MMR Vaccine

Hi K.,
I too have a 7 month old son which I have not been comfortable with the idea of all the vaccinations necessary. Please do some research on this subject, it has helped ease my mind and also educated me on the options you have. You have the option of giving your child individual shots of the MMR vaccination but will have to inform your Pediatrician this is what you want and they can order the single dose shots. I have read giving the Measles, Rubella then Mumps shot in this order at least 30-60 days apart. Be sure to ask for vaccinations that do not contain Thymerasol/mercury based shots. Most doctors will tell you they don't have any preservatives but any combined shots must have some type of preservative in them. Ask for the manufacturer of the shot they give prior to your visit and contact the company to confirm what exactly is in the shot. There are many books you can pick up to ease your mind on vaccinating. Hep B and Polio are two that I have decided to wait to give my son until he is older. You can also determine what vaccinations are mandatory in the state you live in and if your son is not going to daycare, some shots are safe to wait to do. I gave my son all the shots on the list at 2 months and am not comfortable with everything that put into his little body so I changed Pediatricians and found one who agrees to space the shots out and one at a time so he will be fully vaccinated before he reaches school age. Just my opinion but it is worth educating yourself and feeling good about how you are vaccinating your child. It is good to vaccinate but it is also your call as the parent on how you go about it. Contact the CDC or FDA to get as much information they offer. Good luck and don't worry too much, I'm sure all will be just fine.
L.

My son will not be getting these vaccines. You do not NEED any vaccines to attend MA public schools. You have to fill out forms and say it is against your religion. If you don't feel safe giving him the vaccine, don't. Read all about it before making any decisions. Here is a link to a site I like-
http://www.vaccinechoice.org/
Good luck with your decision.
-B.

YES they do need it to attend school. Actually they need to 2 of them. Okay K., first question is why are you so scared for him to get the shot?? It isn't any diffferent than any of the other vaccines he has gotten. My 3 boys have gotten them without any problems at all.

YOUR KIDS DON'T REQUIRE ANY SHOTS TO ATTEND SCHOOL. You just have to claim a religious exemption. It's your decision, not the state's. That being said, you should talk to your doctor about your concerns & see if your concerns outway the benefits of the vaccinations. You can always choose to give the MMR shot in three seperate doses if that eases your mind at all. I did a lot of research myself about the vaccinations, especially the MMR. I found that the potential risk from these diseases outweighed the potential harm from the vacinations. At least for me. I do however give my kids their vaccinations one at a time & on my own schedule. I just caution you to be wary of all the info on the internet, there's so many contraditions. You have to choose the sources that seem the most trustworthy to you & then make up your mind. Good luck to you, I know it's an overwhelming thing to deal with.

Yes they do need it for school.. don't be scared of the shot.. be more afraid of if he didnt' get the shot and he got sick... most kids go thru it fine, just some soreness that Motrin can take care of..

Hi K.,

I see that you have gotten mixed advice and hope that you are not discouraged or more upset then before. No you do not need any vaccinations to go to school in MA. My children had NO vaccines at all and all are in school and went to pre-school as well. You just sign a waiver and you don't even have to say what religion you are, they are not allowed to make you put that in. If you want to read about this check out the website that Bonnie sent you in her response and you will see that the state cannot force you to vaccinate your children...they don't want to be held responsible for any harm done to your child as a result. Best of luck.

Hi K.,
Go on too this website and you may find the answer you are looking for. There is a number also listed on the website that can answer your questions if you can not find them on the webpage. That number is:

For Immunization Information, call the
CDC-INFO Contact Center:
English and Spanish
800-CDC-INFO

Website: www.cdc.gov/nip

800-232-4636

Good luck!

K.
My name is S. and I work ina pediatricians office and yes it is mandatory for the MMR vacine. I don't believe you can get away with a religon request to not recieve the shot, you may be able to postpone the shot for a little while but I am not really sure the state is very strict about vaccines. I can ask on Monday for you if you would like. But honestly this shot is important and the benefits of it far out way the absolute tiny risk of the possible autism link. Trust me just because I work at a doctors office I am not one of those freaky people who believe you should do everything that is recomended. But I am a mom to and I give these shots every single day and I would NEVER EVER do it if I believed for one second I was increasing a childs risk of devolping autism. Hope I could help you, S.

K.,
In Massachusetts, the MMR vaccination is necessary for any child to attend a Mass school.