So, what about higher education?

[Quirky]

I haven't vaxed my almost-1 year old ds and at this point I don't intend to. I will have to invoke the religious exemption to get him into daycare/preschool/K-12 down the road, and hope it flies. But what about college? Both private and public schools require vaxes, as far as I'm aware.

I guess I'm less worried about him getting the vaxes at age 18 than I am about him getting the vaxes as a baby, if for no other reasons than a) he won't have to have as many and b) his body size will be much greater, so they won't be as concentrated. Still, it's something I hadn't thought of before.

Obviously I'm not going to vax him now when that bridge is 17 years away, but has anyone thought about this, made a plan, or have any experience to share?

[Sara29]

Re: So, what about higher education?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jane
[B]I haven't vaxed my almost-1 year old ds and at this point I don't intend to. I will have to invoke the religious exemption to get him into daycare/preschool/K-12 down the road, and hope it flies. But what about college? Both private and public schools require vaxes, as far as I'm aware. >>>>

Colleges allow exemptions

I guess I'm less worried about him getting the vaxes at age 18 than I am about him getting the vaxes as a baby, if for no other reasons than a) he won't have to have as many and b) his body size will be much greater, so they won't be as concentrated. Still, it's something I hadn't thought of before.>>>>

I had vaccines as a child and did ok with them.After many years of not having any vaccines I got 2 doses of hepB and was injured.That was 12 years ago and I am still not,nor will I ever be,back to the same level of health prior to those vaccines.Size and age won't matter to much imo. I won't vaccinate my kids later on,and will make sure they research the issue through the years before they take a needle,and not blindly vaccine themselves as I did.
Sara

[Katana]

I've discovered that it seems easier to get into college than it does into kindergarten in regards to vaccinations.

While I was doing my research to find out about exemptions for grade school, I was amazed at how many colleges in my state had exemption forms that you could just download.

On the other hand, in regards to exemptions for kindergarten, I'm starting to think escape from Alcatraz would be easier and more fun than getting an exemption from our grade school.

Here is a link to the Illinois Vaccine Awareness Coalition, where it talks about college admittance procedures changing. I don't think Illinois is the only state where this is happening, it's just the website I saw it at:

http://www.vaccineawareness.org/info...geExLetter.htm

[Raven1]

I concur with what everyone else has said.
Also, an interesting note; here in Texas, one of the major universities (and I am blanking here, but UT maybe! one of the big state Us, anyway!) recently recinded their mandatory vaccination policy in favor of one favoring/allowing "informed consent". They will still educate.inform.offer vaccinations, but will leave it up to the individual student (EXCEPTING those enrolled in pre-med or other course work involving contact with patients/infectious illness. However, I would imagine that even then, the otherwise allowed exemptions, religious/medical/possibly even C.E would still apply)

IMO, I will make sure my children are aware of the risks/benefits as they reach adulthood, but the choice will be theirs. If they have not had measles, mumps, ruebella, cp, etc by then, they can choose to be vaxed for them, college or not. I am comfortable with that, esp. as those diseases pose the most risk in adulthood/childbearing yrs., not childhood)

Kimberly, mom to Forest, 11 and Lily, 3

[malibusunny]

We were not required to have vaccinations for UW schools. I don't recall if my private school required them or not; the private school did require health insurance, though, and a tb test. If they did require vaccinations I wouldn't recall, because I had them all, except chicken pox (and I ended up having chicken pox my frosh year, even though I had had them twice before...)

Sunny (who seems to be forced into a tb test every couple years)

[Quirky]

Thanks everyone! I will leave that worry for another day....I've got 17 years to prepare, after all!