In the next couple of weeks, our kid gets to line up for her next round of immunisations. At twelve years of age, that means that she can look forward to chickenpox and Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis boosters, and a three-dose course of the HPV vaccine.
When the consent form was sent home, she begrudgingly pulled it out of her school bag and handed it to me. ‘I have to be immunised,’ she said employing the same facial expressions reserved for Brussels sprouts.
She took one look at me and then, slightly sheepishly, said, ‘I don’t get to complain about it, do I?’
‘Nope,’ I said to her. ‘You don’t get to complain about needles because…well because…suck it up princess. No sympathy about needles from your mean mamma! And you have to be vaccinated because that’s what we do. Immunisation is safe and is a really good way to stop the spread of infectious diseases that not too long ago people died from. And herd immunity only works if…’
‘….if most people are immunised so diseases are not spread,’ she cut me off, finishing my sentence. I nodded at her proudly, signed the form and handed it back to her. ‘In your bag. Be grateful that you are being vaccinated. It’s a gift.’ (She mumbled something about it being a crappy gift, and that it would be better if she got a Readings gift voucher instead, but I ignored that.)
Over the weekend, the vaccination debate was fired up again with One Nation idiot leader, Pauline Hanson, sharing her half-brained thoughts on the issue.
I hate that I am even writing about Pauling Hanson. I despise what she stands for. Her unenlightened, racist, xenophobic, mean, ill-informed rhetoric, which is somehow interpreted as ‘she just says what many of us are thinking’, is disgusting. But her latest remarks go to show, once again, what an ignorant and dangerous fool she is.
Her comments coincided with a discussion on a type 1 diabetes Facebook page about vaccinations preceding T1D. Thankfully, smart people reminded anyone suggesting that their diabetes was a direct result of a recent vaccination that correlation does not equal causation.
I get really anxious when there is discussion about vaccinations, because the idea that this is something that can and should be debated is dangerous. There is no evidence to suggest that vaccines cause diabetes (or autism or anything else). There is, however, a lot of evidence to show that they do a shed-load of good. And if you don’t believe me, ask yourself how many cases of polio you’ve seen lately. People of my parents’ generation seemed to all know kids and adults with polio and talk about just how debilitating a condition it was. And they know first-hand of children who died of diseases such as measles or whooping cough.
This is not an ‘I have my opinion, you have yours. Let’s agree to disagree’ issue. It is, in fact, very black and white.
A number of people in the Facebook conversation commented that their (or their child’s) diagnosis coincided with a recent vaccination. But here’s the thing: type 1 diabetes doesn’t just happen. We know that it is a long and slow process.
Click for reference.
What this shows is that even if onset of diabetes occurs at (correlates with) the time of a vaccination, it cannot possibly be the cause.
When we have people in the public sphere coming out and saying irresponsible things about vaccinations, it is damaging. People will listen to Pauline Hanson rather than listen to a doctor or a researcher with decades of experience, mountains of evidence and bucket-loads (technical term) of science to support their position.
The idea that ‘everyone should do their own research’ is flawed because there is far too much pseudo-science rubbish out there and sometimes it’s hard to work out what is a relevant and respectable source and what is gobbledygook (highly technical term).
Plus, those trying to refute the benefit of vaccinations employ the age-old tactic of conspiracy theories to have people who are not particularly well informed to start to question real experts. If you have ever heard anyone suggesting: government is in the pockets of Big Pharma / the aliens are controlling us / if we just ate well and danced in the sunshine / any other hare-brained suggestion, run – don’t walk – away from them. And don’t look back.
I have been thinking about this a lot in the last couple of days. I have what I describe as an irrational fear that my kid is going to develop diabetes. It keeps me awake at night, makes me burst into tears at time and scares me like nothing else. If I, for a second, thought for just a tiny second that vaccinating my daughter increased her chances of developing diabetes, she would be unvaccinated. If I thought there was any truth at all in the rubbish that vaccines cause diabetes, I wouldn’t have let her anywhere near a vaccination needle.
But there is no evidence to support that. None at all.
Diabetogenic 
5 comments
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March 7, 2017 at 1:14 pm
Rick Phillips
I read the background on Ms. Hanson. I also agree her views on vaccines are total BS.
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March 11, 2017 at 9:51 am
Gemma
I usually read your posts with relish but this post has left me feeling uncomfortable and driven to comment. By self-righteously denying irrefutably, that vaccines can cause injury you are dismissing and ignoring the suffering of millions of parents of vaccine damaged children. There is indeed A LOT of evidence to support the possibility that vaccines can trigger diabetes and many other auto-immune conditions. If you take the time to research, there are many reputable studies that have concluded that in suspetable individuals exposure to vaccines can increase the likelihood of vaccine reaction or injury. There would not be a yellow card scheme, vaccine injury court, or a vaccine damage payment programme if this were not the case. I can point you in the direction of this information should you wish. Most of which is widely available to parents who take the time to weigh up the risks vs the benefits before agreeing to inject a mixture of heavy metals, adjuvants, formaldehyde and GM viruses into their child’s bloodstream. Especially if genetically there is an increased chance of them developing an auto-immune disease or autism. Vaccination is not a ‘one size fits all’ subject. When I raised this issue with my own GP, she conceded and respected my concerns about vaccinating my third child. My son’s paediatric consultant and DSN have not ruled out the possibility that it was a vaccine given at birth that contributed to his auto-immune diseases. As for the herd immunity argument, the theory only applies to a population with natural immunity to the diseases. With vaccines being temporary, requiring boosters every few years the majority of the population is walking around no longer immune. I used to feel like you, I used to look at people who didn’t vaccinate with scorn, think they were hippy idiots who thought they knew better than the scientists. That was until my diabetic child was advised to immediately have the flu jab even though the doctor had just diagnosed him with flu!! What was the point he already had it? Maybe to protect about another strain but even I knew that he should not be given a vaccine when his immune system was already low, I had at least taken the time to read the vaccine insert. The risks are all there for parents to see in black and white. The doctor was dumbstruck and had nothing to respond with when I pointed it out. That was the day I lost trust, started to look in to it for myself and unfortunately I have not liked what I found. Despite how grateful I am every day that there is the medicine and technology available to us that keeps my child alive, there is also the nagging doubt that diabetes management is big business for pharmaceutical companies. That is why the majority of studies you will find that conclude vaccines to be completely safe have been directly or indirectly funded by the pharmaceutical companies themselves. Please consider doing your own intelligent measured research before making the claims mentioned in your blog post. A place to start would be by watching the documentary Vaxxed, which (contrary to what the media is saying about it being ‘anti-vaccine) is actually about the cover up by Senior scientists at the CDC. A high profile whistle-blower exposes the disposal of research papers linking the MMR jab to development of autism in certain individuals, particularly in African-American males. The book ‘Dissolving Illusions – Disease, Vaccines and the forgotten history’ by Suzanne Humphreys MD is also very enlightening. The HPV vaccine is the most controversial of all, thousands of young women are reporting adverse reactions to the vaccine. This brave girl is a case in point https://m.facebook.com/ChloesVaccineInjuryJourney/?ref=content_filter
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March 12, 2017 at 10:57 am
Aaron
Gemma, almost everything you have said here is innacurate, only half true, or downright wrong. There is NO credible scientific evidence that vaccines have harmed any children in the way you suggest. This is not the appropriate forum for me to counter your assertions one by one, but I’m happy to do so in another forum if you’re willing.
The doco you referred to (Vaxxed) is a propaganda exercise written and directed by Andrew Wakefield – a man who is dishonest to the point of criminality. He has absolutely zero credibility in the scientific community. If you want to watch a documentary on this issue I suggest you should watch “Jabbed”, an excellent Australian made film which gives equal time to both sides of the argument – pro and anti vax. “Jabbed” is available to watch for free on SBS On Demand.
Personaly, I think we should dispense with the term “anti-vax” all together, and replace it with the term “pro-disease” which is a more accurate description of the movement to which you ascribe.
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March 13, 2017 at 3:16 pm
Aaron
Gemma, maybe you should read this:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/no-jab-no-play-graveyards-tell-countless-stories-of-how-nowpreventable-diseases-stalked-children/news-story/f85aa3b89a9fd443ea5c0d6d94c21dab
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March 20, 2017 at 9:38 pm
sugarfreecookies
I understand as I have been in this position. Even after confirmation by our consultant, I did not want to believe that vaccines can be one of the environmental triggers that can cause auto-immune diseases. That would imply I was unknowingly responsible. I live in fear that my non-T1 children are going to develop diabetes too every day. The first year of my daughter’s diagnosis at 7months old was the worst year of my life. It pains me every day to watch her struggle with his condition. Yet I still decided to partially vaccinate my child. With my third, I have made an informed decision that my other children are genetically more at risk of vaccine damage, than dying of complications of the disease the vaccine is supposed to prevent. That is why I have decided to cease for now. I’m not going to throw my children under the bus for the sake of the herd. I have seen vaccine injury first hand, come across too many cases of reaction and would never forgive myself should it happen to them. They can make their own informed decision accept immunisations as adults should they so wish. Vaccination is not compulsory in the U.K. and I have worked alongside many health professionals who quietly question both the safety and efficacy of many vaccines, choosing not to give them to their own children. The ‘Herd Immunity’ theory not only applies to natural immunity, but it is not possible while vaccination is not mandatory. If the medical professionals are promoting vaccination to patients but not convinced enough of their safety to give to their own children, then the argument of herd immunity is not viable. Our own team of Health professionals have supported my decision, that is all I need.
I will watch the documentary you have suggested Aaron, as I said I like to educate myself with information on both sides of the debate. Although I doubt you will watch ‘Vaxxed’ or follow the links to other evidence proving data that has been suppressed suggesting vaccines can be harmful to susceptible individuals. I am well aware of the controversy surrounding Dr Andrew Wakefield. If you actually suck up your prejudice and watch the documentary it might change your opinion of what actually happened at the CDC, an opinion you again have probably learnt by rote without any objective investigation of your own. It seems that some people will shut their eyes, stick their fingers in their ears and say ‘LA LA LA not listening!!!’ Rather than concede that they could possibly be wrong, even when spoon-fed published evidence to the contrary of what they have been told or want to believe. I was. Locked from commenting on this post, why? Because the truth is uncomfortable to hear? Much of what I have written may come across as half-truths, but that’s because I can’t be bothered to spell it out to you. Do your own research. If you are a medic you will come across data that you might find very difficult to swallow. The trouble with this subject is there is so much evidence to sift through and much of the truth is deliberately hidden from view. I did not come to this decision easily. A common adaptation for a weak human psyche is to maintain the ego at all costs, even in the face of contradictory evidence.
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