Thanks, but I’m not into being condescended to by the mentally unstable. I’m sure there’s a conspiracy theory message board you could be more profitably spending your time at.
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It is unfortunate that these two have become the demarcation line around which the vaccination discussion has polarized. They represent a very narrow range of considerations, and have effectively shut down the thinking processes on either side of the equation.
They distract both camps from engaging in a deeper exploration of the matter.
This is similar to the manner in which Al Gore, is often invoked by Climate change denialists as a reason for their denialism. In reality, they’ve become stuck on the perspective of one person, and it’s prevented them a deeper exploration of an issue which exists independent of one person’s perspective.
Jenny McCarthy and Andrew Wakefield may be wrong - But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are right.
In the years to come, the contemporary vaccine narrative will be modified, as folks come to particular realizations about it, and modify their understanding accordingly. These realizations will be hailed by increasingly receptive recipients as “Discoveries” - But will not be surprises to those of us who cared to find out all along.
On a related note, it’s fascinating to me how anyone with a critical perspective on the mainstream vaccine narrative is immediately labelled as crazy, or ignorant, by folks who readily invoke “science” in defense of their orthodoxy.
Juicy.
Seriously?
– Except that their actions have been so directly detrimental to the health of other people, and their views on vaccination are why.
Yes, seriously.
You see, vaccination is not just a personal choice, bc that personal choice so directly affects the lives and livelihoods of the people around those who ‘opt-out’ of vaccination. Vaccination doesn’t just protect the person getting vaccinated, it protects the community as well, especially those who have health problems: for example, the immunosuppressed, the very young, the very old, the pregnant.
Vaccination is also not perfect, so not everyone who was vaccinated has perfect immunity. Therefore, for vaccination to be most effective, the entire population should be vaccinated. That cuts down on reservoirs of infection, and decreases the chances of being exposed if you are one of the few to whom vaccination did not work or if you are a fragile population (see above list).
When someone makes the decision not to vaccinate themself (or their child), they are putting many other people at risk. Their fear that the vaccination is somehow dangerous does not just potentially harm them - it potentially harms a LOT of other people.
Add to this the fact that many diseases have long enough incubation periods DURING which the infected person can spread the disease but is asymptomatic. This is a very good thing if you are an evil virus, but not so good for us humans. This is because people suffering the incubation phase can unknowingly spread the disease.
The recent increases in unvaccinated populance have lead to a resurgence of diseases that were once almost eradicated in the US. The WHO is even tracking Polio in Syria
Measles:
http://www.cdc.gov/measles/outbreaks.html
Pertussis:
Polio
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2013/polio-syria-20131113/en/
(sorry if these references contain too much “science” for you)
In society, we all make choices based on our own best interests. Some people make decisions based on the best interest of society, but not everyone. For that reason, we write rules and laws to coerce people into behavior that’s good for society. We rule that you can’t kill people for being left handed, or you can’t drunk drive. If drunk driving only killed the driver and exacted no other cost on society, we may not have laws prohibiting that behavior. But there are external costs beyond those to the person making that choice - the people they hit, the lives lost, the medical expenses incurred, etc. BC of those external costs, we as society make some rules about behavior, and attempt to enforce them.
For these same reasons, societies mandate vaccination upon the masses. And vaccinations work. Have many friends with polio? How about whom suffer diptheria?
Please share the information you have that will undo the years of epidemiology and vaccination statistics and teach the world that vaccines are improper. Or explain how single people should be allowed to put others at risk by refusing vaccination, thus externalizing their choices onto unsuspecting and innocent bystanders?
/Rant on/
My favorite data points are the people with pertussis (or whose children have pertussis) that show up in the ER when they are sick, tell me they don’t believe in medicine or vaccination, and then ask us to help them…
/Rant off/
The FiatRN
Denver, CO
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At work, I have courier set as my default email font… Email should look like email
So my numerous tetanus shots should have me up to date on pertussis – that is good to know.
DoctorWakefield is the best! He give me free lollypops when I visit!
Fixed that for you!
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Oh, don’t get me wrong - there are far more than just those two who are causing irreparable harm to society (Joseph Mercola, I’m looking in your direction). And I don’t think Jenny McCarthy and Andrew Wakefield cause people to shut down their thinking processes on the pro-vaccine side of the equation. not even close. Because to point out how wrong to two of them are, pro-vaccine people actively invite people to read the studies (and even more precisely, look at the flaws in Wakefield’s study in particular), look at the science behind vaccinations, and actively try to THINK about the position that they hold, and the reasons for it.
I’d be interested to see what you believe these “discoveries” are, that the mainstream fools who believe in “science” are missing out on.
This whole discussion is reminding me that my boy will be entering kindergarten this fall, and that some number of his classmates will not be fully immunized. He’s had all his shots, but I’m a bit concerned that I might be behind on mine. Last thing I need is to have him carry measles home from some classmate who has ignorant, anti-social parents.
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