Anti-vaccine movement is a virus of ignorance
Something is spreading across this nation that could sicken or kill who knows how many thousands, and that something is not Ebola. It’s a dangerous trend to forego vaccinating children.
As detailed in an article by Karen Mansfield in this newspaper Sunday, diseases like pertussis (whooping cough), measles and mumps are making a comeback in some parts of the country as parents opt out of vaccinations for their children.
If you would guess the recent outbreaks of these diseases occurred in rural areas with little access to medical care and high rates of illiteracy, you would be wrong. These outbreaks are happening in places like Orange County, Calif., and Columbus, Ohio, and the parents are typically educated, middle- or upper-income and otherwise well-informed.
For the most part, these parents have chosen to ignore the facts and follow their suspicions and the websites and publications that promote them. The result is an anti-vaccine movement that argues shots are overused and loaded with toxins, that greedy pharmaceutical manufacturers and doctors ignore side effects in order to protect their profits, and the vaccines cause autism, allergies and hyperactivity disorders. The misinformation has spread – like a virus itself – on the Internet.
In a recent article in Time magazine, Columbus’ deputy health commissioner was asked why some highly educated people put their own children and others at risk: “When people achieve a certain status, they think they’re invincible. They think it will never happen to them, and if it does, they’ll have the resources to deal with it.”
The resources – health insurance, good hospitals and money – do not provide immunity from highly infectious viruses. Measles spreads through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. It is so contagious any child who is exposed to it and is not immune will probably get the disease, according to the Center for Disease Control. Rich kids are just as vulnerable as poor ones.
Measles, because of vaccination, are rare in the United States, but worldwide, 20 million are sickened by it every year, with 164,000 deaths. Mumps has also been rare in the United States until recently. The complications from mumps are dangerous, including deafness and sterility.
Louise Francis, a Pennsylvania leader of the Vaccination Liberation group, is opposed to all vaccinations.
“I think they’re neither safe nor effective, and while some studies show limited effectiveness, any limited effectiveness is far outweighed by adverse reactions.”
It is hard to fathom the ignorance of such a statement. Would the world be better off without the polio vaccine? Consider the millions killed and crippled by that virus, which is now so close to being eradicated worldwide through vaccination.
According to the Rotary Foundation, which funneled billions of dollars toward ending polio, a few pockets of the crippling disease still exist, one being in war-torn Syria. In late 2013, 35 cases of polio were confirmed in the country, which had been polio-free for 14 years. The virus is believed to have been imported from Pakistan, where the Taliban doesn’t just disapprove of vaccines but has actually killed people providing them.
California is experiencing a whopping-cough epidemic, partially because of opposition to the vaccine. There were 48,277 cases of whooping cough in the United States last year with 20 deaths, according to the CDC. That’s the highest number since 1955.
Most of those who die from whooping cough are infants, and it is a horrible and painful death. The vaccine is safe and the incidence of side effects extremely small, yet some parents still choose to put their own child at risk of contracting the disease.
Rugged individualism has always been considered an admirable, American trait. The anti-vaccine movement takes that to a new level – to antisocial isolation. The attitude is: “I know what’s best for my kid, and screw everyone else.”
It’s a sick society that cannot agree on behavior that benefits all.
Vaccines offer health and protection, not just for our own children but for all of us.