NJ to require all children attending preschool or daycare to get annual flu shots

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

New Jersey is the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers.

The state's health commissioner today approved amendments to the state's immunization rules for children.

Starting in September, all children attending preschool or licensed day care centers will be required to get an annual flu shot.

No other state requires that.

New Jersey also will require preschoolers to get a pneumococcal vaccine and sixth-graders to get a whooping cough booster shot and a meningitis shot.

The commissioner's decision comes after a health advisory board on Monday backed the new vaccine mandates over the opposition of some parents.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/n...equire_flu.html

[sereia 0]

they should give them out free then !

[Nessa 23]

I agree, sereia

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Or at least require insurance companies to cover them.

[kerewin21 2]

All vaccines, including the flu vaccine, are covered by insurance companies. For those without insurance, most states offer vaccines for free through the Vaccines for Children program.

It's good public health policy to vaccinate kids. It keeps them out of the hospital and prevents the flu from running amok among their friends and relatives, adding to herd immunity and, in theory, reducing the thousands of deaths we see yearly from the flu.

We spend a lot more to save a lot less lives every day (for instance: helicopter airlifts, NTSB investigations, etc)

[*JG* 2]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

Another question that oughta be asked is this - is it really in the best interests of our species to subvert natural selection by lowering mortality rates as much as possible?

[Jenn! 918]

I wonder what they'll do about kids who are allergic to eggs. Is there an alternative flu shot for them?

[kerewin21 2]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

That strategy's working great in Africa

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/...6/en/index.html

[*JG* 2]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

Another question that oughta be asked is this - is it really in the best interests of our species to subvert natural selection by lowering mortality rates as much as possible?

Doesn't every species try to protect themselves?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

Another question that oughta be asked is this - is it really in the best interests of our species to subvert natural selection by lowering mortality rates as much as possible?

Doesn't every species try to protect themselves?

This is true. So the viruses are our predators and we're constantly evolving to protect ourselves from them. Genius!

[*JG* 2]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

That strategy's working great in Africa

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/...6/en/index.html

I'm not talking about life threatening illnesses. Of course, the very young, the infirm, and the elderly should receive them. And, some vaccinations are a given.

But, one's like the flu shot. I used to get them all the time. The last few years, I haven't had the time. I haven't even had the flu. I've had the pneumovax shot when I was a child. Have not had it since (it has about a 10 year life span)....I haven't died from pneumonia yet. The new cervical cancer vaccination...how many women haven't died from not having it?

When do we go too far and ruin all our natural immunities?

[kerewin21 2]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

That strategy's working great in Africa

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/...6/en/index.html

I'm not talking about life threatening illnesses. Of course, the very young, the infirm, and the elderly should receive them. And, some vaccinations are a given.

But, one's like the flu shot. I used to get them all the time. The last few years, I haven't had the time. I haven't even had the flu. I've had the pneumovax shot when I was a child. Have not had it since (it has about a 10 year life span)....I haven't died from pneumonia yet. The new cervical cancer vaccination...how many women haven't died from not having it?

When do we go too far and ruin all our natural immunities?

The flu *is* a life-threatening illness. If you get it, sure, you'll probably be fine. But what about when you give it to your 1-year-old nephew or your 90-year-old grandmother?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/07/...ain535605.shtml

Similarly, pneumonia. If you get it, you're fine. If you get it and transmit it to the elderly or the young, they are *not* fine.

Other things we vaccinate for: measles, mumps, rubella: all life-threatening, even to healthy young adults. Polio: life-threatening, potentially horribly disabling, and people are still dying of it in developing countries (though it was close to being eliminated forever until politics got in the way). Rotavirus: causes diarrhea; in babies, this can kill them. Not too often in the US where access to care and clean water is good (though it can still happen), but in developing countries where such access is not available, preventing diarrhea is life-saving. I've seen babies and young children *die* of diarrhea. H. Flu: used to kill thousands of kids every year, now practically non-existent, thanks to, you guessed it, vaccines. Pertussis (whooping cough): still around a fair bit in our population and can kill babies and the elderly.

The HSV (aka cervical cancer) vaccination is too new to know what the impact is. Nobody will die immediately from not having it; in fact, very few people at all will die from not having it ever, if they get routing pap smears. However, people who get invasive cervical cancer die. Plus there is an incredible amount of morbidity (illness) from the virus causing cervical cancer: genital warts, abnormal pre-cancerous cervical cells. People have to have surgery to get these removed (which can be deadly in rare cases due to complications). If we can prevent or decrease them with a vaccine, we could save ourselves a lot of money, not to mention less people needing surgery.

If you want, go to a very poor country and you yourself can watch dozens of people die from preventable diseases or diseases that could be treated for less than you spend on a typical pair of shoes. Then you might be more grateful for our public health system.

[*JG* 2]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

That strategy's working great in Africa

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/...6/en/index.html

I'm not talking about life threatening illnesses. Of course, the very young, the infirm, and the elderly should receive them. And, some vaccinations are a given.

But, one's like the flu shot. I used to get them all the time. The last few years, I haven't had the time. I haven't even had the flu. I've had the pneumovax shot when I was a child. Have not had it since (it has about a 10 year life span)....I haven't died from pneumonia yet. The new cervical cancer vaccination...how many women haven't died from not having it?

When do we go too far and ruin all our natural immunities?

The flu *is* a life-threatening illness. If you get it, sure, you'll probably be fine. But what about when you give it to your 1-year-old nephew or your 90-year-old grandmother?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/07/...ain535605.shtml

Similarly, pneumonia. If you get it, you're fine. If you get it and transmit it to the elderly or the young, they are *not* fine.

Other things we vaccinate for: measles, mumps, rubella: all life-threatening, even to healthy young adults. Polio: life-threatening, potentially horribly disabling, and people are still dying of it in developing countries (though it was close to being eliminated forever until politics got in the way). Rotavirus: causes diarrhea; in babies, this can kill them. Not too often in the US where access to care and clean water is good (though it can still happen), but in developing countries where such access is not available, preventing diarrhea is life-saving. I've seen babies and young children *die* of diarrhea. H. Flu: used to kill thousands of kids every year, now practically non-existent, thanks to, you guessed it, vaccines. Pertussis (whooping cough): still around a fair bit in our population and can kill babies and the elderly.

The HSV (aka cervical cancer) vaccination is too new to know what the impact is. Nobody will die immediately from not having it; in fact, very few people at all will die from not having it ever, if they get routing pap smears. However, people who get invasive cervical cancer die. Plus there is an incredible amount of morbidity (illness) from the virus causing cervical cancer: genital warts, abnormal pre-cancerous cervical cells. People have to have surgery to get these removed (which can be deadly in rare cases due to complications). If we can prevent or decrease them with a vaccine, we could save ourselves a lot of money, not to mention less people needing surgery.

If you want, go to a very poor country and you yourself can watch dozens of people die from preventable diseases or diseases that could be treated for less than you spend on a typical pair of shoes. Then you might be more grateful for our public health system.

[*JG* 2]

The only thing I think when I see stories like this is....is it all really necessary? Are we just vaccinating everyone for everything for our own convenience? Would it not do our bodies good to accept some of these things we are getting vaccinated against and forming our own natural immunities?

Sometimes I feel like we are attempting to create some super virus which we will never be able to protect against because we are destroying any natural immunites we might have had if we had just fought the little stuff for a while.

That strategy's working great in Africa

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/...6/en/index.html

I'm not talking about life threatening illnesses. Of course, the very young, the infirm, and the elderly should receive them. And, some vaccinations are a given.

But, one's like the flu shot. I used to get them all the time. The last few years, I haven't had the time. I haven't even had the flu. I've had the pneumovax shot when I was a child. Have not had it since (it has about a 10 year life span)....I haven't died from pneumonia yet. The new cervical cancer vaccination...how many women haven't died from not having it?

When do we go too far and ruin all our natural immunities?

The flu *is* a life-threatening illness. If you get it, sure, you'll probably be fine. But what about when you give it to your 1-year-old nephew or your 90-year-old grandmother?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/07/...ain535605.shtml

Similarly, pneumonia. If you get it, you're fine. If you get it and transmit it to the elderly or the young, they are *not* fine.

Other things we vaccinate for: measles, mumps, rubella: all life-threatening, even to healthy young adults. Polio: life-threatening, potentially horribly disabling, and people are still dying of it in developing countries (though it was close to being eliminated forever until politics got in the way). Rotavirus: causes diarrhea; in babies, this can kill them. Not too often in the US where access to care and clean water is good (though it can still happen), but in developing countries where such access is not available, preventing diarrhea is life-saving. I've seen babies and young children *die* of diarrhea. H. Flu: used to kill thousands of kids every year, now practically non-existent, thanks to, you guessed it, vaccines. Pertussis (whooping cough): still around a fair bit in our population and can kill babies and the elderly.

The HSV (aka cervical cancer) vaccination is too new to know what the impact is. Nobody will die immediately from not having it; in fact, very few people at all will die from not having it ever, if they get routing pap smears. However, people who get invasive cervical cancer die. Plus there is an incredible amount of morbidity (illness) from the virus causing cervical cancer: genital warts, abnormal pre-cancerous cervical cells. People have to have surgery to get these removed (which can be deadly in rare cases due to complications). If we can prevent or decrease them with a vaccine, we could save ourselves a lot of money, not to mention less people needing surgery.

If you want, go to a very poor country and you yourself can watch dozens of people die from preventable diseases or diseases that could be treated for less than you spend on a typical pair of shoes. Then you might be more grateful for our public health system.

My husband is from Jamaica....pretty sure I've been to a poor country as you are describing and seen it all.

If you had read my last post, you would see I specifically mentioned the need for the very young, the infirm and the elderly to receive them.

I am just questioning how much damage we do to our immune systems by getting some of the unnecessary ones. Same way I question the explosion of antibiotic useage.