No vaccines? No school. Huh?

[Pookie]

I'm sorry, but this REALLY bugs me.  http://www.dailymail.com/News/201201190170
I know it's considered a public health issue, but honestly, to refuse to let kids go to school unless they've had all these vaccines?  I've also read about some pediatricians refuse to see patients that aren't up-to-date on their shots, either, because they share the waiting room with other children.

Maybe I'm nuts, maybe I'm weird, (okay, probably both) but this just BOTHERS me.  It seems like extortion, IMO.

Ok, rant over.

[CarnivorousCritter]

No you're definately NOT!!

OMG I was telling somebody just not too long ago (maybe posted it somewhere here?) about all the stores pushing vaccines in my area   Signs for them everywhere!  

And it's getting worse!  Went to pick up a Prescription 2 weeks ago and was asked about it as I was paying   just like in every Dept Store where they want you to open an account with them & offer the 10% discount on today's purchases if you do.  
I told them I never GET the Flu except for one year after they gave out the shots @  my work so never again!

Something is deninately up!!  

ETA
tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and meningitis?    Only time I ever had to get Tetanus was when something bit me. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?

How did we survive sooooo long growing up in the '70s & '80s (& before....)

[Lola]

I have no plans for the flu shot. 

I've gotten a tetanus shot a few times.  To me, the shot was no big deal, so I don't have a problem waiting until I actually need it.  My kids had to have tetanus shot to play sports in school. 

Where I live, kids have to have certain shots...or no school.  It has been that way for as long as I can remember.  There are more shots required now...then when I was a kid.  Couldn't tell you if that is a good or bad thing.

Also, where I live, shots are "pushed" a lot because so many parents don't keep up... and then are ticked when their child is denied entrance to school.  Schools are trying to get the word out, before class starts.

Another reason...schools are paid per kid in attendance. 

This won't sound very nice, but I think the all the shot info out there is just another way the schools have to babysit parents.  School isn't just about Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic anymore. 

[Pookie]

I was due for my tetanus 1 or 2 years ago, and found out from my healthfood store owner, who is a registered nurse, that if you're in an accident and brought into the ER, you automatically get a tetanus shot because they don't know when you had your last one.  I was shocked.    Like your body/immune system doesn't have enough to deal with at that time?  So I didn't bother to get re-vaccinated.

I can't help but wonder what the long-term health effects of all these vaccines will be, esp. since the link probably won't be obvious (like a sarcoma at the injection site).

[DeeDee]

The number of vaccines that have been developed since I was a child in school is over the top! The worst part of it is, they want to smack these children with a LOT of them all at once: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf

I know that many parents are now demanding modified schedules so that the child doesn't get 5 different ones all at once http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/features/robert-sears-alternative-vaccine-schedule and I absolutely agree with their decision on this despite my mother being a public health RN for 40+ years--actually she thinks that many shots is crazy. If my boys were still young, I'd be demanding it as well--just like puppies with their basic shots. They still get the same shots so they're "legal" by the time they get in regular school. I'm truly not sure alternative schedules are okay with day cares though.

Here in the state of TN, I know you can get a vaccination waiver for certain reasons https://health.state.tn.us/ceds/required.htm:

Children with medical or religious exemption to requirements
Medical – Physician or health department authorized to indicate specific vaccines medically exempted (because of risk of harm) on the new form. Other vaccines remain required.
Religious – Requires a signed statement by the parent/guardian that vaccination conflicts with their religious tenets or practices. If documentation of a health examination is required by the school, it must be noted by the healthcare provider on the immunization certificate. In that case, the provider should check the box that the parent has sought a religious exemption.

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But those exemptions aren't easy to get either. Actually I think all states allow those waivers: http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/tennessee.htm

There are vaccination schedules for adults too. In my case, my PCP keeps up with it. I do take a flu shot every year simply because when the boys were young, I ended up having a relapse from flu that put me into the hospital. In 37 years, I've had two times where it actually made me feel bad, but it wasn't half as bad as that relapse.