About Vaccination, How Parents Are Paranoid About Kids That Are Not Vaccinated.

Considering the number of diseases that are making a comeback due to people not vaccinating - polio, whooping cough, measles, to name a few, yeah - everyone should worry.
Vaccines do not make you impervious to disease.
Vaccines help you not get as a bad case of a disease so you are less likely to have bad complications.
The more people who carry even a mild case of something helps the disease to mutate and become more resistant to antibiotics and other treatments.

Even an apparently healthy child can transmit disease.

Okay I find it seriously funny that you call parents who vaccinate paranoid when clearly in most cases the decision to not vaccinate is driven by irrational fear or paranoia if you will.

I really don't care, my kids play with who they like. It is just, paranoid? seriously?

Kate L: The danger isn't with vaccinated child A and non-vaccinated child B. It's child C, the one that is too little to have completed the full series or started the series of vaccines at all. Multiple vaccinations are not given until a baby is older (at least 1), leaving that baby vulnerable to catching communicable diseases from other non vaccinated children or adults. This is why pertussis is so serious, parents and older siblings can unknowingly infect the infants and it can be fatal. I wouldn't want my infant to be around non-vaccinated children for that reason alone.

Ya know, it's funny. A friend of mine just lost her 3 week old baby, because one of her older kids played with a friend. He wasn't showing any symptoms, other than a slight cough (which they attributed to allergies.) Her son came home, and even though he washed his hands, he had the germs in his clothes. Baby caught the Pertussis, and died in the hospital. About a week after that, they discovered that the friend he had been playing with actually had it...

Can you imagine the guilt that boy's mother felt, knowing that her choice not to vaccinate her child killed her friends infant?

I just did a research paper on Vaccines. Did you know that for herd immunity to be in effect, 95% of the population has to be vaccinated for the more contagious diseases... 85% for the lesser ones.

I want to add that I went incredibly in-depth with this research... I specifically looked up information from an opposing point of view, and researched each 'Toxic' ingredient, cases of severe reactions, the changes made in vaccines over the years, and the differences in disease rates since the introduction of vaccines. I have been doing research on this topic for well over a month, and everything I have found has only cemented my pro-vaccine opinion... with exceptions allowed for immune-challenged children, or children with allergies (or food sensitivities) to vaccine ingredients.

I find it incredibly unfair to the kids who CAN'T be vaccinated. My BIL was born with a birth defect that caused severe mental retardation. The medications he was on, combined with his weak immune system, made it dangerous to vaccinate him. It's cases like HIS that should be protected by herd immunity...

Whats crazy is cases like 2003, in Nigeria, when they STOPPED the Polio vaccine because they thought it was causing AIDS and infertility in women... Within 3 years (2006) Polio had spread to 20 other African and Asian countries that were previously Polio free...

Also... Interesting fact... Before the Pertussis Vaccine, 7,000 people (mostly little kids and babies) died a YEAR... Now, it's less than 30... I think that speaks for itself...

It makes sense to me if the moms have young babies that haven't been fully vaccinated yet. I was always nervous until my babies were fully vaccinated. I didn't want to take them out in public for fear they'd get whooping cough or something like that. So yeah, if I had a newborn I would not be letting my older kids play around kids that weren't vaccinated. You owe it to your child and to society to be up to date on vaccines.

I am a childcare provider. If I were to accept a child into my care that is not vaccinated I would have to give written notice to all other clients of the situation. I will not take unvaccinated kiddos because I think it is cause for other clients to find care elsewhere.

My father had polio, he contracted it while an inpatient in the hospital!! The disease left my father permanently disfigured and affected his whole life. My children are fully vaccinated.

M

I was careful about who my son was around as a baby, whether they were vaccinated, or not. My son is not vaccinated, and it's never come up when he plays. He also has been sick once in his life, so he's not the one getting others sick. I use common sense. If my son doesn't feel well, I keep him home. That's out of respect for all other people, vaccinated or or otherwise. If he had been around someone who was sick, I make sure he is not ill before I take him around others. I find it funny that people think my son would "expose" them...when the sickest kids I've ever been around in my life are fully vaccinated. My niece got all rounds of the swine flu vaccine and got it TWICE, along with the rest of her family who got it once. My son was around them, and never got it. The same goes for chicken pox (although, I wouldn't care if he got chicken pox.) Diseases mutate NO MATTER if people are vaccinated. Diseases have life cycles, like anything else. Vaccines don't stop mutations.

Absolutely. If your kid is not vacinated then my kid can still get sick if your kid is carrying the virus (You don't have to show symptom to be a carrier) because viruses can mutate. Didn't you read about the measle come back?

Children who haven't been vaccinated can contract illnesses and be contagious before it's known that they're sick. In turn, they can spread these illnesses - though my kids are vaccinated, so THEY won't get sick, that doesn't protect the cute baby at the grocery store that we see 5 minutes after we leave the play date! The cute baby who's too young to have been vaccinated yet, and who has now been exposed to pertussis or polio or measles. Do I want to be responsible for the death of that baby because my kids' friends' parents were too dumb to vaccinate their kids? Uh, NO. So if I know the child isn't vaccinated, then I'd probably not take the chance of my kids becoming carriers of whatever illness that child may have. It's not socially responsible.

I paid more attention to this since my friends daughter got diagnosed with leukemia at age 2. And another friend has an autoimmune disorder. I always have been pro vaccination but more so when I see what the repercussions can lead to.

No it doesn't, non-vaccinated doesn't mean they are diseased! The kids I know who aren't vaccinated are super healthy. It should be the parents of non-vaccinated kids nervous around kids who have just received vaccines because of shedding, but they're not nervous about it! They trust the immune system. And even vaccinated people can catch the diseases (current whooping cough "epidemic" is mostly people who've been vaccinated!) so it shouldn't be a worry that infants will catch something from someone who isn't vaccinated.

Eta: the people I know who don't vaccinate definitely don't not do it because they think they will be protected by others who have been! Never heard that reason before. It's more because of the reactions, side effects, ingredients, and natural abilities of a healthy immune system.

Eta: exactly what Kate said, why worry if your child is vaccinated?! The diseases are likely mutating because they've built a resistance to the vaccines, there's talk of that right now with the Washington state pertussis outbreak. And the only known cases of polio in recent years has been cause by the polio vaccine.

In response to Lorna H and the others who consistently bring up Dr. Wakefield's study: http://www.naturalnews.com/031117_BMJ_Dr_Andrew_Wakefield...
and almost no one I know that doesn't vaccinate doesn't not do it because of autism solely.

It makes more sense for the non-vaccinates to worry and avoid playing with other children. I don't worry about my vaccinated son playing with other kids.

'Herd immunity' is the decrease in chance of a disease outbreak that occurs because a certain percentage of a population is immune to a disease (either due to vaccination or natural exposure). Beyond that point, the chance of a susceptible individual (either not vaccinated or for some reason did not mount an appropriate immune response to the vaccine) coming into contact with the disease causing virus and then finding another susceptible individual to spread the disease to becomes very low. Thus those of us who vaccinate, protect the children of those who 'cheat the system' by not vaccinating. However when the incidence of immune individuals drops below a threshold, the chance of a disease outbreak (not isolated cases) increases in a non-linear fashion.

However, I do not see why this would prevent me from allowing my fully vaccinated son to play with whomever he wants. The statistical chance that he (1) did not mount an adequate immune response and (2) will contact a disease shedding child is still very small.

ETA: I took a look at the link CAE D posted. The 'science' looks awful - selection bias, parents are called upon to remember diagnoses that may have occurred years ago, no statistics and no exclusion criteria. Pretty much worthless.

I won't ever forget and episode of ER where the docs had a couple of children come in with odd symptoms. It finally figured out the child had measles. They had traveled out of the country and picked it up in someplace like France. Then brought it back to the people in the hospital.

I understand that TV shows are not real life but it made a point of what can happen to kids who are not vaccinated. Before that episode I had always just vaccinated the kids without thoughts of to do it or not. It was just what parents did.

I realized how at risk kids are that do not have their vaccines. I know that most kids will be fine without them. I see commercials about shingles too. I cannot imagine letting my kids share lollipops or sleep together so they can get Chicken Pox. That is just silly to me. Shingles comes from having Chicken Pox as a child. Even a pregnant woman who did not have the vaccine as a child can get it and hurt her baby. What are parents thinking.

I also know what it was like for my neighbor girl to be a fun playmate for me. We would ride our bikes and have so much fun together. I had my shots as they came out. I remember lining up at the local elementary school waiting in long lines dreading the needle that was waiting for me at the end.

She developed Polio and it was very hard to watch her go downhill. She ended up in leg braces and on arm crutches. I don't think she ever was able to overcome it.

I would never want my grand kids to go through that so I always supported my daughter getting the vaccinations. Once you have experienced something like that you just know, you know what can happen if you neglect to protect your kids.

I do not think they cause any sort of medical issue. I do think that there are many additives and other things that we put in our kids bodies that possibly interact with other things to cause all the things that kids have going on.

Yes, especially if your family includes someone who cannot be vaccinated due to age or health status or allergy to a vaccine component, or a pregnant woman, or elderly person, or if your kids may have contact with someone in the above groups.

People with nasty, contagious diseases often appear healthy for days before they develop symptoms. There can be serious consequences to a decision not to vaccinate, a canceled playdate hardly even makes the list.

ETA:
When I answered this post it was a two line question, three paragraphs were added after I responded.
You mention the "extreme vaccination schedule." What, in your considered medical opinion, would be a preferable schedule? Oh, wait, you're not an immunologist or infectious disease expert, you have simply done some reading on the internet. You are simply not qualified to determine that vaccine have caused any of the problems you mentioned.

You can't judge a book by it's cover.
Vaccinations dont always prevent disease, just lower the chances of contracting one.

Hi L.,

I'm glad that you brought this question to this forum because I think there are a lot of inaccuracies regarding the whole vaccination delay issue.

The most important thing that you can do is to google "Andrew Wakefield". He is the British doctor that started the whole vaccination/autism scare. In May 2010 he was taken off the Medical Register with a statement identifying dishonest falsification in his research and was barred from practicing medicine in the UK.

If you read further into news of the past few years, you'll see a dramatic increase in diseases that were once almost eradicated. There is a direct link to Andrew Wakefield's "finds" and the scare it brought to parents at that time.

During that period, my daughter was to receive her many vaccinations and I remember being very intrepid regarding her safety and the possibility, I felt, of her becoming autistic as a result. I'm glad that I did my research, however, as I found that there was no correlation between the two and the benefits definitely outweighed the risks. I also have two doctors in my family who supported this.

I feel the same way about people who stop using antibiotics as soon as their symptoms improve. All the superbugs and viruses that are immune to modern medical treatment are a result of the viruses becoming stronger, which is exactly what happens when antibiotics are not used the way they are prescribed.

Again, I am so glad that you posted your question. I know there are many opinions shared, but I would encourage you to please be an informed citizen and do your research regarding the now disbarred doctor who started the entire vaccine/autism link in the first place.

Take care,
L.

If my kids were unhealthy or immune compromised in any way I would not knowingly let them. Even though they are healthy.

If child A is vaccinated, and child B is not, and child B gets sick, how is it going to effect child A? Child A has been vaccinated!
Please note that I do vaccinate. I think that you SHOULD vaccinate, however I think that parents have the right to make choices that they feel are best for their kids. And yes, that includes not allowing non-vaccinated children around yours if you are uncomfortable with that. I'm just not sure why it's such a big deal. If your kids are vaccinated, they are not going to get polio, mumps or chicken pox from a child who is infected.
EDIT: I stand corrected, LittleEsmom. That does make a LOT of sense. You would think having a micropreemie with a comprimised immune system I would have thought of that, but I didn't. Actually, I'm pretty annoyed with myself that I DIDN'T think about that. Thank you for the info. :)

The only way to protect your child from unvaccinated children is to never let them out of the house.
Seriously. The park, school, daycare, church, grocery store, mall, doctor's office, airport, movie theater, zoo, amusement park, swimming pool, gym, ballet class, karate class, soccer practice, think of all the people (both kids and adults) our children come in contact with every day. It's not like you're going to ask every stranger that your child happens to cross paths with, excuse me, do you vaccinate? Are they up to date with all their shots?
Maybe there ARE people like this though, I guess I shouldn't be surprised :(

I don't worry about it, because my kid is vaccinated. I realize no vaccine is 100%, but she is still better protected than the kid with no vaccine at all. But then again, I don't have any little unvaccinated babies at home. It's never occurred to me to ask someone if their kids are vaccinated or not before DD plays with them. Considering how many kids and people DD comes in contact with on a daily basis, it would be impossible to ensure that every single one of them is full vaccinated against everything. That's why I do what I believe is right and make sure SHE is vaccinated for whatever is recommended!

I don't think that makes sense. After all, that is what you have them vaccinated for.

I dont worry about my vaccinated kids playing with others. I did worry when they were babies about pertussis (sp)? Because that can be pretty contagious and many adults are not vaccinated for that, so they could easily spread it to an infant.

If I knew a child was unvaccinated, it would matter a whole lot to me. B hits the nail on the head below. I wouldn't want to risk my children being exposed to a horrendous illness, even if they would get a milder form of it because they're vaccinated. I've heard enough from their pediatrician about the growing number of cases of kids with diseases they shouldn't be getting anymore.

I just read this article yesterday that says that vaccinated children have poorer health overall:

http://www.naturalnews.com/036220_vaccinated_children_dis...

I don't know if kids are vaccinated. I usually don't take a poll before we start playing. Moms with vaccinated kids are the paranoid ones?

yes, just because a child seems healthy doesnt mean that they are not carriers. lets say, child A wipes their nose on child B's shirt, siblings do this all the time.., anyone who comes into contact with child B's shirt now has whatever germs child A had in their nose.. we are seeing now seeing third world diseases show up in first world emergency rooms because more and more parents are deciding that vaccines are somehow dangerous, add that to the profound number of illegals that are here who have never had their vaccinations.. and you have a very big potential problem. more later baby very sleepy
K. h.

Yep, makes sense. Research about "herd immunity" and then you'll understand why many of us who vaccinate don't knowingly expose our kids to unvaccinated kids.

But if you child is vaccinated, why should you care?

As I thought about your question and the variety of responses here, I was feeling a bit conflicted about responding. This topic has become very contentious. I was discussing my thoughts and concerns with my husband and he referenced a recent Natural News article which Cai D. has already shared the link to below. The article opens with this, "Suspicions have been confirmed for those wary of vaccinating their children. A recent large study corroborates other independent study surveys comparing unvaccinated children to vaccinated children.
They all show that vaccinated children have two to five times more childhood diseases, illnesses, and allergies than unvaccinated children."

This is not the first article I have read that discussed research supporting such findings. I think the personal experiences you have shared above, and the opinions you have formed are supported by this research. It is my hope that parents continue to have the right to make this choice, that no one is forced to vaccinate, and that parents make informed decisions. Unfortunately I think the vaccine information sheets provided at doctors' offices and the common medical opinion are not enough information to be truly informed about the affordances and risks of vaccines.

Considering that only the first two sentences of your "question" were your actual question and the rest was your bandwagon thumping about why you choose to not vaccinate your children, it seems to me that people wouldn't even know that you choose not to vaccinate your children unless you were slamming it down their throats WHY you choose not to vaccinate them. As many other people have mentioned, if you're at the park or something, do you suddenly just shout that out? HEY! My kids aren't vaccinated and watch them clutch their children and go running? Generally it's not a topic of conversation I've ever had in playdates or at school with other parents. Considering that it's something that you seem to feel very strongly about, your crusade may be what's alienating potential playmate more than your children not being vaccinated.

I agree with Sarah. Part of the problem with unvaccinated people is that the virus are mutating and it's possible vaccines will need to be changed to deal with the new strain of these viruses. So yeah, I could understand why parents might be nervous about, especially on the flip side, if your vaccinated child isn't healthy and you don't want to spread anything. I understand both sides of the coin, although I have let my kids play with unvaccinated kids.

I was just going to tell you to google "herd immunity" and then I read Jenna's excellent explanation. People who don't know about (or understand) herd immunity obviously haven't really researched vaccines like they say they have.

My kid is vaccinated, and I'm not necessarily afraid of unvac'd kids, but I have a friend with a severe auto-immune disorder and if we were to get her sick because we were exposed to something and then brought it to her house, I would feel terrible. As it is, if we're going to her house we shower first and put on clean clothes if we've been out and about. She's never asked us to, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. It's people like her and others who cannot be vaccinated that you have to look out for.

If vaccines work, then the vaccinated kids have nothing to worry about. But the question here is: do they work?

My generation got 10 vaccines. This generation is getting 84. How much can the immune system take?

My kids have contracted, naturally, whooping cough, rubella, mumps, measles and chicken pox. I don't have to worry about them getting them again. We eat whole foods, extremely limited dairy, barely any sugar, only water. They play outside much of the day.

My dad got the polio vaccine at 2 and ended up in a coma. Once they "woke him up," my grandfather took him to a chiropractor where they spent the night and he was adjusted every 30 minutes throughout the night and given large doses of vitamin C. He has no residual issues, except the side of the body it impacted, is the only side which has ever had skin cancer. Coincidence? Maybe. His friend down the street got polio as well, but her mom followed that her MD said and she was in an iron lung and ended up in leg braces her entire life.

Weigh the absolute risk vs. the potential benefits of vaccines. You need to know HOW your kids get each disease. You need to know if it is bacterial or viral. You need to know what the symptoms look like. If you don't know this, then you should be knowledgeable about BOTH the diseases and the vaccines. Information replaces fear.

I never even thought to ask other parents if their kids were vaccinated. I do remember that our daycare's manager brought her older elementary kids over every day after school, and mentioned that one had chickenpox. I dropped my jaw and said "What is she doing here? You're going to have a chickenpox epidemic!!" I was really upset.

She apologized, and said it should have occurred to her and didn't. Indeed, my 13 month old who had just moved to the one year room a week before came down with a bad case of it and was out for 2 weeks. Many of the kids came down with it. If she had been a teacher, she would have been fired.

(I still liked her after that, but I found that lapse of judgment totally inept.)

This was before the chickenpox vaccine came out. I do not remember if I had to sign papers saying I would vaccinate before putting my kids in daycare. I don't even remember if I had to give them proof. But I DO believe that if a mom told me that she didn't believe in vaccinations, I would have thought twice about my child being with them, I have to admit. Especially when I was pregnant with my second.

Dawn

no it doesn't make sense. I think that non vaccinated kids are actually healthier than vaxed kids. I am not finishing up vax's for my kids. I have known and heard of way too many cases of kids who are vaxed but still get certain diseases. Why would I put all those awful chemicals into my kids body when they don't even work a lot of the time?

No it does not make sense. Actually the mothers of not vaccinated kids should be worried that they may pick up something nasty from the vaccinated kids. The vaccinated kids can fight off nasty things like measles and whooping cought while the kids without don't stand a chance.

okay. I have a flip side story I guess. I had never had chicken pox, ever. after I gave birth to my twins in april my sister in law brought over her 2 kids with chicken pox at christmas time. By new years I had chicken pox! 2 weeks the chicken pox, traveled down my throat. It was wonderful. I was a nursing mom and I was miserable. please vaccinate or at least warn others if you do not. thats all I am saying.:)

Hey L.,
There have been a few research studies about adjuvants used in vaccines. An adjuvant (typically a protein such as egg, peanuts, etc) is used to create a more intense immune response so that the vaccine will create a more powerful immunity. As years have progressed the amount of the adjuvants has increased and thus the number of anaphylaxis allergies.
Here is a link to a website that explains vaccine induced allergies:
http://www.smartvax.com/index.php?option=com_content&...

this is so contraversial......unfortunately I think that those who do not vaccinate feel that "well everyone else is vaccinated so my kid won't get such and such illness." I think the more and more people who think that way and start doing that that we will see many more illnesses recur.

that being said - I am not fond of the current vaccination schedule - I think it's too much too soon so my kids have a delayed schedule and thankfully my kids dr. is open to that.

To answer your question though - I don't think they should be kept away from one another - kids are going to be around a myriad of illnesses throughout their lives anyway - just be aware of kids signs/symptoms, etc incase they do catch something.

ETA: those focusing on the possibility of autism.....that's not the only reason people decide not to vaccinate - there are many questions about putting metal in peoples small systems, the number of vaccinations, the schedule, the fact that so many children have allergies to so many things/compromised immune systems due to lack of a natural response to illnesses. I realize all of this is controversial, however I have read a lot on both sides of the debate and although, as I said above, I vaccinate on a delayed schedule, I really do wonder if our kids generation will see a study down the road that has to do with illnesses in adults (them) due to the nearly 100 vaccinations they had before the age of 5.

My two kids, 8 and 9 and not vaccinated (almost) and are extremely healthy. I say almost because I vaccinated my 9 year old at 16 months for whooping cough (since it was going around) and then she got sick every month after that with something and was put on antibiotics. So many antibiotics. The last time she went into that doctor, he said she has bronchitus and prescribed more meds. I scheduled two other doctor appointments the next day with two anti vaccine doctors, both said she did not have bronchitus and do not take the antibiotics. I switched doctors and my two have never been prescribed meds since (or vaccinated). I truly agree with you. But it still is a scary thing to decide and not easy for many.

If in a venue where there are lots of kids, there is no way to tell, if a kid is vaccinated or not.
Its not like a Mom will go around telling everyone and whomever. Its private.

My kids are vaccinated.
If a kid was not, then I would assume, that that kid's Mom, would be more hesitant to bring her kid around to a place where there were lots of kids. And if the child is an infant.

Whether it makes sense or not, is up to the Mom and her rationale and discretion.

I agree with Jenna M. Couldn't say it better myself...

Your child is much more likely to die from a preventable disease if not vaccinated than to suffer a reaction from the vaccine. Are you not aware of what child mortality rates were before vaccinations?

All the kids I know who's parents do not vac tend to intentionally put their children in harms way - all in the name of natural immunity. If you went to a pox party - good for you, but do not play with my child until you are sure whether they got it or not - YES, I vaccinated my child, doesn't mean they cannot get the chicken pox... but I'm not going to intentionally put my child in the path of a disease.

When are the HPV, Herpes, Mumps, Measles and HIV parties occurring? I want to know so I can be FAR FAR FAR away with my children.

My children are not vaccinated. I am not paranoid, nor am I careless about my children's health or the health of others whom we encounter in our lives. Before our first child was born, I did a lot of research about childbirth, breastfeeding, and other parenting issues. My research led me to choose midwife-assisted home birth, ecological breastfeeding with child-led weaning, and no vaccinations. I have a math degree. I am a sensible person who makes decisions based on facts, not on whatever the current fad might be. My interpretation of the facts, confirmed by my research, led me to the choices I made, with my husband's support.

An easy to read book called, "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor" by Dr. Mendelssohn, is a good introduction to the topic of vaccinations. Dr. Mendelssohn relayed how his medical practice changed over the years due to what he learned from the parents & children he encountered in his practice. The reality he saw convinced him that what he had been taught in med school about this issue and many others was dead wrong, with terrible consequences for the health of our general population.

He also included in the book charts that showed that in ALL cases of the introduction of vaccines, contraction rates for the diseases in question were already rapidly declining before the vaccines became available. Hence, claiming that the vaccines nearly eradicated those diseases is not supported by the evidence.

Do what you want with your kids. Do your own research & make your own decisions. Just don't call other people crazy, irresponsible, or thoughtless when their personal choice is different from yours. Personally, I think the dangers presented to health in our society from vaccines gives me at least as much a right to be concerned about your decision to vaccinate, but I just do what I can to share my own concerns when the topic arises, and hope that all will come out right in the end, eventually. Here's a good analysis of some of the myths about vaccinations. Read it if you care to challenge your own assumptions about vaccines. http://www.relfe.com/vaccine.html

The best defense against any illness is a strong immune system. Keep your children's immune systems strong, and there is very little that can ever knock them down. Start with good nutrition for yourself before you even get pregnant & of course during & after pregnancy, breastfeed for at least a year (if you want the best benefits for your child's immune system), avoid introducing foreign chemicals into your kids' bodies through food additives & unnecessary medications (don't avoid the necessary ones, but they are few & far between), and you'll help your kids to be as healthy as they can possibly be.

My kids are ages 17-25 now. Only one of them has ever had an antibiotic. That was when she had pneumonia at age 14. The others have never had any kind of medication, except for a prescribed eye cream my son used once--without any noticeable effect for better or worse. He did have one drop of a prescribed eyedrop, but it nearly sent him to the emergency room with a scary breathing reaction. Other than that, we live a healthy lifestyle & use a wonderful nutritional supplement.

We never did "sickness" parties to purposely expose our kids to childhood illnesses, but I certainly understand why others would do so. They prefer to have their kids go through those illnesses at an age when experience shows they have the best chance to have a mild case with a strong immune system response that will protect them for the rest of their lives instead of possibly contracting the disease as an adult when the severity of the disease is likely to be much greater.

It all makes sense when you know the facts.