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Parents Struggle to Find Inoculated Nannies
Filed under: In The News
Could getting flu shots give nannies an edge in the job market? Credit: Corbis
"Extensive references available. Oh, and I've had all my shots."
Now that's what potential employers like to see in a nanny.
The Los Angeles Times reports that nannies who have been vaccinated against H1N1 and other diseases have a distinct advantage these days in the job market.
That's because many nannies can't -- or won't -- get their shots. Sometimes the vaccines are in short supply. In a lot of cases, however, nannies fear horror stories about possible side effects.
A common rumor is that vaccines cause autism in children. Most of the rumors are about children -- not prospective mothers -- receiving the vaccines. And even so, scientific studies have largely ruled out vaccines as a cause for autism.
Nonetheless, rumors about vaccines being a government conspiracy, as well as the cause of everything from autism to sterility, persist.
Professional nanny Blanca Duarte tells the newspaper she heard the rumor about sterility. Plus, she says she got sick after a flu vaccination years ago.
"For three weeks I could not work," Duarte tells The Times. "After that, I said no more."
The Times reports some nannies see an opportunity in advertising themselves as fully inoculated. This especially comforts parents of newborns too young to get some shots.
Still, finding an inoculated nanny can be a chore.
"Ugh! I am so frustrated right now that I could explode," the Times quotes a mother posting on Babycenter.com. "I have been interviewing potential nannies for the past several weeks. I finally found one that I was feeling confident that I would like to hire. I called to get more info for reference check, and also I had forgot to ask if they were OK with getting both flu and swine vaccine this year. The response was no."
Mothers sometimes have a problem bringing up the subject of shots, Claudia Kahn tells The Times. She's the founder and owner of The Help Company in Santa Monica, Calif., which serves families in both Los Angeles and New York City.
"It's a very touchy discussion, to ask people to get vaccinated," Kahn tells the newspaper. "There's a fine line about medical things, and people are questioning whether they're allowed to ask."
The Times reports California legal experts field calls from anxious parents.
"What I'm hearing from families is there does seem to be some push-back from nannies about getting the shot," Bob King tells the paper. He's a lawyer and founder of Legally Nanny in Irvine, Calif. The firm provides legal advice to families and nanny agencies.
Although it is a violation of federal anti-discrimination law for agencies to screen nannies based on their medical histories, including vaccinations, it is not illegal for parents to screen or fire nannies for refusing to get vaccinated, King tells The Times.
The push-back, he adds, is "largely driven by fear from the nannies."
Dr. Guillermo Diaz of QueensCare Family Clinic in Hollywood tells the Times the rumors are hard to control.
"Nannies have networks and speak among them, so if one nanny says no and it spreads, then it's all over," he tells the paper.
Related: Risks of Multiple Vaccinations
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
1-07-2010 @ 9:40PM
LS said...If these people have vaccinated their kids, then what's the problem?
Reply
1-08-2010 @ 7:28AM
Don said...If you are caring for a new born and you do not have all of your vaccinations you can pass the diseases on to the child your caring for.
In response to SKL: Perhaps the author is just attempting to squash irrelevant anti-vaccination comments before they start. After all he did cite the fact that those people are completely wrong.
1-08-2010 @ 10:22AM
SKL said...Don:
"the fact that those people are completely wrong"
It is not a proven "fact" that "those people" are "completely wrong."
But the constant harping on the autism-infant vaccine debate only shows an extremely narrow understanding of the overall picture of the choice to vaccinate or not, for people of any age. By bringing it up here, the author would confuse others who are not knowledgeable about the overall issue. And if this is not due to ignorance, then it's due to an agenda to hide the true reasons why many people question the CDC's vaccine recommendations.
1-07-2010 @ 9:52PM
SKL said...I sense some major attitude "between the lines" here. Why do you people feel it necessary to continually bring up the autism-vaccine debate even where it is clearly irrelevant? Do you get points or more hits when you do that? What is so strange about people simply choosing not to inject nasty stuff into their bodies?
Author, are you fully vaccinated? Have you had all your boosters including MMR? Surely you must have since you think it appropriate to judge others' choices not to do so.
Reply
1-07-2010 @ 10:17PM
RosePomplun said...I myself am a nanny and I did get myself vaccinated. I do care for an infant under 6 months an I felt it to be very necessary to get this done. I would rather risk getting the shot in a heartbeat rather than see the baby suffer or worse because of my lack of wanting to get the vaccine. Had I not been a nanny, I probably wouldn't have gotten the vaccine!
Reply
1-08-2010 @ 10:59AM
LS said...Don said, "If you are caring for a new born and you do not have all of your vaccinations you can pass the diseases on to the child your caring for."
That statement goes against the whole point of vaccines. The point of a vaccine is to prepare your body's defense against the assault of a particular disease. This is why we vaccinate our children against myriad diseases, now including various flus. If the children are thus prepared, why would it matter if the nanny is vaccinated?
If the argument is, "because we don't want to take the chance that we'll have to find alternate care during the week or so that she is sick, should she contract the flu," then I would say that it's a good reason. But if, as you say, that the nanny needs to be vaccinated so she doesn't pass the flu on to the previously-vaccinated children, then you're implying that said vaccine is useless, so why would you care if the nanny is vaccinated or not? And further, why would you bother to vaccinate your children with a useless vaccine?
***
And as for those who don't take the vaccine because of the ingredients? I can't say I blame anyone. I had my own son vaccinated, but I took great pains to ensure that he received a thimerosal-free mist (thimerosal is the mercury-based preservative found in "batch doses" or "multi-doses" of the flu and H1N1 vaccine). Why? Because I simply do not trust the "perfectly safe" thimersol. Why? Because the CDC has not yet answered the following question in a satisfactory manner:
Exactly how much mercury is safe?
The CDC has issued warnings about mercury like crazy. Warnings abound regarding mercury-tainted fish. Mercury-based thermometers are all but outlawed. CFL lighbulbs (those infernal fluorescent things) bear a warning about the mercury they contain, and advise that, should one break in your home, you should immediately evacuate the house so you don't take a chance on inhaling mercury fumes, and call in a Haz-Mat team to clean it up . And yet, they turn around and say that it's perfectly safe to inject mercury directly into our bloodstream? This presents a HUGE disconnect for me, and for many others. Further, for me, at least, not taking a vaccine has nothing to do with the autism debate, and everything to do with simple, basic trust.
Reply
1-08-2010 @ 3:07PM
Candi said...What can you do to mitigate the risk of H1N1 in your household? Advise your nanny and your children to:
Wash their hands often and thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds), using soap and water;
Keep their hands and fingers away from their eyes, noses, and mouths (the most common portals through which germs are introduced into a body);
Cover their noses and mouths when they sneeze (this may be done using the crooks of their elbows . . . or this may also be done using a tissue, which should be disposed of after a single use);
Stay home from work/school if they begin to experience flu-like symptoms (this will minimize the risk of spreading the contagion); and
See a doctor and begin taking a prescribed antiviral medication once any member of the household has been exposed to or symptomatic of H1N1.
Reply
1-08-2010 @ 2:35PM
CLM said...LS, infants don't generally start receiving inoculations until at least 2 months of age. Thus, Don's statement is entirely appropriate. Since my twin boys were born in the summer and were too young to get the flu shot their first year of life, I made it quite clear to family and caregivers that no flu shot meant no access to my children.
Reply
1-11-2010 @ 7:47AM
Don said...Thank you for the clarification CLM,
Again in response to SKL: As to the point about being completely wrong, yes they are. There have been several studies to which the evidence shows no link between autism and vaccines. I can start citing them if you wish and you can look at data yourself. Never mind the fact that the first study was falsified and doctor who start this debate has had his medical license revoked(Alan Wakefield).
I'm not saying that vaccines have no risks(a very small percentile), I am saying they far outweigh the risks. When is the last time you've heard of a parent worrying about polio(with in the US that is)?
What exactly is your issue with vaccination or the CDC?
1-08-2010 @ 8:34PM
Cristina said...As a parent, I could care less if someone is vaccinated. My only concern is someone who cares about my child, and is someone I can trust. I would never require someone to get something injected into their body as a condition of employment. Good hygiene, and calling in sick when actually sick are more important than a vaccine.
Reply