Are you scared of Measles?

[stacey05]

Hi. I was just wondering how many of you would be scared if your child contracted measles? Or how many of you would not be scared and a little bit glad when it was over that the child now had immunity? My son is 8 and has not had any shots since he was 4 months and sometimes I have wondered if the mmr would be safer now that he is older? Sometimes I think measles isn't that scary and then sometimes I worry about the remote possibility of having the complications I am always hearing doctors talk about? But, I know there can be complications to the vaccine and it seems that alot of kids vaccinated for this still get it anyway?? I would love yalls thoughts on this. Thanks!

Stacey

[KimberlyD0]

for MY child yes. My child could very well die from measles, or even chicken pox. For her its not "a simple childhood illness" the risks of the vaccine far outweighed the risks of the desease itself. Rotavirus, a VPD thats "not that serious" nearly killed her so I hate to think what those could do.

[kriket]

I am immune to measles, so the chances of me bringing it home from work is slim. I don't know DH's status.

But, no, I'm not really afraid of measles. At least no more than I am any other thing. I take care of it early and watch for worsening symptoms. We are generally healthy, EBF and I am aware of the symptoms of measles and when to call the Dr.

[fruitfulmomma]

No, not really. My children are in reasonably well health and we have access to clean water and good food.

[Gitti]

My generation is immune to measles. All my friends and class mates had measles and we all came back to school healthy and fit. My parents and grandparents all had measles. They obviously survived. They were never afraid of measles. Neither am I. My generation considered measles something every child should get.

I am hoping that my grandchildren get infected with measles somewhere along the way. It is supposed to strengthen the immune system so that there is little chance of cancer or other autoimmune diseases later on in life.

Here are someMeasle Facts.

And this is a link to Inside Vaccines' MMR Info.

[Mirzam]

Heavens no! I had them as a child as did my brother, cousins and just about every kid I know. I can't say it was particularly pleasant, but it certainly wasn't horrible. I know of no person who had the measles as a child that suffered severely from them or had any of the complications. Measles was just a normal part of childhood. I would not be in the least bit concerned for the well bing of my children if they came down with them. Of course I don't wish measles on them and I wouldn't go out of my way to "infect" them. BTW, all my children are older than your ds two are completely vax-free and one had one dose of MMR and is now an adult, none of them have caught measles.

Measles in perspective with thanks to the Brady Bunch!

[Fyrestorm]

Not at all...had them as a kid (also had the vaccine - lot of good that did)

Just a dark room and vit A. Plus I got a week off of school!

[caned & able]

NO, I am not afraid of measles.

[tanyalynn]

If/when the kids get it, I'll be working hard to support them nutritionally through it. Having a plan, and having resources for more ideas if they're needed, has been really helpful to me. Nutritional support (food and supps) has gotten us through a lot of illnesses so far.

[a-sorta-fairytale]

DD got the measles when she was just under 2 y/o. She did fine. She has an awesome immune system and acted like her normal self except she was spotty. The worst thing about it was staying home.

[RiverSky]

Nope, I had measles when I was 10 and was excited to catch it, as were all of my friends, cousins and siblings, because we got days off of school and were pampered during the course of our illness.

Chicken pox was very exciting for us, too!

I can understand that it would not be the same for families with immuno-compromised members, though.

[Bitter Green]

Both mine have already had it - it was no big deal for us. Oddly enough, they caught it from the doctor's office! My oldest had an icky habit of licking chairs and such when she was younger *blech*

[greeba]

Ive been thinking about revisiting all of the vaxes recently. Just got another copy of The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. We haven't vaxed our DS at all yet and he's 3. We are considering the MMR though only because I don't want him infecting a pregnant woman or someone else who is immune deficient. Still have to read about it again though.

Greta

[ema-adama]

No I am not scared of measles. I had it as a child. I am confident that I will be able to support my DC and know to recognise when a serious complication is presenting so as to be in touch with a doctor. Otherwise, I see it as an illness to manage at home with good nutritious food, rest, and a dark room.

If I ever did consider the vax, I would check titres first for each component of the vaccine.

[ammiga]

Nope, not scared of the measles. I would be happy if dd caught them, just like I would be any other childhood disease (rubella, CP, mumps). I don't spend my life worrying about the worst case scenario for anything, and illnesses are no different. If I did, I would spent more time worrying about getting into an accident every time I drove to the grocery store than the odds of life-threatening complications arising from the measles. I just make healthy choices for myself and my family and carry on with life as normal.

[Marnica]

No, Not scared

I wouldn't go out of my way to have DS get them, but if he gets them, than we have access to an experienced ND and I have also familiarized myself with the symptoms and treatments. and then he would be immune.

[Gladiolus]

In a phone conversation with my pro-vax Dad (but one of those people who are all "well, I didn't ride in a carseat and I survived!" etc etc) told me he had measles as a kid and it was no big deal. I just laughed and told him since he survived then my kids should survive without getting the MMR.
I had no idea he had measles, I should have guessed since he was in that generation but why would they push the MMR on something that was mild for them? It's like our generation pushing the chicken pox vax to our children, it's just weird to me.
So no, I'm not scared of the measles for my kids (although, I won't seek them out either).
Like someone else said, I worry much more about the crazy self-entitled drivers out there texting/on phone while honking at me for stopping at a stop sign!

[Sileree]

No way. DP sailed through it with no complications and he was "high risk" (three years old, has PKU, born with a heart defect, had two major surgeries, probably a bit malnourished). My parents also had it no problem, as did all of my aunts and uncles.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by Gladiolus

In a phone conversation with my pro-vax Dad (but one of those people who are all "well, I didn't ride in a carseat and I survived!" etc etc) told me he had measles as a kid and it was no big deal. I just laughed and told him since he survived then my kids should survive without getting the MMR.

I had a similar conversation with my mom, though I was sure she had the TCDs since she was grown and married before universal childhood vaccines. After that conversation she hasn't brought up vaccination again.

[tessie]

I would be very concerned if my child got measles. I had it, it was unpleasant to say the least and I had it mildly.