. Marin county had a huge outbreak shortly thereafter. The State Legislature did its research and passed a new vax law for school attendance, no non-medical exceptions. (CA used to allow religious and “personal” exemptions to the state vax policy.). Ten years later, Marin County now has one of the highest vax rates in teh state.
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I don’t think ‘you do you’ is ok when it’s a question of public health. That’s one of the important functions of government. There is room for exceptions for medical reasons.
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Welcome to the new normal
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Yep.
“We are very concerned for people in Louisiana who have historically depended on vaccination drives to get easily accessible vaccines that are no longer going to be available,” Herricks said.
In liberal New Orleans, the city council passed a resolution Thursday vowing to continue supporting vaccination efforts.
The city’s Health Department Director Jennifer Avegno said state-supported efforts have led thousands of people to receive vaccines in the past. However, she anticipates vaccination rates for preventable diseases will drop due to the state’s new policy and misinformation promoted by the surgeon general’s letter. She pointed out that vaccines are most effective when they are widespread.”
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I have known for several weeks that I need a tetanus booster (that’s typically every 10 yrs) but hadn’t gotten around to that. Better believe me I had it done today. Once they are not required by schools, insurance is likely to decide to not cover, which starts a downward spiral of supply/demand. May we live in interesting times, indeed.
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absolutely, and not sure anyone has posted to teh contrary.
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Just didn’t want to make a statement people could poke holes in
those are unrelated. The feds are teh ones that decide on what preventive stuff is covered by insurance in full. (yes, the current Admin can bring pressure to change the list, but that is not connected to what states may or may not do.)
Penny wise, pound foolish. But, elections have consequences and the voters of LA put those folks in charge.
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I thought insurance coverage of vaccines was based on the idea that prevention is much cheaper than treating the illness.
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It appears that a lot of insurance coverage depends on what Medicare covers (especially for those of us who are older). If Medicare doesn’t cover it, many insurers figure they no longer have to cover as well and stop providing coverage.
Also, the government can take specific vaccines off recommended list and if they aren’t recommended by CDC or other orgs, insurers no longer need to provide coverage. That was the rationale my insurer used for not covering Shingles vaccine originally when I was only 50. CDC didn’t move the age down to 50 until after I had received vaccine and I paid out of pocket (but sadly that would be a hardship for many families and individuals).
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