Summer passport

Tomorrow is the last day of school. We already have a posterboard full of fun ideas for entertainment, education and project completion.

Normally summers go by too fast and I regret the time I spent on silly things so this summer I'm scheduling and being purposeful with my time. Here are a few ideas I've had

1. Reserve good, educational books for Zak and Eliot without their knowledge so that each time we go to the library they will have a surprise waiting for them.

2. Finish another 10 hikes from our 101 hikes of San Luis Obispo County book. It may take a few years but I am determined to get through it. We've had a great time discovering little pockets of our county we otherwise would have never come across.

3. I'm going to get some guide books from the library and find something I've never heard of or go some place I've never been. We've lived here 10 years and I'm always suprised by how little we know of all the great things this county offers. It's time to become a tourist!

4. I need to get to know the parents of all my kids' school friends better so we are planning a few "Family Playdates".

5. Go on a few weekend trips to places I've been meaning to take the kids for awhile like Monteray Bay Aquarium, The Getty Museum, The Huntington Library , and others.

I'd love a few more suggestions or ideas of great things to do this summer to add to our list.  Have a good recommendation?  Please share!!!!

Vaccination Debate

I'm not going to lie.  All of my kids are up to date on all their vaccinations (except for the baby).  None of them have had an adverse reaction.  None of them are autistic.  No harm no foul ... right?

But forgive me for over thinking this but I'm wondering why?  What is the point of vaccines?  Is it to prevent children from diseases they would most likely come in contact with and die from or expirience complications from?  I think we all think so.  Here is the list of the top 5 vaccinations, risks of contracting the disease and risk of death from these diseases.


1. Pertussis: 2010 saw the largest outbreak of pertussis in 65 years in California.  There were a total of 9,477 cases and 10 infant deaths (if you read the case studies on this it looks as if at least one of the infants had recieved the vaccine)

so ... with the population of California at 37253956, total cases in California = 9,477 do the math.  The chance of getting pertussis in California in an outbreak year is .00254%.  The chance of dying from pertussis is so incredibly small it is irrelevant, also, 90% of the cases were in individuals that are Hispanic.  I think I can safely say that this risk is low.  (Numbers come from the CDC the analysis comes from me so if the math is wrong it is my fault)

2. Diptheria:

"Recent Outbreaks
Locally, in the United States, there is an average of only 0 – 5 cases per year now with a 5-10% fatality rate.According to PAHO (Pandemic American Health Organization), the only recent epidemic of this disease occurred in Haiti beginning on August 3 2009 in which 33 cases were reported with 15 fatalities resulting (2-3). In 2007, 4190 cases were reported world-wide to the WHO (World Health Organization). According to the WHO, Armenia, Estonia, Lithuania and Uzbekistan currently have a rate of infection of .5 to 1 in 100,000 people with a fatality rate of 6-10% while Russia and Tajikistan have a rate of infection of 27 – 32 in a 100,000 people with a fatality rate of 2 – 3%."

Risk factors = living outside the US.  Here the risks are so amazingly tiny I won't bother with the math.

3. Tetnus: According to the CDC website

The average annual number of tetanus cases during 1998--2000 was 43 --- 45 cases in 1998, 42 in 1999, and 43 in 2000. The lowest average annual number of cases for a 3-year period in the United States since tetanus became reportable in 1947 was 41 cases per year during 1995--1997 (1). The average annual incidence rate during 1998--2000 was 0.16 cases per million population, approximately the same as the average annual rate during 1995--1997 (0.15 cases per million population). The incidence rate during 1998--2000 was a 96% decrease from 3.9 cases per million population reported in 1947

I could not find data for the last 10 years.  Risk for getting tetnus seems amazingly low.

4. Rotavirus:

"Vaccinated and unvaccinated children may develop rotavirus disease more than once because there are many different types of rotavirus and because neither vaccine nor natural infection provides full immunity (protection) from future infections. Usually a person’s first infection with rotavirus causes the most severe symptoms."  According to the CDC, the vaccine isn't super effective and according to this website the need for a vaccine for this is pretty shaky. The author of the article got most of their info off the CDC's webpage.

5. H. influenzae type b (Hib)
In 2009 there were a whopping 79 cases in California reported.  That gives us a risk of .000212% I'm shaking in my boots.  The fear is getting to be  overwhelming.  Better go out and vaccinate my baby. 

I understand the need to "vaccinate the herd" and  I will eventually bring Charissa's vaccinations up to date to be a good sheep but I'm more comfortable with my decision to delay it for now.  I feel like I need to be armed with facts and figures after the tongue lashing I got last time I refused the silver needle.  I just want to protect her as long as I can.