I support vaccinations, although I do think they vaccinate babies too young and too close together - at 3 months, their immune systems are still constructing themselves based on antibodies from Mom (if she breastfeeds), and getting vaccinations every 90 days until they're a year old is harsh.
However, I've had pertussis (whooping cough). I was 11 years old (just the age they've discovered kids need a booster), and I missed 6 weeks of school, plus an additional 2 weeks of half-days. Thank God for my 5th-grade teacher who worked with me, or I would have been held back a year. I was so sick I wanted to DIE - try coughing for 10-15 minutes every hour 'round-the-clock for 2 weeks during the worst of it) and see how you feel! The sad part is the doctor didn't even recognize it - I recognized it a few years later when I was reading a book called "Mothers - Recognize Your Child's Sickness" printed in 1953!! I wouldn't wish pertussis on my worst enemy (or Dick Cheney, even).
As far as hepatitis vaccinations go, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B have both been linked to liver cancer (especially Hepatitis B). So which is worse - a vaccination or CANCER? Both viruses sporulate, which means they can survive on surfaces for a looooong time until someone touches their nose/mouth/eyes with their hands (like kids do ALL THE TIME). In addition, Hepatitis B virus can be spread through unsafe sex practices. Get the vaccination.
Mumps is linked to male infertility (especially if you get it as an adult). Measles in pregnant women lead to birth defects such as deafness, and can kill babies. Polio not only causes paralysis of the legs, in a small number of cases it affects muscles like the ones involved in breathing. Those kids DIE, unless they're put on a ventilator. Sometimes, that paralysis is permanent. Get the vaccination!
Tetanus kills in a horrible way. Its folk name is "lockjaw." Three guesses as to why. It can also cause muscle spasms so strong that the spine can be cracked. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Get the vaccination, and the boosters! It's only once every ten years, for cripes' sake!
Diptheria kills, too. That's the "D" part of the DTP (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccination. It's horrendously contagious, and it kills by essentially strangling you as the throat swells shut (plus fever, etc.). How many Americans have seen a child die that way, here in America? Betcha it's not many.
As far as flu and pneumonia vaccinations go, I think they're best for the very young and the elderly, who don't have a lot of "give" when it comes to these diseases. I remember how sick my mother was with the Hong Kong Flu (1970's), and she did not get vaccinated. If she had not been in her 30's, it could have killed her.
Get the damn vaccinations!
