Chicken Pox Party?

My child has chickenpox, bring your children over for a party!  Such was a common practice since the 50’s; before vaccination, parents had few options.  Exposure to any “wild” virus offers better immunity that a vaccination.  This is a logical assumption since all viruses generally enter the body thru the eyes, nose or mouth and follow a normal immune response verses as a puncture wound.  Getting chickenpox is reported to give permanent immunity to chickenpox while vaccination is only temporary requiring booster shots.  Many of the earlier complications included Reye syndrome that was associated with giving a child aspirin while they had a viral infection.  Never give a child aspirin.

As some parents continue this practice, The Atlantic reports some state health officials are “cracking down on these parents who play Russian roulette with their children’s health.”  They are particularly baffled since a vaccine for chickenpox was approved in 1995.  Having an unequivocal belief that any vaccine is worthwhile could be a barrier to looking at actual risk, benefits, and options.

Varicella zoster (Chickenpox), a member of the herpes family, is a relatively mild childhood disease but can be difficult for adults.  Whether you choose exposure to the wild virus or a vaccination, make sure your child is healthy at the time.  Never vaccinate a child that is sick.  Recently vaccinated children can be contagious so they should not be around pregnant women or individuals with compromised immune systems.

Prior to 1986 the risk of deaths from chickenpox complications was less than 50 children per year, which is 0.0014% (Preblud, S.R. Pediatrics 1986;78:728-735).  These are generally associated with previously compromised immune systems.  Women that contract chickenpox while pregnant during the first 16 weeks have a higher risk of birth defects in their child. 

Complications of the vaccine include pneumonitis (<1%) and seizures (<0.1%) The FDA Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System during the first year of the vaccine reported over 1,500 events, 76 were serious, with 2 deaths.  Vaccine injury information documented a decreased incidence of chicken pox but an increase in the Herpes Zoster (shingles) infection or a reactivation to Herpes Zoster.  Normally the Herpes Zoster does not occur in children.  There are also reported outbreaks of chicken pox in vaccinated children. 

It seems clear that natural immunity is superior.   However, parents should make informed choices about their children's health.  This includes actually looking in to vaccine information concerning risks and benefits.

Stay Well!

 

Vaccination Exemptions

Since the influenza vaccination blog, I have received many comments and requests for additional information about the legal exemption for vaccination.  North Carolina Vaccination Law offers two options:

1. The medical exemption requires that a physician certifies the vaccination would be “detrimental to a person’s health due to the presence of one of the contraindications” for that vaccination.  An example of a contraindication includes anyone with an allergy to any component of the vaccination including eggs.  Another possibility is anyone that is immunocompromised.   
2. The religeous exemption requires the individual to submit a “written statement of the bona fide religious beliefs and opposition to the immunization requirements, the person may attend the college, university, school or facility without presenting a certificate of immunization.

Just for the record, I am not a biblical scholar.  A common religious or spiritual principle is to keep the body pure.  While few of us will reach a state of perfection, many still strive to take care of their body by making healthful choices.  This includes not consciously taking in toxic material.  Some basic tenants of a religious or spiritual exemption may include:

1. A religious or spiritual biblical concept that views the body as a temple of God.  (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
2. Blood purity and the warning against the mixing of blood. (Leviticus 17:14)  There are other biblical references to blood.  Many vaccinations are blood products. 
3. There are some that make a case forbidding the combination of genetic material.   Leviticus 19:19 warns against mixing two different seeds in a field.  This practice results in cross-pollination which may alter the viability of the seed.  To maintain the purity of a seed means not mixing foreign RNA or DNA.  Vaccines are or contain foreign RNA or DNA.  This practice theoretically means that the substance can combine with our genetic material, creating a mutation.  This translates into potential cancer or other health issues. 

 I can only conclude that prepared immunizations do not conform to scriptural rules for hygiene.ealth care decisions on behalf of their children.  

The Pastoral Medical Association statement is as follows:  

The PMA encourages individuals to seek informed professional advice, considering both the scientific as well as the scriptural in all health matters affecting themselves or their families. We believe and support the God given right of every individual to choose or refuse conventional ideas that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs, as so ordained in the Supreme Law of the Creator.