Thread: Vaccinations

Originally Posted by 350RRC

Just something I posted in a similar thread some years ago............

'I am somewhat loathe to get into this argument, but feel I should now.

I was born in 1958 and my father was an infectious diseases specialist. He was sent to the CDC in Atlanta in the early 80’s for nine months by the Au gov to learn all about the (then) new AIDS disease and be a lead part of dealing with the prob here.

Later he also advised the NZ gov to vaccinate the whole Maori population for Hep (B?, C?) which was going to cost many millions of dollars and was very contentious …….. they did this and don’t regret it.

When I was little I was immunized for diptheria, smallpox and not much else. Anyone remember diptheria?

I can remember my father coming home from work in about 1964 with a new thing that was liquid and translucent pink and lining up with my brother and sister to take it………… it was the Salk polio vaccine. My Dad just said something like ‘ This so important for you, this is a really big deal’

We took it, probably some of the first in Au.

I never got polio, but knew plenty who had, including family members.

In the hospital that my father worked (Fairfield, Vic) there was a whole ward of polio victims that were on respirators, i.e. totally paralized who’d been there for years. As a little kid I was one first name terms. Some of them are still alive.

In those days they were in a real ‘iron lung’ and looked up at the ceiling or an angled mirror (to see around the room).

THAT WAS THEIR WHOLE LIFE.

Fairfield had big backup generators in case the power failed, and also had backup procedures in place in case they failed as well.

These were bad polio cases, but what about all the ‘milder’ ones that required a leg caliper, two leg calipers, or a whole body caliper?

In many cases a ‘mild’ case of polio could soak up a farming family’s financial and time resources over many decades. (This actually happened in my maternal grandfather’s family case near Lockhart in NSW between the wars)

THIS HAS BEEN PREVENTABLE NOW SINCE THE 60’S.

Sure the are going to be some stuff ups with vaccinations, but even those attending Kingdom Hall in Nimbin tonight should not be promoting an irrational, uninformed say in the ‘cost benefit’ analysis.

As a kid I had hooping cough, chickenpox, shingles; measles and the german variety back to back, dunno about mumps. Lived through it.

Kids these days are immune from these evils (even cervical cancer……….. fantastic AU achievement) through vaccination.

I’d probably be four inches taller now if I hadn’t copped the measles thing back to back at age 6 (not whinging)………… it ain’t the (non existent) hormones in chicken making kids today bigger, they just don’t get these diseases anymore affecting early physical development because they’re vaccinated against them.

The point is that mega misery (physical, psychological and financial) can be prevented with good science and governance, and people can go on in life and reach their full potential if irrational interests are discounted.'

cheers, DL

Well said. I had whooping cough, chickenpox and measles as a kid. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. Vaccination has been so successful that people have forgotten how bad it used to be before vaccinations. We have become complacent. I hope my grandchildren never suffer because of that complacency.

If London was a country TB would be considered to be at epidemic levels. When mixed into national statics it does not show. Doctor says not to let kids not yet immunised our in places with lots of people due to risk. How many have been in holiday in London without knowing risk or how best to mitigate

I remember TB being described as a disease of overcrowded housing and poverty. Much of London fits this description.

It's no wonder you see so many Asians wearing face masks. It's not just the flu they're afraid of.
Face masks are a good idea actually. Maybe we will all have to wear them if immunisation rates keep falling to protect us from disease carriers.

When I was in the Australian High Commission in KL in the 80s , we had a doctor who worked full time looking at Xrays of Vietnamese refugees applying to come to Australia for TB.

He caught most of them and they were treated but still a few got through and it caused a jump in cases in Australia.

Regards PhilipA

Originally Posted by 350RRC

Just something I posted in a similar thread some years ago............

'I am somewhat loathe to get into this argument, but feel I should now.

I was born in 1958 and my father was an infectious diseases specialist. He was sent to the CDC in Atlanta in the early 80’s for nine months by the Au gov to learn all about the (then) new AIDS disease and be a lead part of dealing with the prob here.

Later he also advised the NZ gov to vaccinate the whole Maori population for Hep (B?, C?) which was going to cost many millions of dollars and was very contentious …….. they did this and don’t regret it.

When I was little I was immunized for diptheria, smallpox and not much else. Anyone remember diptheria?

I can remember my father coming home from work in about 1964 with a new thing that was liquid and translucent pink and lining up with my brother and sister to take it………… it was the Salk polio vaccine. My Dad just said something like ‘ This so important for you, this is a really big deal’

We took it, probably some of the first in Au.

I never got polio, but knew plenty who had, including family members.

In the hospital that my father worked (Fairfield, Vic) there was a whole ward of polio victims that were on respirators, i.e. totally paralized who’d been there for years. As a little kid I was one first name terms. Some of them are still alive.

In those days they were in a real ‘iron lung’ and looked up at the ceiling or an angled mirror (to see around the room).

THAT WAS THEIR WHOLE LIFE.

Fairfield had big backup generators in case the power failed, and also had backup procedures in place in case they failed as well.

These were bad polio cases, but what about all the ‘milder’ ones that required a leg caliper, two leg calipers, or a whole body caliper?

In many cases a ‘mild’ case of polio could soak up a farming family’s financial and time resources over many decades. (This actually happened in my maternal grandfather’s family case near Lockhart in NSW between the wars)

THIS HAS BEEN PREVENTABLE NOW SINCE THE 60’S.

Sure the are going to be some stuff ups with vaccinations, but even those attending Kingdom Hall in Nimbin tonight should not be promoting an irrational, uninformed say in the ‘cost benefit’ analysis.

As a kid I had hooping cough, chickenpox, shingles; measles and the german variety back to back, dunno about mumps. Lived through it.

Kids these days are immune from these evils (even cervical cancer……….. fantastic AU achievement) through vaccination.

I’d probably be four inches taller now if I hadn’t copped the measles thing back to back at age 6 (not whinging)………… it ain’t the (non existent) hormones in chicken making kids today bigger, they just don’t get these diseases anymore affecting early physical development because they’re vaccinated against them.

The point is that mega misery (physical, psychological and financial) can be prevented with good science and governance, and people can go on in life and reach their full potential if irrational interests are discounted.'

cheers, DL

Perhaps you should check your facts, then edit the misinformation out.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Well said. I had whooping cough, chickenpox and measles as a kid. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. Vaccination has been so successful that people have forgotten how bad it used to be before vaccinations. We have become complacent. I hope my grandchildren never suffer because of that complacency.

My primary school had several kids in various calipers from polio. One boy in my class had so severe a dose of measles he had brain damage (intellectual handicaps) and impaired vision (coke bottle glasses) when he returned to school after several months absence. One class down had a boy who was severely affected by a bad dose of German measles as a prep student. He was very bright and placed high in exam results. However he had almost unintelligible speech and was very hard of hearing, poor bugger. Quite a number of kids had some affects from chicken pox and measles. I don't know about whooping cough and diptheria. I think they died. In Brisbane there was a major epidemic of chicken pox towards the end of WW2 and of measles around 1950. Polio was always the elephant in the room.

Tories plan vaccination text reminders from GPs to boost uptake

Tories plan vaccination text reminders from GPs to boost uptake | Society | The Guardian