Value of shots brought home
When vaccines were given at school, Michael Stocker remembers how happy he was to avoid the jabs. But as an adult, he realises how important vaccinations are.
Stocker said that as he neared 30 without being immunised against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), ‘‘I felt like the excuses of not being vaccinated were falling away, and the reasoning for my Mum not vaccinating me didn’t really resonate with me that much’’.
Crunch time came when his wife, Olivia Stocker, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015, and her immune system became compromised by the disease and the treatment.
‘‘I just got to the point where I thought, ‘I don’t have an excuse’,’’ Stocker said.
In 2017, he rolled up his sleeve for a series of vaccines. They were free, and the nurses ‘‘didn’t make an issue of it’’.
Stocker said that when he was growing up, his mother ‘‘didn’t like the overmedicalisation of everything’’ and felt that her children’s immune systems were healthy enough.
At university, a flatmate told it to him straight about immunisation. ‘‘He had a bit of a go at me for not being immunised, saying that it was selfish and immunisation works by the whole community being vaccinated, and I’m effectively getting the benefit of all them being vaccinated without joining the team.’’
That conversation stuck with him. ‘‘I thought, ‘I’m not playing my part for the community. I might be fine if I get measles ... but there’s plenty of vulnerable people out there in the community, including Olivia, so it made sense to do it.’’
Olivia died in 2018 from Hodgkin lymphoma.
Stocker said he was now up to date with his vaccines.
‘‘You might be asked to do something that might not totally be in your best interests ... but it’s to protect the other people in the community, and that’s just part of living in the society we live in.’’
Stocker shared his experience as Nelson Marlborough Health and the Ministry of Health seek to ensure that all 15- to 30-year-olds get the MMR vaccine.
Nelson Marlborough District Health Board associate director of nursing Jill Clendon said the identified age group captured those who may have missed all or one MMR vaccination due to ‘‘schedule changes, or publicity around the vaccine possibly causing autism’’.
‘‘The vaccine was perfectly safe then, and it’s perfectly safe now. What we’re trying to do is catch them all up. If you haven’t had it or if you’re not sure if you’ve had it, then get it done.’’
She said measles was eight times more infectious than Covid-19 and was an aerosol-spread disease.
Effects of measles, mumps and rubella include respiratory problems, sterilisation in men, problems with the proper development of unborn babies and death.
Getting the vaccine protected everyone else, especially people who were immunocompromised and couldn’t get a vaccination, Clendon said. ‘‘You’re protecting those people who could potentially get sick and die.’’
The MMR vaccine is available at various sites, including GPs, medical centres and participating pharmacies. Richmond Health Hub, 281 Queen St, has a walk-in clinic every second Thursday from March 4 between 4pm and 7pm.
‘‘I just got to the point where I thought, ‘I don’t have an excuse’.’’
Michael Stocker