Forced flu shot at work

They strongly encourage us to get it at work-they have not yet made it mandatory...I always get it anyway because I have type I Diabetes which puts me at a huge risk if I ever get the flu.

no shot no job at Children' Hospital of Philadelphia -period they will fire you

Your kids have never been sick because you are relying on ALL the other children who DID get their MMRs and other vaccines not to infect them. As more people are taken in by fear mongering, anti-vaccine folderol, your children won't be protected by herd immunity - something they take advantage of, but contribute nothing to. And I say this as someone who *is* immunocompromised due to a kidney transplant and STILL gets their vaccines on schedule.

No, I'm relying on building their immune systems and teaching the proper hygiene. Being vaccinated, YOU will be carrying that virus/disease and YOU can spread it to my child from simply having the vaccine. If vaccines are so wonderful then why do vaccinated children STILL get things they are vaccinated for? Sorry, until it's 100% proven that vaccines are 100% safe and 100% effective at eliminating illness, me and my children won't get them. I'm not into being a guinea pig for the government and sick care system. That's just me though.

and you are a fool if you think that is what you are doing.

Polio has been eradicated in the US because of vaccinations. However, all it takes is a person getting on an airplane who is a carrier for polio from an area of the world that is NOT polio free to re-introduce it to your child. Hope you enjoy standing on your convictions then. Maybe you can fnd some other nutter to "pray the polio away"
As far as being 100%. thats a non sequiter. Nothing in science will ever be 100%. thats not the way science works. Howvever there are mountains of evidence that show the positive effects of vaccinations.

you are simply allowing your children to hide in the "herd" of other children who have responsible parents. When irresponsibility becomes the majority (ie, what you are advocating) hiding will not be an option. measels, diptheria, polia, etc will once again become part of our population.

I do not understand how in this day and age p[eople can be as dumb as they are in the face of as much information as we have access to.

Oh...dang those vaccines.... :-0

If it weren't for all those that did vaccinate their kids, our entire school system would've been shut down for a couple months last year after the super bowl. Someone came in from out of town with the measles, and people that had not been vaccinated caught it and took the virus to school. That was joyful - not. Luckily, my kids were vaccinated and they did not contract it, but meanwhile, all pregnant teachers were suddenly on maternity leave to ensure a healthy baby.

Also, luckily, the school system was very diligent about cleaning up during and at the end of each day. Needless to say, being a cancer survivor with a still somewhat suppressed immune system, I did not go near the schools during that time unless I absolutely had to and extra precautions for the kids were taken as they came through the door each day.

I prefer to hope that my childhood vaccines are still intact, but I don't plan on testing them out on purpose. If I could be re-vaccinated, I would. Unfortunately, age and the uncertainty of continued immunity from the vaccines precludes that.

Oh, and don't forget the damage you can be causing your children when they are over 18 and suddenly contracting the measles, chicken pox, mumps, rubella, etc. Unless of course you have already undergone the "old" way of making sure they contract them as children. Remember, damages can range from the illness being twice as bad, to sterilization, to complications, to death. Let's not forget these are life choice decisions you have made for them. And a life choice decision you have made for pregnant women - chicken pox can be deadly to a fetus if a pregnant woman comes into contact with someone with chicken pox or shingles.

On a side note - to travel outside the country - they will need to be vaccinated. You may not travel now, but what if they want or need to as they get older.

My job just implemented the same thing...never had it and don't plan on getting it. I think I should be able to decide whether I have one and if that means I decide not to work here so be it...

True story: When I was in college (many, many moons ago), there was a measles outbreak on campus. I was barred from classes for two weeks because I wasn't vaccinated, until the outbreak calmed down. I failed two labs over it.

My girls are in K and 7th, and if an outbreak occurs they are excused and cannot return until the outbreak is over and you can make arrangements for them to do their work at home. Obviously not college, but they do make it reasonable so they don't get behind or fail. I know that the waivers they have cover them throughout the 12th grade, but I haven't looked at college requirements. But by then, they will be old enough to choose what goes into their bodies.

anyway, no real point here, just bored and rambling. it sure beats being bored and stuffing myself. :P

It would piss me off. I never take the flu shot and I've never gotten the flu yet. However, I know plenty of people who took it and got sick from the shot and got the flu anyway. I don't believe an employer should be able to force you to put anything you don't want into your body.

This- no need for a flu shot unless you are in a risk category, i.e. very young, elderly, weak immune system, etc.

Depends on how opposed you are to it- if you are really against getting the vax at all, find another job. The people in the hospital trying to get better would not appreciate your making them sick, especially on their dime. I personally don't trust the vaccines and will get them some years and not others, pretty randomly. I read an old study once that correllated flu vaccines 5 yrs in a row to the development of dementia in later life. That study may not be valid anymore, but I prefer not to take any chances. There have been way too many accusations regarding vaccines and no real proof either way, but where there's smoke, there's usually fire, IMHO.

Hmm, how are her children going to be a threat to all the vaccinated people? The vaccinated people are immune, according to you.

Exactly. I should be worried about MY child being around a child who has recently been vaccinated with a live disease/virus. If the oh so trusty vaccines work so well, then why are parents of vaccinated children worried about MY unvaccinated child? If one trusts enough in the vaccine to get them, they should trust that their child is safe and protected. Or is that just crazy talk? LOL

It never ceases to amaze me that when a person voices an opinion that is not the same as their own, others seem to think it is okay to bash them. What ever happened to civilized conversation and sharing of ones convictions without the need to have to humiliate and belittle??

I completely agree with you.

Unfortunately whenever a subject that is the source of heated debate is brought to the forums, you are likely to get both very strong negative and very strong positive reactions...and if I've learned ANYTHING about the MFP forums, it's that strong negative reactions bring about rudeness in some individuals...it's just how it is. Sad but true.

I hope I wasn't coming off as rude, that wasn't my intent at all. It just gets to me when people think I'm just some fool afraid of vaccines. Especially people who don't know me, or what brought me to research and come to my decision. I would never tell anyone NOT to vaccinate, or TO vaccinate. I encourage EVERYONE to do their own research. If they truly want information, I'm happy to share what I have and what I know, but I'm not going to belittle them or push MY beliefs onto them. It's a personal decision, just like what you eat. You just have to find out what works best for you and your family. If getting the flu vax, or any others work and you believe they work, that's all that should matter to you, and good for you for doing what you feel is best for your family.

Absolutely not. You were not the rude one.

My hospital is demanding that everyone take the flu shot this year. You will be fired unless you have a Dr. Note or religous conviction. How would you feel about this at your work place?

you could get by with a religious conviction pretty easily.
It's easy to twist words to justify what you want to do/ don't want to do.

The usual wording is "conscience or religious belief" and includes such wording as: "the requirements of . . . conflict with my sincerely held convictions based on religion or conscience."

Yeah, in my state there is a standard form to fill out. Some people may not like the fact that the exemption exists, but it does. That's part of the first amendment.

True story: When I was in college (many, many moons ago), there was a measles outbreak on campus. I was barred from classes for two weeks because I wasn't vaccinated, until the outbreak calmed down. I failed two labs over it.

My girls are in K and 7th, and if an outbreak occurs they are excused and cannot return until the outbreak is over and you can make arrangements for them to do their work at home. Obviously not college, but they do make it reasonable so they don't get behind or fail. I know that the waivers they have cover them throughout the 12th grade, but I haven't looked at college requirements. But by then, they will be old enough to choose what goes into their bodies.

anyway, no real point here, just bored and rambling. it sure beats being bored and stuffing myself. :P

Just as a heads up you most definitely want to check out college requirements! It was required for me to get a menningitis (sp?) vaccine in order for me to move into the dorms (and those were the only students required at the time) because it can have such a quick on set and people think they have a cold or flu so don't get it checked out and then die because their brain enlarged. I took the vaccine because I had no issue with it and it was nice to have it even when I wasn't in the dorms. But a lot of campuses do have some sort of policy (in which for those allergic to eggs, etc will most likely be exempt) and it is at least nice to know what is going on.

You're not being a "guinea pig" by getting vaccines that have been proven time and time again to be safe and effective. A "guinea pig" would be trying a new vaccine that was in the research stages. Millions of people get vaccinated every year without incident.

Until they are 100% safe, and not one single person has an adverse reaction, or death due to a vaccine, I still won't trust them. Many of the people who have been injured or killed by vaccines probably thought they would not have any adverse affects. I choose not to take the risk to see if me or my kids will be in that number.

I hope you're not eating eggs, drinking milk, eat soy, eating nuts, etc. either then, because none of those things are 100% safe either. Also, don't take any anti-biotics, aspirin, tylenol, advil, cough medicine. Stay away from tea too.

Also, stay out of airports and hospitals. When your kid comes into contact with a person with measles, there won't be much you can do.

LOL I'm never in airports or hospitals. Seeing as how I don't travel, nor does anyone in our family ever get sick enough to go to the doctor, let alone a hospital. We don't eat soy. We don't take anti biotics. Most of my eggs come from MY chickens, and its rare I drink milk. The only tea I consume is medicinal herbal tea either for a tonic or a remedy. We don't do cough medicine, but damn straight I'm going to take something if have a headache.

Nothing is 100% safe, obviously, but surely common sense tells you (well, it does ME anyway), that some things are more dangerous than others. My job as a parent is to keep things that I feel are most dangerous away from my kids. Injecting a cocktail of chemicals *IMO* is worse than milk and eggs for breakfast.

Your children never hurt themselves either? Never had a splinter, a cut, a scrap?

No. Never in their life. My children are perfect.

Just so you know, tetanus isn't a disease you catch from others. It survives in the ground and having those chickens around makes for a better environment for it. If your children ever get a scrape that is abrasive where the bacteria can get trap in there or a splinter that causes a puncture, your child is going to be in a alot of trouble. All the people who catch tetanus are those who are not vaccinated for it.

You don't get tetanus from a scrape. Tetanus can only thrive in an anaerobic environment. If it bleeds, it's not anaerobic (which is why deep puncture wounds are more of an issue.) Tetanus is mostly a disease of people with poor circulation, for example, the elderly. Over a 7 year time span in the US (2000-2007) there were 31 reported cases. Less than 5 a year. If you got it from scratches or splinters, that number would be much higher. (Interesting note: higher chance if you are a heroin user.) In a few parts of the world, neonatal tetanus is an issue from cutting the umbilical cord with unclean instruments or from applying ash or cow dung to the cord (a traditional practice in some countries.) Hygienic delivery and cord care practices would drastically reduce that number.

Re: whopping cough: Dr David Witt at Kaiser (infectious disease specialist) in Marin county, CA noted that from the outbreak in March-Oct 2010, the majority of the whooping cough cases in that area were in the fully vaccinated, over 80%. Only 8% were unvaccinated (the rest were partially vaccinated.) Just because you get the vaccine does not mean you cannot get it or pass it.

Scrapes/cuts/splinters can cause the bacteria to get trapped into an anaerobic situation. Yes, its less then puncture wounds but its still possible. One of the main reasons its low in the US is because of the vaccination for it. Those who get it nearly always had not had the vaccination.

Edit: I'll go with saying its hard with a scrape that it depends on how deep, etc. But the other ways it is possible.

LOL I'm never in airports or hospitals. Seeing as how I don't travel, nor does anyone in our family ever get sick enough to go to the doctor, let alone a hospital.

Good, the fewer people your kids are around, the better for everyone. I hope they never plan on leaving their little world because it can be fatal to other people.

Hmm, how are her children going to be a threat to all the vaccinated people? The vaccinated people are immune, according to you.

Just think before you type.

Her children are not a threat to the vaccinated people. They are a threat to those people who were unable to get vaccinations for medical reasons.

Exactly!!!!! If vaccinations work, then how are unvaccinated kids a threat to vaccinated ones?

They are a threat to other children who are unvaccinated, adults who may never had been expose to the diseases or vaccinated and a threat to people who are unable to take the vaccinations for varies reasons.

Additionally, if you do some research into disease outbreaks, you will find that vaccinated kids still get measles, etc.

Example one. I'm allergic in a bad way to the Pertussis vaccine. With all the whooping cough outbreaks, I'm a tad nervous. I don't get PTO or sick days so um....yeah.

Most adults (who are a very large part of the population) have not been vaccinated for Hep A, Hep B, HiB, Pneumococcal, Meningococcal, MMR, Chicken Pox, Rotavirus and these diseases aren't running rampant throughout the population. We are neither contracting them or spreading them in any significant number.

Bust out your own vaccine record and look at it. I was born in 1980 and all I had was DPT and polio (and then MMR at age 12.) My parents were born in 1960, they got DTP, Polio, smallpox.

Nothing near the amount kids are getting today.