Anti-Vaxxers

It's worse than you think, Patty. Here's the opening paragraph from an article on USA Today

"At a time when measles is making a dramatic comeback, a new study finds that more than 70% of children's doctors have agreed to parents' requests to delay vaccinations, even though most believe that puts children at risk."

"You can't fix stupid."

I put these people in the same boat as folks like the vegan parents that killed their newborn by only feeding it vegan food (not even breastmilk!) and the Turbo Christians who don't take their children to the doctor.

The only thing is, in those cases it's their own child at risk...

I see that parents who do not vaccinate their children and are thus outside the "herd immunity" believe that they are still entitled to the benefits of society that gathers us together, i.e. schools. An attitude like that will take us back to the days before Jenner, when smallpox was a daily experience.

Unfortunately, patty, those pictures of the horrors of old common diseases will not be shown widely because it doesn't fit the worldview of the anti-vaccine crowd. Smallpox, mumps, rubella are just distant diseases mentioned in books. It seems that until those horrors return and possibly kill their children, they will not change.

You want to drive without a seat belt and with the airbags turned off? Fine, go ahead. You want to plop your child on your lap and do that? No. Now you're endangering your kid. You want to do that, while you decide to drive on whatever side of the road or sidewalk you want to? NO, now you're endangering everyone. The reason we have mandatory traffic laws is the same reason we should have mandatory vaccinations.

Do not get your medical advice from the wife of Ace Ventura, Pet Detective.

One odd thing I've noticed that's NOT in this debate: There is no "autism epidemic." 20 years ago, autism was lumped into the same category as Down syndrome. They just changed the medical definition. If it's caused by vaccines, shouldn't the "epidemic" have started 70 years ago?

At the store I work at, there's a guy with Down syndrome in his mid 30s. He lives in a group home, but once a month, his father drives him there so that he can buy a 12 pack of non-alcoholic beer. Dad beams with pride as his son talks with us and pays with his credit card. You can feel the love between them. I have never seen a parent with a Down syndrome kid do anything but love them.

And I've never seen them try to blame their child's difference on anything! Why are these anti-vaxxers looking for something to blame autism on? It's GENETIC, it's no one's fault. And yeah, I'm sure a child with autism really appreciates you acting like "If it weren't for vaccines, you'd be normal. Not a freakish aberration caused by mad scientists." Why can't they just accept their children for who they are?

Okay, I'm a rabid anti-anti-vaxxer, so I'll stop posting here before I start really frothing at the mouth! (This comment is me not frothing at the mouth, which give you an idea of what I mean)

As a proud member of the Autism Spectrum (Having the High Functioning Asperger's Syndrome), I find things like this very disturbing. Most *real* autism organizations are very much against anti-vaxxers as absolutely stupid and a danger to themselves and others. (I do not count Autism Speaks as a real autism group, because they funnel all of their money into meaningless cause/cure research instead of trying to help people live with the autism they already have). We do not want diseases making a comeback, and are very vocal in this (well, at least those of us who are actually verbal).

I've had amallpox and its a blast. really an expierience everybody should have the chance to enjoy

Visit a new England cemetery and look for stones with names of multiple small children who all died in a close time and distance proximity. Multiple kids from the same families. Our family history shows multiple children's deaths at once from now very preventable dieses. The anti-vaxxers are the brain damaged ones. Nothing like watching your child suffer that agony of polio or the most painful death from tetanus.

When I grew up, we got all those diseases, except for smallpox (I even got a dose of polio). Not a great way to get your immunity. I'll take my immunity from a vaccination every time.

I'm waiting for the big lawsuit from someone whose vaccinated child got sick anyway, because of the number of unvaccinated people around them.

Or the charge of manslaughter for parents of an unvaccinated child who died of rubella.

What do insurance companies do about unvaccinated kids who get whatever disease? Suppose they (quite rightly, IMHO) that if you refuse the ounce of prevention, they will not pay for the pound of cure?

OTOH, if the kid really is allergic to eggs (or whatever other medical reason for not being vaccinated), then there should be no penalty.

If the vaccines work so well what do the vaccinated have to fear from the un-vaccinated?


When the risk of side effects from the vaccine become greater than the risk of the disease being vaccinated for......is it worth it?

The elephant in the room......what about all the illegal immigrants who have never been vaccinated? Do they pose any risk or is it all put on the anti-vaxxers?

Just my 2 cents.

Babies too young to get vaccinated can catch the measles from an anti-vaxxer. Other people with a compromised immune system are also at risk.

Mike, I will tell you right now that the chance of side effects from a vaccine are extremely low, far less of a chance of serious side effects than there are from the diseases being vaccinated against. And some things, like a case I was reading about the other day try to push off on vaccines things like SIDS, which just happen, as a SIDS mom, I have to understand that oftentimes children do die, inexplicably. Blaming vaccines is a little out there, when there were probably unknown health problems that just weren't caught before that. I'll admit I avoid yearly flu shots, largely because my public exposure is so miniscule that it's not worth it. I very rarely spend any kind of significant time in public places, I don't have any young children to worry about, and my husband is about as resistant to illness as I am. I can also take whatever time I need to overcome a flu without bothering much of anyone. So, I consider that a good risk. Not giving children, who are in consistent public contact, vaccines against much more deadly illnesses is honestly stupid.

The idea behind all medical treatment is acceptable risk, not no risk. Right now the anti vaxxers are riding on the coat tails of herd immunity but that will not last forever if more people go that route. Yes, we have unvaccinated illegals and those who cannot be vaccinated due to severe allergies. Also immune deficient people and prevaccinated infants are part of the equation. That is why it is so important that everyone else be vaccinated.

Mike, your "elephant" does not exist. Most illegal immigrants come from nations with vaccination rates similar to or higher than the US. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/02/03/map-113-countries-have-higher-measles-immunization-rates-than-the-u-s-for-1-year-olds/ I suspect folks from those countries have more recent memories of what it was like when large portions of the population were not vaccinated. Unlike the California airheads that were responsible for the recent outbreaks there. So far as I know, NONE of the recent outbreaks in the US involved immigrants, legal or otherwise.

Thanks Frank, obviously I was not aware of that stat.

The vaccinated don't have to fear the unvaccinated, unless they're unvaccinated illegal aliens? Wait, what? You get instant immunity with a green card? Here's your two cents back; I didn't get my money's worth.

No Bill, most aliens are already vaccinated and all unvaccinated people are a risk.

While I'm pro-vaccination, I think it's misleading to post a photo of a child with smallpox. Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980. It only exists in a few laboratories where (I hope) it's kept under tight security, although there's some fear of bioterrorism using smallpox.

@Ges: If I am to believe what I've read then cow pox still exists in the wild and cow pox is a very short genetic leap to small pox.