Okay, first off, I thought the HiB vaccine was to fight meningitis (bacterial?viral?I dont know much about this vaccine) or is it for something else altogether?
Secondly, if this is so, what the heck is the Menactra vaccine? (i know my son is too young for this vax anyway, just curious) how is different from the HiB?
I should add, i have a 2 year old son who has never received a single vaccine. I have read tons of books, researched, etc and am confident in my decision to not do the MMR, Dtap, Polio, Hep B, chicken pox vaxes...I made that decision before he was born and have never looked back.
But I don't know much about meningitis, the vaccines for it, how easy it is to contract, risks of the vaccine vs risks of the illness (if not diagnoses early enough...i know its totally treatable, but from what i've read, even in books that advocate AGAINST vaccines, doctors often overlook meningitis symptoms til its too late)....
In general I'd prefer to keep him totally vaccine free, as autoimmune diseases run in my family (an aunt got Guienne Barre that almost killed her, and my dad died of Wegener's Granulomatosis) and if my son has even the slightest bits of certain foods that he's sensitive to, he shows autistic symptoms (but when he doesnt have them he's fine) so i can only imagine what the vaccine would do to him.
On the flip side, the thought of him getting meningitis scares the bejeebies out of me, maybe because I dont know enough about it, but i was under the impression that it's still common (or more common than some other diseases they vax for) in the US, it's easily contracted, and can be mistaken as the flu until it's too late or damage has already been done to the brain.
I should also add I breastfed him til he self weaned at 22 months, and he's not in daycare and i plan to homeschool, but he still gets contact with lots of children on the playground and in sunday school at church....(not sure if that makes a difference or not).
ANY help, info, advice, stats, is appreciated. Thanks ladies.
Secondly, if this is so, what the heck is the Menactra vaccine? (i know my son is too young for this vax anyway, just curious) how is different from the HiB?
I should add, i have a 2 year old son who has never received a single vaccine. I have read tons of books, researched, etc and am confident in my decision to not do the MMR, Dtap, Polio, Hep B, chicken pox vaxes...I made that decision before he was born and have never looked back.
But I don't know much about meningitis, the vaccines for it, how easy it is to contract, risks of the vaccine vs risks of the illness (if not diagnoses early enough...i know its totally treatable, but from what i've read, even in books that advocate AGAINST vaccines, doctors often overlook meningitis symptoms til its too late)....
In general I'd prefer to keep him totally vaccine free, as autoimmune diseases run in my family (an aunt got Guienne Barre that almost killed her, and my dad died of Wegener's Granulomatosis) and if my son has even the slightest bits of certain foods that he's sensitive to, he shows autistic symptoms (but when he doesnt have them he's fine) so i can only imagine what the vaccine would do to him.
On the flip side, the thought of him getting meningitis scares the bejeebies out of me, maybe because I dont know enough about it, but i was under the impression that it's still common (or more common than some other diseases they vax for) in the US, it's easily contracted, and can be mistaken as the flu until it's too late or damage has already been done to the brain.
I should also add I breastfed him til he self weaned at 22 months, and he's not in daycare and i plan to homeschool, but he still gets contact with lots of children on the playground and in sunday school at church....(not sure if that makes a difference or not).
ANY help, info, advice, stats, is appreciated. Thanks ladies.
