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Notes -
When vaccinating your kid (a US citizen) what vaccination schedule should you go with?
The standard US one
The standard of a different country which you think is better run (I picked Denmark)
Something else
I had a discussion with Grok 3 about this, and it seemed like it wanted to defend the US schedule (35 shots) until I pressed it about the Danish schedule (11 shots). Then it claimed that US schedule is necessary in the US because of different socioeconomic conditions. It seems like the US recommendations are based on helping the underclasses. For example, Hep B. My wife doesn't have Hep B. My kid won't get Hep B as a child. But a kid whose mom is a prostitute very much needs to be vaccinated for Hep B at birth.
In any case, after the censorship and disinformation promulgated by the US health agencies during the pandemic, I don't trust them. And clearly there is a corrupting profit motive here too. In this corrupted epistemic environment we simply don't know what the effects of giving kids 35 vaccine shots (plus annual flu and Covid shots) will be. I make no strong claims about vaccine injuries, and I think most vaccines are net positive. But I think, for my child, the Danish schedule + chicken pox is sufficient. At a minimum, I am deadset against any Covid vaccines. Can't say I look forward to arguing with nurses about this.
I’m also going to ask you to reconsider.
I realize I may have little credibility with you. Maybe this comes across like those cave diver signs. But I seriously think there’s nothing on this hill worth dying for. You’re accepting a mild risk for literally zero benefit.
The main differences between our and Denmark’s schedules appear to be COVID, Hep A and B, rotavirus, and varicella. I could make cases for most of those. Rotavirus is vaccinated in most countries; I don’t know why Denmark declined. Varicella has lower uptake, either because of cost or because it’s risky when only children are covered. On the other hand, I had it as a small child. It sucked, I still have a couple minor scars, and I get to be at risk for shingles in the future.
We’ve given ~84% of children immunity to Hep B worldwide. Between that and Universal Precautions, your child will probably be fine without such immunity. Though it’ll still be wise if he or she goes into medicine, works with the less fortunate, or wants to visit Africa or Southeast Asia. And it’s generally better to be prepared.
These vaccines aren’t novel. Everything except the COVID shots has been on our schedule since 2001. We have had decades to learn about potential side effects. We’ve also had significant political shifts. Assuming that it’s all fake and gay because of the Current Thing is a mistake. Assuming such because of a chatbot’s medical opinions is worse.
Skip the COVID shots if you want, especially if you don’t have any old or obese relatives watching the kids. But please stick with the rest of the standard schedule.
If vaccination science ends up in the dustbin of history, just because of its complicity in the house arrests, it would hardly be the first field to be discredited to a great extent due to a single policy miss. Eugenics enjoyed widespread among high-information voters, before it got tied up with the nazis. Race science had its own experts, now they exist only on the margins.
Personally I am not a vaccine skeptic like OP, but he lives in a world where reasoning I explained is considered mainstream. I can hardly blame him for applying it to his own pet issue.
I don’t think eugenics had a single policy miss. With the technology of the day, basically every eugenic intervention was draconian. There was no PGS, no embryo selection. Governments settled for banning miscegenation and sterilizing undesirables.
The big exception would be immigration restrictions. I’d say those are still widely accepted with some caveats.
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Vaccines aren't my pet issue. I just have to make a decision soon on Hep B.
And, yes, I think it's important not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Vegetarianism is fine even though Hitler advocated it, etc... I find myself having to take an unpopular stance here mostly for rhetorical reasons. And it seems to have gotten one person in particular very fired up. But, unquestionably vaccines are good on net, even the Covid vaccine (for people at highest risk). But every vaccine is not for everybody.
Hep B can be given at any point, so you don't need to make a decision 'soon'. You can refuse at birth and get it later.
Yes. They give it at birth to prevent transmission from mother to child. My wife doesn't have Hep B risk factors and has tested negative, so there is no immediate need in our case.
Can also get it from blood transfusions, though this is rare (but not unheard of) in the US, so it can hedge against unexpected surgery or injury. Also from accidental needle sticks depending on location (city playgrounds etc) So probably worth getting sooner rather than later as there are multiple vectors even for kids and the vaccine has a low risk profile.
Think we started my three at about 6 months old on that series so it would be complete before they were in the outdoor run around phase.
Though I did move around the world significantly when my kids were young so we were very aggressive with vaccinations. India, Pakistan, China, Egypt, at a certain point the risks outweigh almost any vaccine side effects if expecting to travel/live in non-first world countries significantly.
That probably doesn't apply to you though. But important for army/diplo kids.
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