Welcome to NJ.. Got Shots?

October 22, 2008

Welcome to NJ.. Got Shots?

New Jersey may be the Garden State but it also could be called the vaccination state. Here in Jersey more vaccines are required for children than in any other state- or any other place in the world for that matter. Coincidentally, the 3 largest pharmaceutical companies...they are in NJ too.

Thinking of getting a flu shot? No worries. You don't even need the hassle of calling your doctors office and being put on hold while you make an appointment. Places like Shop-Rite or Target have signs that they "sell" the flu-shot for $30, no appointment needed. How convenient.

Speaking of the flu shot. NJ is making big news in the world of the flu shot - formerly considered an "optional" but recommended innoculation. But not in New Jersey. We in NJ are living through a "first". Mandated annual flu shots for children ages 6 months - 59 months and they will need this shot to remain in preschool or childcare centers.

That's right. Proverbial pink slips coming home for kids who have not had the flu shot saying that they cannot attend school after December if they do not have the shot.

The legislation that made the flu shot mandatory in New Jersey was actually passed in December 2007. I follow the topic of vaccinations closely so I saw it happening and was horrified, but not surprised to see this happening in New Jersey.

Many parents don't believe in the flu shot, including me. When I was pregnant I got the flu shot for the only time in my life and I got the flu anyways. Now, the package insert states it hasn't even been tested to see if it passes from mother to the fetus. If cold medicines or coffee can pass to the fetus, logic dictates to me that of course a shot would.

"Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza Virus Vaccine. It is not known whether Influenza Virus Vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Influenza Virus Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed." (package insert)

My 7 year old son has Autism - he received a flu shot one time also, the same day that he received his MMR and a cocktail of several other vaccines. I believe that he got too many shots, too soon and it gives me good reason to be gunshy about shots. Now the NJ government wants to require that my healthy happy neurotypical three-year-old daughter gets a flu shot in order to attend pre-school. I've spent hours reading package inserts, talking to professionals, perusing websites. At the end of the day the flu shot is still a thimerosal (mercury) containing vaccine - a known neurotoxin. Even the thimerosal-free version of the shot still contains trace amounts. The bottom line is that regardless of whether or not there is proven link between Autism and Thimerosal, I'm not comfortable with the idea of injecting my happy healthy neurotypical child with a shot containing a known neurotoxin, even in trace amounts.

Now that we are "back to school" and in flu-shot season many parents are in panic mode. We are getting down to the wire with the cut-off date (December) to get the shot or get out. Over the past few weeks my phone and email have seen a lot of action because of the flu shot mandate. Parents who don't "do" the flu shot want to know: "Will my child be kicked out of school? Is there any way around getting the flu shot aside from taking him/her out of school". The only legal exemption from the mandated flu shot is by medical (i.e. an egg allergy) or religious exemption - or to homeschool. On October 16th, I was among the hundreds of concerned parents, professionals and beautiful children who rallied on the state house steps in Trenton to support vaccination choice. The bill supporting the right for conscientous exemption (A260/S1071) in New Jersey has not yet passed. There are 19 other states that support conscientous exemption, but New Jersey is not yet one of them.

Original New Jersey Moms Blog post. Read more adventures in vaccination from MaryTara at her blog The Bon Bon Gazette where she shares Jersey Shore life with autism and without it.