Vaccinations

[jec]

I respect the families decisions but I do insist on knowing whether they are vaxers or not so I can protect their children properly.

Pardon my own ignorance by this question but protect them how?

[mom-in-alberta]

Whether or not a parent chooses to vaccinate is completely up to them, it has become a personal choice, and I don't even ask. I used to.
If someone doesn't get their child vaccinated, they have (or should have) done all the research beforehand. They are aware of any possible risks that they are taking.
If someone HAS vaccinated their child, then it is of absolutely no concern to them whether or not others have. They have taken the necessary steps (in their mind) to protect their child. To say that they are at risk being around unvaccinated kids is silly. They could just as easily pick up a virus/illness from the shopping cart at WalMart as they could from being around non-vaxed kids. As playfelt said, vaxed kids still get chicken pox, mumps, etc.
PS- This is coming from a mom whose older 3 kids are all completely up to date on their "needles", but has not yet taken the 6 month old in for hers. I haven't yet decided whether she will not be getting them at all, or whether we are just delaying them.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I agree with Momof4 ... it is important to know who is vaxed and who is a non vaxer within your program so that if you are ever 'exposed' to something while out at a playgroup and so forth you can take the proper steps to notify your clients and ensure that you are following the Public Health guidelines around exclusion with that client!

So for example I remember reading a few years back there was an outbreak of Mumps I believe it was in a school community because of the combination of people who had either not been vaxed at all or the number of people who had not kept up with the 'booster' and it started spreading like wild fire and so to get it under control those who had been exposed and were not up to date with vax had to be quarantined at home until the 'incubation' period had passed with no new cases reported in the schools, daycares, hospitals and so forth.

So in a situation like that we would need to know who was NOT up to date with vaccination so we are not unknowingly taking them out and about in the community through our programs putting pregnant mamas at risk and so forth.


I also get the desire to have those who do vax do it on a Friday or to require an 24-48 hour exclusion after vaxing where they are home for observation because there CAN be deadly allergic reactions to vaccines and I would not want one of those to happen in MY CARE ... so that policy is not only to protect myself but to protect other children from having to ever SEE something like that occur to a peer

I totally GET that to vax or not is a VERY personal choice .... however because it is a choice that could negatively impact ANOTHER we need to be careful ... there are new born babes and pregnant mamas out in our communities who could have deadly consequences if any of these major diseases are brought BACK due to lack of immunized population growing again ... IMO we need to make sure we take precautions to protect those people from our choices too ... this is why the public health keeps records of who is immunized and who is not in schools and daycares and so forth so that in an 'outbreak' they can quickly contain it!

[Momof4]

Pardon my own ignorance by this question but protect them how?

I want to know if they are vaxers or not because I want to make sure their doctor's appointments for shots are scheduled for Fridays so the parents have them home for the weekend in case they need medication. I won't administer fever meds or allow a child with a high fever to attend daycare.

Also, I have a family in care who do not vax and if another child has just received a Varicella shot for instance and comes to daycare and coughs in the face of the non-vaxed child, is it certain that the cells for Varicella are not contained in the aspiration in that cough? Maybe this little non-vaxed girl will catch Varicella in JK, but as long as she's in my daycare I'm doing all I can to protect her. You see?

[Sarah]

I am a mom of 3, and over the years, I have been thinking about the vaccination issue a lot. My first son is up to date (except for boosters if some were due, I have no clue!), my second child is "half" vaccinated. My 4 years old daughter has gotten 1 shot, the first scheduled one. Than this was it for me, my decision to not do vaccines was taken

When I took this decision, I was aware that in the case of a breakdown my kids would be affected more than someone elses vaccinated kid! But as they grow older, the risks are lower, and lower. But if they were going to a daycare, I would like the provider to respect my decision. There is no laws in Canada that forces vaccination.

By not vaccinating my kids, I chose to put them at a higher risk of getting these illnesses, but it is not putting the other kids at a higher risk. The non vaccinated kids are not carriers of the illnesses more then vaccinated ones. In the case of a breackthrough ALL kids will be equally carriers, so isolating the non vaccinated kids is for their protection, not the one of the olders.

My kids have been in contact with chicken pox, never got it except for my vaccinated one! How weird ?! I personnally was vaccinated, a got the whooping cough...

Anyway, I don't want to debate this, I just would love everyone to see that as much as vaccination is a good thing, it is a personnal family choice that does not affect a daycare!

[jec]

Anyway, I don't want to debate this, I just would love everyone to see that as much as vaccination is a good thing, it is a personnal family choice that does not affect a daycare!

I did not bring this topic up for debate however, nothing wrong with a good debate as long as we respect each other by listening instead of being critical.

I disagree that it does not affect a daycare. My responsibility as a daycare provider is to look out for the well being of the children in my care.
I contacted Telehealth and they forwarded me to the county health deptartment -more specific the infectious diseases clinics. As I came to the forum to find out what everyone thought/knew about it could tell me.
This is what I found out ~ which as the debate of if they are good or bad this answer doesn't pick as side as some would say that the health care professionals are wrong. The measles, mumps and rubella (sorry of my spelling) are all live virus that given through the injection, they are not going to get passed on. However, the chicken pox virus does have a slight chance of being passed on to someone who doesn't have the vaccine.
So ...back to where I agree 100% with everyone here that this is a personal choice and not one to be judged as every parent does what they feel is best for their children. For those who choose not to get their children vaccinated, I need to, as a provider, inform those families that children in my care might be getting the vaccination so, if they choose to keep their child home, they can.
Like Reggio said, she found a policy for her that keeps everyone happy, that is what I am trying to do. Find a policy that will allow all families to feel that I am looking out for the well being of all children in my care.

The reason there is a required record of those who are vaccinated is if there is a breakout, according to the sources above, that if say a child around 16-18 months of age to be more speicific with our business instead of the school aged children ~ if they have not recieved the booster, they run the risk of getting infected and passing on the disease and infecting more. So it is to control more of an outbreak. to protect everyone.

For me, I will be allowing any family either vaccinated or not but do require to know when someone has chosen to not get the vaccinations and those who do choose, I am informed of what is being given so I can inform the families who have chosen not to be vaccinated what their child will be around. It again, turns into the parent's of the unvaccinated child decision to pull them from care as it is usually 2-3 days before the body can build up immune to the injection. Again, though, from my sources above, it is only the chicken pox vaccination that runs the risk of passing it on.

Everyone is right, vaccinated or not, your child still runs the risk of getting any of these but- I think again, it's my job to make everyone informed so they again, can choose for their family.

[jec]

Again, so many different views of this subject...I think it only right to keep everyone informed so they can make the right decsion for their children.
Because their is no definative proof either way...just keeping everyone informed helps families in my mind, make the right choice for them.

[Sandbox Sally]

For me, I will be allowing any family either vaccinated or not but do require to know when someone has chosen to not get the vaccinations and those who do choose, I am informed of what is being given so I can inform the families who have chosen not to be vaccinated what their child will be around. It again, turns into the parent's of the unvaccinated child decision to pull them from care as it is usually 2-3 days before the body can build up immune to the injection. Again, though, from my sources above, it is only the chicken pox vaccination that runs the risk of passing it on.

Why not just tell everyonein your daycare when someone is vaccinated against varicella, or if there's been an exposure, and just leave it at that? The parents can then be informed, and use this information to decide the next course of action with their child, whether it be to keep them home, or to get them checked out for a potential infection if they're unvaccinated.

There is still no need for a daycare provider to know the vaccination status of their charges, imo.

[playfelt]

That is basically what I do in that if there is a chance anyone in the daycare "family" including older siblings have come in contact with anything I spread the word around so we can all be cautious. If a parent feels really concerned because their child has not been vaccinated they have the option to at that point see their doctor immediately to get it done or to take whatever steps they want to.

[jec]

For me I wondered why I needed at first to know any of this...then one of my friends who is very passionate about not vaccinating her children tell me that she doesnt' believe that is' just one vaccine- the chicken pox that can be transmitted and I should be informing her, if her child was in my care, if there was any vaccines. She doesn't believe that it is just the chicken pox vaccine that can be transmitted.

I"m just trying to come up with something to keep all happy. I had called telehealth to find out why the school system needed to know in the first place why anyone is vaccinated or not.
I thought informing all would just keep the choice that of the parents, which again where the choice is.

Thing is, I have always had in my contract ( due to my own ignorance on the topic) that everyone had to be up to date on vaccines as I thought through my Dr that it was how it had to be.
The parents currently in my care all have their children up to date but bringing a new family is that isn't, I just wanted to word something to make it look as though I was covering all.
ugh ~