There are people who oppose the Hep B and HPV for religious reasons - they think only people who shoot heroin and/or live “the homosexual lifestyle” get Hep B and that if their kids and their potential partners all abstain until marriage they won’t need the HPV. I get the sense that some of that reluctance bleeds into larger conspiracy theories about liberal government trying to tell you how to raise your kids.
As to Christian Science, from what I read, there is no absolute prohibition against vaccines per se, but it seems that many of the adherents of this religion had concluded on their own that they should not vaccinate.
Because it would be difficult to find a group of non-vaxed children and a similar control group of vaxed children.
They have, repeatedly, with no correlation. The problem, of course, is that some vaccinated kids do get autism, and those anecdotal stories are more highly valued by anti-vaxxers than studies or, ya know, math.
There was an outbreak of mumps among certain areas of Hassidic Jews in NY a few years ago that managed to make its way into Memorial Sloan kettering. So even though these communities may be self contained, they do come in contact with vulnerable individuals, which is the shame. And, there was a scrambling of vaccinations among a number of those families, when they realized their own family member was at risk. How the heck their religious convictions can allow chemo and not the vaccinations, I don’t know, and why the timing and events when their own were threatened suddenly allowed religious exemption I don’t know either, But it happened.
You shouldn’t be able to say “I want a religious exemption” if there is nothing in your religion that bans vaccination. There are very few religions that out and out prohibit vaccinations. Even the Amish have nothing in their religion that prohibits it; they were just lax and didn’t see the need - until last year. Jehovah’s Witnesses are allowed to get vaccinated. Christian Scientists are pretty ambivalent on vaccinations. Buddhists, in theory, would reject vaccines (not vegetarian, obviously).
There may be a difference between the religion banning vaccinations and that religion’s devout not believing vaccinations are real or necessary.
And you shouldn’t be able to say “I want a religious exemption” if there is something in your religion that bans vaccinations, either.
Methinks that much of the so-called religious objection is actually ideological objection on the part of people who also happen to be religious.
ETA – I’m not referring to Christian Science or Amish. I’m talking about people whose own parents of the same religion had no objection to vaccinations, so this is some relatively newly-discovered prohibition. (Cross-reference black helicopters and FEMA concentration camps.)
Why Many Adults Should Get Their Measles Shot — Again
https://www.yahoo.com/health/why-many-adults-should-get-their-measles-shot-110178537592.html
This is scary, considering the number of cases of measles keeps increasing, year over year.
“Fact: If you were inoculated between 1963 and 1967, you may have received an ineffective vaccine.”
Christian Science is mainstream?
There won’t be mandatory vaccinations unless there is a vast scare. I doubt very much that will happen As it is, one just has to have vaccinations, with all sorts of exemptions, for school and some other group activities. They are rarely checked either. So we are a long way from getting more people vaccinated. The problem is that a cross the board epidemic that hits right into the core of those who are anti vaxers would be needed. That isn’t going to happen as its the weaker members of society that will be hardest hit as usual.
I dunno. A measles death of a raven-haired moppet from Marin who was too young to get vaccinated and has telegenic parents might cause punitive laws to be enacted. I hope no one dies from measles in the current outbreak.
some groups that use the Bible literally, may not be encouraging their members to receive all recommended vaccines, because they weren’t in the Bible.
I believe 19 shots are now required by the time babies are 18 mo, up from the 8 required when my kids were younger.
Nineteen shots? Does that count an administration of MMR as three shots even though it’s one stick?
Well, I meant actual, identified organizations. As opposed to someone’s “Church of the minivan” with a congregation of exactly one family 
I’m not arguing with you @CardinalFang - I agree with you. My point was very few religions actually ban vaccinations, even the usual suspects are fine with vaccinations. I guess my real point is the only true exemption is the medical one. There is no reason for the religious exemption or the “personal belief” exemption. Mississippi and W. Virginia have it right.
It must have been an old study I was quoting. It now appears that there are 25 separate shots CDC recommends by 18 months.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf
Is this thread ever going to die? I keep seeing it pop to the top every day.
The vitriolic hysteria on both sides is growing tiresome.
Bus accidents are not contagious, thank goodness.
Communicable diseases are currently in the headlines, although I doubt that either those who believe that everyone who is able, should be inoculated for everything available & recommended, or those who feel it is up to the family and their health care provider what schedule they follow, will ever find a middle ground.